Dave Philley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dave Philley |
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Dave Philley as an Oriole, 1955
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: May 16, 1920 Paris, Texas, U.S. |
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| Died: March 15, 2012 (aged 91) Paris, Texas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 6, 1941, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 6, 1962, for the Boston Red Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .270 | ||
| Home runs | 84 | ||
| Runs batted in | 729 | ||
| Teams | |||
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David Earl Philley (born May 16, 1920 – died March 15, 2012) was an American outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a switch hitter, meaning he could bat from both sides of the plate. Dave Philley threw with his right hand. He started his MLB career on September 6, 1941, and played his last game on August 6, 1962. He was born in Paris, Texas, and went to East Texas State University before becoming a professional baseball player.
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Dave Philley's Baseball Journey
Dave Philley played for many different teams during his long 18-season career. He was known for being a great outfielder. He led all American League outfielders in assists three times. An assist is when a fielder helps get a runner out. He also led the league in outs once in 1950.
Early Career and World War II Service
Philley first joined the Chicago White Sox in 1941. His baseball career was put on hold for four years. He served as a military policeman during World War II. After the war, he returned to the White Sox in 1946. He played 17 games for them that year.
Moving Between Teams
Dave Philley played for the White Sox for about five and a half years. Then, he moved to the Philadelphia Athletics early in the 1951 season. He played for Philadelphia until 1953. After that, he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1954.
In 1955, the Baltimore Orioles got him. He finished that year with a .299 batting average. This was the best on the Orioles team. Later in his career, Philley played for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Red Sox. He even had second chances with the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles.
Best Seasons and World Series
His most successful season was in 1953 with the Athletics. He had his career-high numbers that year. He hit for a .303 batting average and had 188 hits. He also hit 30 doubles and played in 157 games played. From 1947 to 1953, he averaged 27 doubles each season. In 1950 with Chicago, he hit 14 home runs and had 80 runs batted in. These were also career bests for him. While playing for Cleveland, he appeared in the 1954 World Series.
Pinch-Hitting Records
As Dave Philley got older, he became a special player known as a pinch hitter. A pinch hitter is a player who bats in place of another player.
In 1958, playing for the Phillies, he got 18 pinch hits. He even had a streak of eight straight pinch hits to end the season. He continued this streak with a pinch-hit double on opening day in 1959. This made it nine straight pinch hits, which is still a major league record today! In 1961, while playing for Baltimore, he had 24 pinch hits in 72 at-bats. These are also American League records.
End of His Playing Career
In the offseason of 1961–62, the Houston Colt .45's signed Philley. He was 42 years old at the time. A few hours later, Houston sent him to the Boston Red Sox. Philley spent most of 1962 on the bench for Boston. He was released from the team on August 14, 1962.
Career Stats and Achievements
In his 18-season career, Philley had a .270 batting average. He hit 84 home runs and had 729 runs batted in (RBI) in 1,904 games. He also collected 1,700 hits, 276 doubles, and 72 triples. He scored 789 runs and stole 101 stolen bases. He was also good at not striking out, with a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 1.078. This means he had more walks than strikeouts.
Philley was a good fielder too. He played all three outfield positions. He also sometimes played first and third base. His fielding percentage was .982. As a pinch hitter, he batted .300. He had 92 hits in 307 pinch-hit chances. He also hit two home runs and had 57 RBI as a pinch hitter.
Dave Philley holds a record for the most at-bats in an American League doubleheader. On May 30, 1950, he had 13 at-bats for the White Sox against the Browns.
After Baseball
After he stopped playing, Philley became a manager. He managed for the Houston minor league system from 1963 to 1964. In 1965, he managed the Durham Bulls. There, he won a Carolina League division title. In 1966, he worked for the Red Sox. He managed the Class A Waterloo Hawks and also worked as a scout. A scout helps find new talented players. Dave Philley lived in his hometown of Paris, Texas, until he passed away.
See also
