Lefty O'Doul facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lefty O'Doul |
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O'Doul in 1919
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| Left fielder | |||
| Born: March 4, 1897 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
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| Died: December 7, 1969 (aged 72) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 29, 1919, for the New York Yankees | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 30, 1934, for the New York Giants | |||
| Career statistics | |||
| Batting average | .349 | ||
| Home runs | 113 | ||
| Runs batted in | 542 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 2002 | ||
Francis Joseph "Lefty" O'Doul (born March 4, 1897 – died December 7, 1969) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played for eleven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is best known for his time with the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies.
Lefty O'Doul also had a very successful career in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). There, he was a star player and a great manager. He was born in San Francisco, California.
O'Doul started his career as a left-handed pitcher. He played for the minor-league San Francisco Seals. He also played for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox from 1919 to 1923. After an arm injury, he stopped pitching. He then became a strong-hitting outfielder in the Pacific Coast League.
He returned to the major leagues in 1928. He played for the New York Giants. With the Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Robins, he won two batting titles. In 1933, he was traded back to the Giants. That year, he became a World Series champion.
After his playing days, O'Doul managed the San Francisco Seals. He also managed other teams in the Pacific Coast League. Many people believe his biggest contribution was helping baseball grow in Japan. He led exhibition tours there before and after Second World War. He helped train Japanese players. Because of his efforts, he was the first American chosen for the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Even after his death in 1969, O'Doul is still very popular in San Francisco. He was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. A bridge, the Lefty O'Doul Bridge, was named after him. It connects two neighborhoods in San Francisco. The entrance gate of Oracle Park, where the San Francisco Giants play, is also named the "Lefty O'Doul Gate."
Contents
Lefty O'Doul's Baseball Journey
Playing Career Highlights
Lefty O'Doul began his professional baseball journey as a left-handed pitcher. He played for the minor-league San Francisco Seals. This team was part of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He also pitched for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox from 1919 to 1923.
After the 1923 season, O'Doul had a sore arm. This injury meant he could no longer pitch. So, the New York Giants sent him back to the Pacific Coast League. There, he changed his role and became a powerful outfielder.
In 1927, he made history in the Pacific Coast League. He became one of only four players to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in one season. This showed his amazing skill as a hitter and a runner.
Return to Major League Baseball
O'Doul returned to the major leagues in 1928. He batted .319 as a platoon player. In 1929, he joined the Philadelphia Phillies. He had an incredible year, leading the league in batting with a .398 average. He also had 254 hits, 32 home runs, and 122 runs batted in. His 254 hits set a new record for the National League.
After batting .383 in 1930, O'Doul was traded to the Brooklyn Robins (now the Los Angeles Dodgers). In 1932, he won another batting title. He hit .368 for Brooklyn.
In 1933, O'Doul was traded back to the Giants. He helped them win the World Series that year. He played one more year before ending his career in 1934.
Over his 11-year major league career, O'Doul played in 970 games. He had a fantastic .349 batting average. He hit over .300 six times. He also had more than 200 hits in three different seasons.
Managing Success
After his playing career, Lefty O'Doul became a manager. He returned to the Pacific Coast League. He managed the San Francisco Seals from 1935 to 1951. He later managed other teams in the league. He became the most successful manager in PCL history.
One of his biggest achievements as a manager was helping a young player named Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the New York Yankees. O'Doul was humble about it, saying he was "smart enough to leave [him] alone."
Lefty O'Doul's Lasting Impact
Lefty O'Doul played a huge role in making baseball popular in Japan. He was like a friendly ambassador for the sport. He visited Japan before and after World War II. The Tokyo Giants, a famous Japanese baseball team, were named by him in 1935. He chose the name to honor his old team, the New York Giants. The Tokyo Giants' uniform and logo look very similar to the New York Giants'.
O'Doul has been honored for his contributions to baseball. He was inducted into the San Francisco Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. In 2002, he became the first American to be inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2013.
Lefty O'Doul is still a beloved figure in his hometown of San Francisco. His old team, the San Francisco Giants, is now very popular there. He founded a famous restaurant and bar in 1958. It was called Lefty O'Doul's Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge. It was known for its special Bloody Mary recipe. The restaurant closed in 2017 due to a dispute. It reopened in 2018 at Fisherman's Wharf but later closed again.
A bridge over McCovey Cove is named the Lefty O'Doul Bridge in his honor. This bridge is near the Giants' home field, Oracle Park. The entrance gate to the ballpark next to the bridge is also named after O'Doul.
Lefty O'Doul has one of the highest career batting averages of any player who is eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame but has not been chosen. This shows how amazing he was as a hitter.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball career batting average leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career on-base percentage leaders
