Joe Durham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joe Durham |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: July 31, 1931 Newport News, Virginia |
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| Died: April 28, 2016 (aged 84) Randallstown, Maryland |
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| debut | |||
| September 10, 1954, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| May 6, 1959, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .188 | ||
| Home runs | 5 | ||
| Runs batted in | 20 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Joseph Vann Durham (born July 31, 1931 – died April 28, 2016) was an American baseball player and coach. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Joe played 93 games for the Baltimore Orioles (in 1954 and 1957) and the St. Louis Cardinals (in 1959).
Joe was from Newport News, Virginia, and went to Huntington High School and Shaw University. He was 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 186 pounds. Joe threw and batted with his right hand.
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Early Baseball Career
Joe Durham started his professional baseball journey in the Negro leagues. He played for the Chicago American Giants. Later, in 1953, he was signed by Bill Veeck, who was the president of the St. Louis Browns team.
When the Browns team moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1954, Joe was part of their farm system (a group of minor league teams).
Playing in Major League Baseball
In 1954, Joe had a great season in the Double-A Texas League. Because of his strong performance, the Baltimore Orioles called him up to play in the MLB in September. In his first ten games, he got nine hits.
One of his first big moments was hitting his first Major League home run. This happened on September 12 against Al Sima of the Philadelphia Athletics. Joe Durham was one of only two African-American players on the Orioles team in 1954. The other player was Jay Heard.
Military Service and Return
After his debut, Joe Durham missed the 1955 and 1956 baseball seasons. He was serving in the military during this time.
He returned to baseball in 1957, starting again in the Texas League. Joe played exceptionally well, hitting for a very high average of .391 in his first 50 games. The Orioles quickly called him back to the MLB in June.
Later Career and Coaching
For the rest of 1957, Joe played in 77 games for the Orioles. He started 40 games as an outfielder. In 1958, he played for the Triple-A Vancouver Mounties. He had a solid season there, hitting .285 and getting 85 runs batted in.
Because of his good performance, the St. Louis Cardinals chose him in the 1958 Rule 5 draft. Joe started the 1959 season with the Cardinals but played in only six games. After that, he returned to the Orioles' system.
Joe continued to play in the top minor league teams for the Orioles until 1964. After his playing days, he became a batting practice pitcher for the team. In 1986, he moved into the Orioles' main office. Later, he became a coach for the Class A Frederick Keys team in the Carolina League.
Joe Durham was a part of the Orioles organization for over 40 years, showing his dedication to baseball.
Later Life
Joe Durham passed away on April 28, 2016. He was 84 years old and died at the Northwest Hospital Hospice Center in Randallstown, Maryland.
