Charlie Neal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charlie Neal |
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| Second baseman | |||
| Born: January 30, 1931 Longview, Texas |
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| Died: November 18, 1996 (aged 65) Dallas, Texas |
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| debut | |||
| April 17, 1956, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 29, 1963, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .259 | ||
| Home runs | 87 | ||
| Runs batted in | 391 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Charles Lenard Neal (born January 30, 1931 – died November 18, 1996) was an American baseball player. He played as a second baseman and shortstop for eight seasons in Major League Baseball (1956–1963).
Charlie Neal was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950. He helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the 1959 World Series. This was just one year after the team moved to Southern California in 1958. His two home runs in Game 2 of the 1959 Series were very important. They helped the Dodgers turn the game around against the Chicago White Sox. Chicago had won Game 1 by a score of 11–0. They were also leading 2–0 in the fifth inning of Game 2. That's when Neal hit his first home run, scoring the Dodgers' first run of the World Series. Two innings later, he hit his second home run, a two-run shot. This home run helped the Dodgers win 4–3. Los Angeles then won Games 3, 4, and 6 to become world champions!
Early Baseball Days
Neal was born in Longview, Texas. When he was still in high school, he played for the Negro league Atlanta Black Crackers. He threw and batted right-handed. He was about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds. Even though he wasn't very big, Neal was a strong hitter. He hit 151 home runs in his 14-year career, playing in both major and minor leagues.
In 1954, when he was 23, Neal played in Triple-A, a high level of minor league baseball. He hit 18 home runs and had a .274 batting average. The Boston Red Sox reportedly offered the Dodgers $100,000 for Neal. But the Dodgers said no. If the deal had happened, Neal might have been the Red Sox' first African-American player.
Neal joined the Dodgers in 1956. He batted .287 in 62 games played, mostly as a backup second baseman. He started Game 3 of the 1956 World Series. He didn't get any hits and made an error that led to a run for the other team. In 1957, the Dodgers' last year in Brooklyn, Neal had a great second season. He played in 128 games and started 100 at shortstop. Future Baseball Hall of Fame player Pee Wee Reese moved to third base. Neal batted .270 with 12 home runs. In 1958, he hit 22 home runs. Fourteen of these were at the Dodgers' new home field, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He was now the team's starting second baseman.
His Amazing 1959 Season
The 1959 season was Charlie Neal's best and most famous year. He got 177 hits, had 83 runs batted in, and stole 17 stolen bases. His batting average was .287, all career highs. He also hit 19 home runs. Neal led the National League in sacrifice hits (bunts that help teammates advance) and triples (hits where he ran to third base). He also won a Gold Glove for being an excellent fielder at second base.
The Dodgers tied the Milwaukee Braves at the end of the 154-game season. Neal then played a big part in helping the Dodgers sweep the Braves in the 1959 National League tie-breaker series. He got five hits in 12 tries, including a home run in the second game that won the series. He then helped the Dodgers win the World Series. He batted an amazing .370 with ten hits in the six-game series against the White Sox. In Game 5 of that series, he played in front of 92,706 fans. This was the largest crowd in World Series history at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Neal also played in the second 1959 All-Star Game at the Coliseum on August 3.
Later Career
Neal was the Dodgers' starting second baseman in both 1960 and 1961. He also played in both All-Star games in 1960. However, his playing wasn't as good. He batted .256 and .235, with only 18 total home runs in 247 games. After the 1961 season, the Dodgers traded him to the New York Mets. The Mets were a brand new team.
Neal was the regular second baseman for the Mets' first team in 1962. That team lost 120 games, which was a lot! He was in the very first Mets starting lineup on April 11, 1962. He batted third and got three hits in four tries. He also got the first run batted in in the team's history.
Neal stayed with the Mets until July 1, 1963. Then, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He only batted .156 for the rest of that season. The Reds let him go in spring training of 1964. His baseball career ended at age 33. As a major league player, Charlie Neal played in 970 games. He had a lifetime batting average of .259 with 858 hits, 113 doubles, 38 triples, 87 home runs, and 391 runs batted in. He didn't get any hits in his All-Star games.
Charlie Neal passed away in Dallas from a heart problem at age 65.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
