Gus Triandos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gus Triandos |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Catcher | |||
| Born: July 30, 1930 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
|||
| Died: March 28, 2013 (aged 82) San Jose, California, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| August 3, 1953, for the New York Yankees | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 15, 1965, for the Houston Astros | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .244 | ||
| Home runs | 167 | ||
| Runs batted in | 608 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Gus Triandos (born July 30, 1930 – died March 28, 2013) was a professional baseball player from America. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher and sometimes as a first baseman. He was best known for playing with the Baltimore Orioles, where he was chosen as an All-Star four times!
Gus also played for other famous teams like the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Houston Astros. Later, in 1981, he was honored in the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.
Contents
Gus Triandos's Baseball Journey
Gus Triandos was born in San Francisco, California. He started his baseball career when he was signed by the New York Yankees in 1948. He joined the Yankees' main team briefly in 1953. However, he soon went back to play in the minor leagues, which are like training leagues for professional players.
In 1954, Gus was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. For his first two years with the Orioles, he mostly played as a first baseman. But in 1957, he became the team's regular catcher.
Catching for the Orioles
As the Orioles' catcher, Gus used a special, extra-large catcher's mitt. This mitt was designed by his manager, Paul Richards. It helped Gus catch the tricky "knuckleball" pitches thrown by Hoyt Wilhelm. A knuckleball is a type of pitch that moves in unpredictable ways, making it hard to hit or catch.
Gus was the catcher when Hoyt Wilhelm threw a "no-hitter" on September 20, 1958. A no hitter is a game where one team doesn't get any hits against the other team's pitcher. This was the first no-hitter in the history of the Baltimore Orioles! Gus also scored the only run in that game by hitting a home run.
Unique Records and All-Star Games
Even though Gus was known as one of the slowest runners in baseball, he once hit a rare inside-the-park home run! This means he hit the ball and ran all the way around the bases to score before the other team could get the ball back.
He holds a unique record: he played 1,206 games without being caught trying to steal a base! This was his entire career. He only stole one base in his whole career, and that happened in the very last game of the 1958 season.
Gus had his best year in 1958. He hit 16 home runs by the middle of the season. This earned him the starting catcher spot for the American League in the 1958 All-Star Game. He took over from the famous player Yogi Berra, who had been the starting catcher for eight years. Gus finished the 1958 season by leading all American League catchers in "putouts" (when a player gets an opposing player out). He also tied Yogi Berra's record of 30 home runs by a catcher in the American League.
In 1959, Gus hit 20 home runs by mid-season and was again chosen to be the starting catcher for the American League All-Star team. However, a hand injury meant he only hit 25 home runs for the whole season.
Later Career and More History
In 1962, Gus was traded to the Detroit Tigers. In 1963, he shared catching duties with another player, Bill Freehan. Gus led all American League catchers with a .996 fielding percentage, which means he made very few errors.
The next year, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies along with Jim Bunning. Gus shared catching duties there with Clay Dalrymple. As the Phillies' catcher, Gus caught Jim Bunning's perfect game on June 21, 1964. A perfect game is even rarer than a no-hitter, where no opposing player reaches base at all. This made Gus the first catcher in Major League history to catch no-hitters in both the American and National Leagues!
His final team was the Houston Astros in 1965. He played his last major league game at age 34 before retiring.
Gus Triandos's Career Numbers
During his 13 years in Major League Baseball, Gus Triandos played in 1,206 games. He had 954 hits and a career batting average of .244. He also hit 167 home runs and had 608 runs batted in (RBIs).
As a catcher, he had a .987 fielding percentage. He also played first base in 168 games with a .988 fielding percentage. Gus led American League catchers twice in "assists" (when a player helps get an opposing player out) and in "baserunners caught stealing." In 1957, he threw out an amazing 66.7% of runners trying to steal a base. This is one of the highest rates in Major League history! Overall, Gus threw out 46.62% of base runners who tried to steal on him, which ranks him 6th all-time.
He was chosen for the American League All-Star team for three years in a row: 1957, 1958, and 1959. His 142 home runs as an Oriole player rank him 13th in the team's history.
About Gus's Life
Gus Triandos's family came from Greece. He was one of four children born to Peter Triandos and Helen Mourgos, who were Greek immigrants to the U.S. Gus and his wife Evelyn had three children: a son named Gary and two daughters, Lori and Tracey.
After his playing career, Gus worked as a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1973 to 1975. A scout helps find new talented players. In his later years, Gus lived in San Jose, California. There's even a street named after him, Triandos Drive, in Timonium, Maryland, honoring the popular catcher.
