Dave Pope facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dave Pope |
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| Outfielder | |||||||||||||
| Born: June 17, 1921 Talladega, Alabama |
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| Died: August 28, 1999 (aged 78) Cleveland, Ohio |
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| Professional debut | |||||||||||||
| NgL: 1946, for the Homestead Grays | |||||||||||||
| MLB: July 1, 1952, for the Cleveland Indians | |||||||||||||
| Last appearance | |||||||||||||
| September 30, 1956, for the Cleveland Indians | |||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||
| Batting average | .265 | ||||||||||||
| Home runs | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 73 | ||||||||||||
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David Pope (born June 17, 1921 – died August 28, 1999) was an American baseball player. He was an outfielder who played in both the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Homestead Grays for a short time. In MLB, he played for the Cleveland Indians and the Baltimore Orioles. His career in MLB lasted about four years, from 1952 to 1956.
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Early Life and Military Service
Dave Pope was born in Talladega, Alabama. He was one of eleven children. His older brother, Willie Pope, was also a famous baseball player in the Negro Leagues. Dave served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946. He was stationed at Camp Lee in Virginia during World War II.
Baseball Career Highlights
After leaving the Army in 1946, Dave Pope joined the Homestead Grays. This team was part of the Negro National League. He only played one inning for them before moving to other teams. He played for minor league teams like the Pittsburgh Crawfords.
In 1950, the Cleveland Indians signed him. He made his big league debut with them in 1952.
The 1954 World Series Moment
Even though his MLB career was short, Dave Pope is remembered for a special play. This happened during Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. In that game, Willie Mays made an amazing catch. It was a very deep fly ball hit by Vic Wertz. Mays ran a long way and caught the ball over his shoulder. This play is known as "The Catch".
Later in the same game, something similar happened. A player named Dusty Rhodes hit a fly ball. It was not hit as far as Wertz's ball. It went towards right field, where Dave Pope was playing. Pope ran and jumped as high as he could. But the ball landed just a few feet away in the stands. It was a game-winning home run for the New York Giants. This moment showed how close Pope came to making a big play.
Fielding Skills
Dave Pope was a good fielder. He played in all three outfield positions. He made very few mistakes. In over 1,100 innings, he only made 3 errors. This gave him a high fielding percentage of .990. This means he successfully handled the ball almost every time.
Later Life
Dave Pope passed away in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1999. He was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland. His grandson, David Pegram, became an actor. He performed in the famous play "War Horse" in 2011.
See also
