Charlie Silvera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charlie Silvera |
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| Catcher | |||
| Born: October 13, 1924 San Francisco, California |
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| Died: September 7, 2019 (aged 94) Millbrae, California |
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| debut | |||
| September 29, 1948, for the New York Yankees | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 28, 1957, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .282 | ||
| Home runs | 1 | ||
| Runs batted in | 52 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Charles "Charlie" Anthony Ryan Silvera (born October 13, 1924 – died September 7, 2019) was a cool American baseball player and coach. People often called him "Swede." He was famous for being part of six World Series winning teams with the amazing New York Yankees.
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Early Life and Baseball Start
Charlie Silvera was born in San Francisco, California. He started his baseball journey early. In 1942, he signed with the New York Yankees team. He was only seventeen years old. Charlie played in the outfield for the Wellsville Yankees.
He took a break from baseball from 1943 to 1945. This was to serve in World War II. When he came back in 1946, he learned a new position. He became a catcher for the Kansas City Blues. This team was a "triple A" team.
Playing for the New York Yankees
After playing a few more years in the minor leagues, Charlie joined the Yankees. He made his big league debut on September 29, 1948. He had a fantastic first game. He got three hits out of four tries. One of his hits was a triple! He did great the next day too.
Because he was hitting so well, Charlie became a backup catcher. He played behind the famous Yogi Berra in 1949. When Yogi Berra hurt his thumb, Charlie got to play more. He became the starting catcher for August. He hit for a .329 average. He also got eight runs batted in (RBIs). This was while filling in for the future Hall of Famer. That season, he played in 58 games. He had 130 at-bats and 13 RBIs. These were his best numbers ever.
The Yankees played against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1949 World Series. Charlie only played in one game. He didn't get any hits in that game. Even though he played in only one World Series game, he was part of six championship teams!
A Short Time with the Chicago Cubs
Charlie didn't play much in 1955 and 1956. So, the Yankees traded him to the Chicago Cubs. This happened before the 1957 season. He was traded for another catcher named Harry Chiti.
When Charlie joined the Cubs, he got a special jersey number. The equipment manager gave him number 8. This was Yogi Berra's number. Charlie had been Yogi's backup for eight seasons. His time with the Cubs was cut short. He sprained his ankle in May. This made him miss three weeks of games. After just one season, the Cubs let him go. He batted .208 with two RBIs in 26 games.
After Playing Baseball
After leaving the Cubs, Charlie went back to the Yankees. He became a player and manager. He managed the New Orleans Pelicans team. This team was in the minor leagues. He was replaced as manager during the 1958 season. He then managed the Binghamton Triplets in 1959. His team had a winning record that year.
Later, Charlie became a scout for baseball teams. He worked for the Washington Senators. He also became a coach. When Billy Martin became a manager, he hired Charlie. Charlie was his bullpen coach for the Minnesota Twins in 1969. He also coached for the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers.
In his later years, he continued scouting. He scouted for teams like the Cubs and the Marlins. He even got his seventh World Championship ring! This was as a scout for the Marlins in 1997.
Charlie Silvera passed away on September 7, 2019. He was 94 years old. He was the last player alive from the Yankees teams. These teams won five World Series in a row from 1949 to 1953.
