George Altman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids George Altman |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: March 20, 1933 Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: April 11, 1959, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| NPB: April 6, 1968, for the Tokyo Orions | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: October 1, 1967, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| NPB: October 16, 1975, for the Hanshin Tigers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .269 | ||
| Home runs | 101 | ||
| Runs batted in | 403 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .309 | ||
| Home runs | 205 | ||
| Runs batted in | 656 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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George Lee Altman, born on March 20, 1933, is a former American baseball player. He was an outfielder who played for many years. He had a long career in both Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan.
Altman was chosen as an All-Star three times in the National League. He played in 991 games over nine seasons in the major leagues. When he was 35, he started playing in Japan. There, he played for eight years, hitting 205 home runs and having a batting average of .309. He also got 985 hits in Japan.
George Altman batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was about 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. He was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He went to Tennessee State University in Nashville, which is a historically black college. At college, he played both baseball and basketball.
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George Altman's Baseball Journey
Playing in North America
George Altman started his professional baseball career with the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro leagues in 1955. He played there for three months. Later, the Chicago Cubs signed him to their team. This happened because Buck O'Neil recommended him.
After playing two years in the minor leagues and serving two years in the United States Army, Altman joined the Cubs' main roster in 1959. He played 102 games as a centerfielder, even on Opening Day. In that first game, he got two hits out of three at-bats against Don Drysdale, helping the Cubs win 6–1. As a rookie, Altman's batting average was .245. In 1960, he played a bit less, covering all three outfield spots and even first base.
In 1961, Altman's batting improved to .266. He became the Cubs' main right fielder. He played 138 games, batted .303, and hit 27 home runs. He also led the National League with 12 triples. He was chosen for the All-Star team. In his first All-Star game, on July 11, 1961, he hit a pinch hit home run. This happened in the eighth inning against Mike Fornieles. The National League won that game 5–4.
Altman had another great season in 1962. He was an All-Star again. He played in 147 games, which was his personal best. He also got 170 hits, batted .318, and had 19 stolen bases. He hit 22 home runs that year. Altman was sixth in the league for stolen bases and fourth for getting on base. However, the Cubs had a tough season, finishing ninth. After the 1962 season, Altman was part of a big trade. He went to the St. Louis Cardinals in a deal that brought pitchers Larry Jackson and Lindy McDaniel to Chicago.
In 1963, Altman became the starting right fielder for the Cardinals. The Cardinals were trying to win the pennant and were close to catching the Los Angeles Dodgers. But a six-game losing streak ended their chances. Altman's performance dropped a bit. He was often platooned, meaning he only started against right-handed pitchers. His batting average went down to .274, and he hit only nine home runs. He was traded again after that season. He went to the New York Mets in November for pitcher Roger Craig. Altman played four more years in the major leagues. Only in 1964, his only season with the Mets, did he play regularly. But he struggled, batting .230 in 124 games and hitting only nine homers. In January 1965, he was traded back to the Cubs.
Playing in Japan
In 1965 and 1966, George Altman was a backup outfielder for the Cubs. In 1967, he spent part of the year in Triple-A minor league baseball. Even at 34, he played regularly there and got his batting skills back. This helped him a lot in 1968 when he started playing baseball in Japan.
He played in Japan from 1968 to 1975 for the Lotte Orions and the Hanshin Tigers. He had amazing seasons, hitting 39, 34, and 30 home runs in different years. He also had four more seasons with 20 or more home runs. He batted over .300 six times in Japan. Some highlights from his time in Japan include leading the Pacific League in hits (170), runs (84), and RBI (100) in 1968. He was also named to the "Best Nine" Pacific League team in 1968, 1970, and 1971. He said that martial arts training helped him succeed in baseball in Japan.
MLB Career Totals
In his nine years in Major League Baseball with the Cubs, Cardinals, and Mets, George Altman batted .269. He had 832 hits, including 132 doubles, 34 triples, and 101 home runs. He also had 403 RBIs in 991 games. He was a good fielder, with a .981 fielding percentage. He played all three outfield positions and first base.
In his three All-Star Game appearances, his 1961 home run was his only hit. He played without any errors in the field for three innings as the National League's right fielder in the second All-Star game of 1961.
Altman now lives in O'Fallon, Missouri.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball
