Harold Baines facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harold Baines |
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Baines with the Chicago White Sox in 2011
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| Designated hitter / Right fielder | |||
| Born: March 15, 1959 Easton, Maryland, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 10, 1980, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 27, 2001, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .289 | ||
| Hits | 2,866 | ||
| Home runs | 384 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,628 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 2019 | ||
| Vote | 75% | ||
| Election Method | Today's Game Era Committee | ||
Harold Douglas Baines (born March 15, 1959) is a famous American former baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for over 20 years, from 1980 to 2001. Harold was mainly a designated hitter and right fielder. He is best known for playing many years with the Chicago White Sox. He also played for his hometown team, the Baltimore Orioles, several times.
Harold Baines was the very first player picked in the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft. He was chosen to be an All-Star six times during his career. He was known for hitting the ball very well and often. He holds White Sox team records for home runs and runs batted in (RBI) for left-handed hitters. He also held major league records for hits and games played as a designated hitter.
Harold was a very strong and consistent hitter. He hit over .300 (meaning he got a hit more than 30% of the time) in eight different seasons. He was also great in important game situations, like hitting walk-off home runs (a home run that ends the game). After he stopped playing, he became a coach for the White Sox. In 2019, Harold Baines was chosen to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is a huge honor for baseball players.
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Early Life and Baseball Start
Harold Baines grew up in St. Michaels, Maryland. His father, Linwood, was a stonemason and a big inspiration to him. The owner of the Chicago White Sox, Bill Veeck, actually started watching Harold play baseball when he was only 12 years old!
Harold went to St. Michaels High School. In his senior year, he was an amazing player, hitting the ball over half the time he batted. Because he was so good, the White Sox picked him as the very first player in the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft. He received $32,000 as a signing bonus, which was a record low for a top pick at the time.
Playing in the Major Leagues
Harold Baines played his first major league game on April 10, 1980. He started as a right fielder for the Chicago White Sox. In 1982, he hit 25 home runs and helped his team score 105 runs.
In 1984, Harold hit a walk-off home run that ended the longest game in major league history. This game lasted over eight hours and 25 innings! The bat he used for that famous hit is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Around 1986, Harold started having problems with his knees. This meant he couldn't play in the outfield as much. He became a regular designated hitter, which is a player who only bats and does not play defense. Even with his knee issues, he remained a very strong hitter.
Harold holds a special record: he had 14 seasons between times he hit over 100 RBIs. This shows how long he was able to be a powerful hitter.
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| Baines's number 3 was retired by the Chicago White Sox in 1989. |
In 1989, Harold was traded from the White Sox to the Texas Rangers. After this trade, the White Sox did something very special: they retired his jersey number, #3. This is rare for a player who is still actively playing! When Harold returned to the White Sox later, they would "un-retire" his number so he could wear it again.
Harold was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 1990. He helped them reach the World Series that year. In 1992, the Athletics made it to the playoffs again.
In 1993, Harold joined the Baltimore Orioles. He played very well for them, hitting over .290 for three seasons. He later returned to the White Sox, then back to the Orioles, and even played briefly for the Cleveland Indians. Harold finished his playing career with the Chicago White Sox in 2001. He ended with 2,866 hits, 384 home runs, and 1,628 RBIs.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing, Harold Baines became a bench coach for the Chicago White Sox in 2004. He worked under manager Ozzie Guillén, who was his teammate when he played. In 2005, Harold earned a World Series ring when the White Sox won the 2005 World Series.
Honors and Hall of Fame
In 2008, the White Sox honored Harold Baines by putting up a bronze statue of him at their ballpark. In 2009, he was also inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame for his great play with the Baltimore Orioles.
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Harold Baines was first able to be voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. However, he didn't get enough votes from baseball writers. But in 2018, a special committee called the "Today's Game Era Committee" voted him into the Hall of Fame. This committee is made up of players, managers, and others who knew Harold well.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in July 2019. Harold Baines is one of only four players who were picked first in the MLB draft to also make it into the Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
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Harold Baines's hometown of St. Michaels, Maryland, has a special day named after him: January 9 is Harold Baines Day. He also started the Harold Baines Scholarship Fund to help students go to college.
Harold is married to Marla Henry, and they have four children: Toni, Britni, Harold, Jr., and Courtney.
In 2021, Harold had to have emergency surgery for both heart and kidney transplants. He had a condition called amyloidosis, which his father also had. Luckily, the surgeries were successful.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
