George Altman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids George Altman |
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Altman in 1961
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: March 20, 1933 Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Died: November 24, 2025 (aged 92) O'Fallon, Missouri, 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 March 20, 1933, died November 24, 2025) was an American professional baseball player. He was an outfielder who played for many years. George Altman had a great career in both Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan. He was chosen as an All-Star three times in the National League. He played in 991 games over nine seasons in the major leagues. Later, at age 35, he moved to Japan. There, he played for eight more years. In Japan, he hit 205 home runs and had a batting average of .309. He also made 985 hits.
Altman batted with his left hand and threw with his right hand. He was a tall player, standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters) and weighing 200 pounds (91 kg).
Contents
George Altman: A Baseball Star's Journey
Early Life and College Days
George Altman was born on March 20, 1933, in Goldsboro, North Carolina. His mother passed away when he was only four years old. He went to Dillard High School in Goldsboro. There, he was the captain of the basketball team in 1950-51. He was a very good center player. As a young person, he worked in tobacco fields. When he was a sophomore in high school, George decided to study hard. He wanted to go to college and have more choices for his future. He did not want to be limited to working in fields or factories.
An assistant coach at his high school suggested he attend Tennessee State University. This school was then called Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial College. It is a historically black college (HBCU) in Nashville. George played both baseball and basketball there. He graduated with honors in 1955. He was an honor roll student. He was also a member of the sports club Alpha Phi Alpha.
At first, Tennessee State only had a basketball team. George played basketball until his junior year. That's when the school started a baseball team. In his junior year, John McLendon, a famous coach, became the basketball coach. Even before Coach McLendon arrived, George's Tennessee State team made history. They were the first HBCU school to play in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national basketball tournament.
George started playing baseball at Tennessee State in his junior year. One of his teammates was Fred Valentine, who also became a major league player. They played against other college teams. They also competed against Army base teams and Negro League teams.
Starting His Baseball Career
Playing for the Monarchs and Cubs
After college, George Altman first planned to be a basketball coach. He had an offer to coach at Memphis’ Lemoyne College. But a Tennessee A & I official told him about the Kansas City Monarchs. This team was part of the Negro American League. He tried out for the team and joined right away. His first professional baseball experience was with the Monarchs in 1955.
Then, in August 1955, the Chicago Cubs signed him. This happened because Buck O'Neil recommended him. Buck O'Neil was a player-manager for the Monarchs. He later became a scout for the Cubs. The Cubs bought George's contract from the Monarchs.
George joined the Cubs' main team in 1959. Before that, he spent two years in the minor leagues. He also spent two years in the United States Army. In the Army, he played baseball and basketball for the Fort Carson team. He also played winter league baseball in Panama and Cuba.
In 1959, George started 102 games as a center fielder. On Opening Day, he got two hits in three at bats. He played against famous pitcher Don Drysdale. As a rookie, he batted .245. But he hit 12 home runs and had 47 runs batted in (RBI). He also scored 54 runs. Local sportswriters chose him as the team's rookie-of-the-year. His first major league hitting coach was Rogers Hornsby. Hornsby had one of the best batting averages in MLB history. He helped George improve his hitting.
In 1960, George played a bit less due to an injured ankle. He also had mononucleosis earlier that year. He played all three outfield positions and first base. Even with fewer chances to bat, he improved his batting average to .266. He also hit 13 home runs and had 51 RBIs. His slugging percentage also went up.
In 1961, he became the Cubs' main right fielder. By the All-Star break, he was batting .349. This was almost the best in the National League. George was named an All-Star in 1961. He played in both All-Star games that year. In his first All-Star at bat, he hit a pinch hit home run. He knew the pitcher, Mike Fornieles, from playing in the Cuban winter league. The National League won that game 5–4.
For the whole year, George batted .303 in 138 games. He hit 27 home runs. He also led the National League with 12 triples. He was among the top ten hitters in the NL for many stats. These included home runs, batting average, and RBIs. He also won player of the month honors. George was also known for his great defense. He led NL right fielders in fielding percentage in 1961.
He had another strong season in 1962. He made the All-Star team again for the second game. George set personal bests in games played (147), hits (170), batting average (.318), and stolen bases (19). He was among the top players in the NL for batting average, on-base percentage, and stolen bases. He also hit 22 home runs. He was one of the top three right fielders in fielding percentage.
However, the Cubs had a tough season, finishing in ninth place. After the 1962 season, George was part of a big trade. He went to the St. Louis Cardinals. In return, the Cubs got pitchers Larry Jackson and Lindy McDaniel. This trade was a big deal because the Cubs traded their best hitter. But George would not reach his 1961-62 hitting levels again.
Moving to Other Teams
In 1963, George became the Cardinals' starting right fielder. He helped the team in a close pennant race. The Cardinals almost caught the Los Angeles Dodgers. They finished in second place. George started 111 games in right field.
But George's performance went down. He was often platooned, meaning he only started against right-handed pitchers. His batting average dropped to .274, and he hit only nine home runs. He still had a good fielding percentage among NL right fielders.
Again, he was traded after the season. He went to the New York Mets for pitcher Roger Craig. George played four more years in the major leagues. In 1964, his only season with the Mets, he played regularly. But he hurt his shoulder in spring training. He struggled with hitting, batting .230 with nine home runs. He was traded back to the Cubs in January 1965. He played three more years for the Cubs as a backup outfielder. He appeared in 90 games in 1965, 88 games in 1966, and only 15 in 1967. This was his last MLB season.
George spent most of the 1967 season with the Triple-A Tacoma Cubs. There, at age 34, he played regularly and started hitting well again. He batted .280, with 15 home runs and 70 RBIs in 108 games.
Success in Japanese Baseball
George's good performance in Tacoma helped him the next season. In 1968, he began his career in Japanese baseball. He played from 1968 to 1975. He played for the Tokyo/Lotte Orions (1968-74) and the Hanshin Tigers (1975). He had amazing seasons with 39, 34, and 30 home runs. He also had four more years with 20 or more home runs. He batted over .300 six times.
Some highlights from his NPB career include:
- Leading the Pacific League in hits (170), runs (84), and RBIs (100) in 1968.
- Being 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.
Major League Baseball Highlights
In his nine-year major league career, George Altman played for the Cubs, Cardinals, and Mets. He batted .269. He had 832 hits, including 132 doubles, 34 triples, and 101 home runs. He had 403 RBIs in 991 games. He had a .981 fielding percentage playing 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.
George Altman was the first of only three players to hit two home runs in a game against the famous pitcher Sandy Koufax. The other two were Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and three-time All-Star Felipe Alou.
Awards and Lasting Impact
In February 1960, his hometown of Goldsboro celebrated "George Altman Day." In 1961, he was added to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. In 1983, he was inducted into the Tennessee State University Hall of Fame.
George believed that injuries affected his career. He said, "I could have had a much better career if I didn’t get hurt." He explained that back then, there were no trainers or agents to help players. He often played while hurt because his managers expected it. He felt healthiest when he played in Japan because of their better training methods.
Life After Baseball
During the baseball offseason, George worked as a substitute elementary school teacher.
He bravely overcame colon cancer at age 42 while playing baseball in Japan.
After he retired from professional baseball, George Altman became a commodities trader. He worked at the Chicago Board of Trade.
George Altman retired with his wife, Etta, to O'Fallon, Missouri. He became interested in horseshoe competitions. He was part of a team that won a national event in 2012.
In 2013, George Altman wrote his autobiography. It was called George Altman: My Baseball Journey from the Negro Leagues to the Majors and Beyond.
George Altman passed away in O'Fallon on November 24, 2025, at the age of 92.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball
