Richard Benjamin Gray(July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2013) was an Americanprofessional baseballplayer.He was aninfielderinMajor League Baseball,playing mainly as athird basemanfor theLos Angeles DodgersandSt. Louis Cardinalsfrom 1958 through 1960. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 165 pounds (75 kg), he batted and threw right handed.[1]
| Dick Gray | |
|---|---|
 Richard Benjamin Gray | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born:July 11, 1931 Jefferson, Greene County, Pennsylvania,U.S. | |
| Died:July 8, 2013(aged 81) Anaheim, California,U.S. | |
Batted:Right Threw:Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 15, 1958, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 22, 1960, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .239 |
| Home runs | 12 |
| Runs scored | 43 |
| StatsatBaseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Gray is best known as the player who hit the firsthome runin Los Angeles Dodgers' history[2]and the first to homer in their opening game atLA Memorial Coliseum.[3]
Early life
editBorn inJefferson, Pennsylvania,Gray started playingsandlot ballat an early age with his neighborhood friends. He attendedJefferson High Schoolin Pennsylvania, where he formed part of the baseball, football and wrestling teams. He graduated from Jefferson in June 1949 and immediately started his professional baseball career.[4]
Professional career
editAt age 18, Gray attended aBrooklyn Dodgers' tryout camp atDodgertowninVero Beach, Florida,during 1949 spring training.[4]Signed by Brooklyn, he played in theirminor leaguesystem from 1950 to 1952 at three different levels.[5]
Gray reported to Class DSheboygan Indiansin 1950, batting a.310averageand 11 home runs in 122 games. In 1951 he spent time with two clubs, hitting.221 in 21 games for theGreenwood Dodgersand made 110 appearances with theValdosta Dodgers,batting for them.302 with six home runs, while leading theGeorgia–Florida Leagueinruns scoredwith 118 and also played third base for the All-Star team. Promoted to Class BMiami Sun Soxin 1952 he dropped to a.240 average with three homers in 153 games.[4][5]
But, like many baseball players, Gray had his career interrupted during theKorean War,missing two years after enlisting in theUnited States Army.[1]
"I did not go to Korea," he explained in one interview. "I was fortunate and contracted pneumonia and I went to the hospital, the outfit that I was with finished their basic training and went to Korea. I stayed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and I played baseball there for two years. On our ball club in the service we had about six or seven guys that went on to play in the major leagues.Whitey Herzogwas on our team. I really grew up a lot in those two years in the service. "[4]
Following his discharge in 1955, he joined theFort Worth Catsof theTexas Leaguefor two seasons. In 1955 he batted.251 with six home runs and 50runs batted in,and improved to.285 with 24 homers and 91 RBIs in 155 games during the 1956 season.[5]
In 1957, Gray gained a promotion to theTriple-ASt. Paul Saintsof theAmerican Association,where he posted career-numbers with a.297 average and 111 RBIs, while batting 16 home runs and ending third for the most RBIs behindMarv Throneberry(124) andNorm Siebern(118).[6]After the season ended, the parent Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
Two 'firsts' for the Los Angeles Dodgers
editIn1958,Gray was the regular third baseman for the Dodgers in their opening series against theSan Francisco GiantsatSeals Stadium.On April 16, in the second game of the series, the Dodgers crushed the Giants, 13–1. In thesecond inningof that game, Gray belted a two-run homer offRamón Monzantto become the first player to hit a home run in Los Angeles Dodger history.[2]
On April 18, 1958, the Dodgers played their first home game at LA Memorial Coliseum—also against the Giants. In this game, Gray became the first Dodger to hit a home run in the city of Los Angeles. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Dodgers were on top 5–3. With one out, Gray performed his feat against the Giants'Johnny Antonellito put the Dodgers ahead 6–3. "It was in the seventh inning and thecount was 3–0and he was just trying to throw a strike and I nailed it ", he said. The Dodgers held on to win 6–5 their first game in their new home city.[3]
"The Coliseum wasn’t a baseball field and a lot of guys just couldn’t get adjusted to that football field. Left field was only about 280 feet, but then you had an eighty foot fence and then in right center... poorDuke Snider,he used to hit balls 450 feet and it was an out ", Gray stated.[4]
After the Dodgers
editIn 1958, Gray spent part of the season at Triple-A with theMontreal Royals.On June 15, 1959, after a slow start with Los Angeles, he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange forChuck EssegianandLloyd Merritt.He played in 36 games for the Redbirds, including six starts atshortstop,and raised his average to.233.
In1960,Gray went hitless in eight early-seasonplate appearanceswith the Cardinals; then, on May 28, he was sent along withVinegar Bend Mizellto thePittsburgh Piratesin the same transaction that broughtEd BautaandJulián Javierto St. Louis.[1]Mizell won 13 games for Pittsburgh, helping them win the 1960National Leaguepennanten route to theworld championship.Javier became a two-time NL All-Star in St. Louis. The Pirates immediately sent Gray to Triple-A, where he played the remainder of his pro career, retiring in 1962.
In a four-season career, Gray posted a slash line (BA/OBP/SLG) of.239/.321/.420 in 124 games overall, which included seven doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and four stolen bases, while driving in 41 runs and scoring 43 times.[1]In his ten-year minor league career, he batted a combined.274 average with 96 home runs and 622 RBIs in 1,196 games.[5]
Following his baseball career, Gray resided inAnaheim, California,with his wife Joanne and their three daughters: Catherine, Stacey and Nancy. He worked for the Buena Park School District maintenance department for a long time, retiring from there in 1993. In addition, he usually attended vintage baseball card shows and signed autographs. He was inducted into the Washington-Greene County Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.[4]
Gray died in 2013 at home, just three days before his 82nd birthday.[7]
References
edit- ^abcd"Baseball Reference – Dick Gray profile".
- ^ab"Retrosheet box score – Los Angeles Dodgers 13, San Francisco Giants 1. Game Played on Wednesday, April 16, 1958 (N) at Seals Stadium".
- ^ab"Retrosheet box score – Los Angeles Dodgers 6, San Francisco Giants 5. Game Played on Friday, April 18, 1958 (D) at LA Memorial Coliseum".
- ^abcdef"Von, George (2011-04-22).Jefferson's Gray a forgotten baseball gem– Greene County Messenger: Sports ".HeraldStandard. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^abcd"Baseball Reference – Dick Gray minor league career".
- ^1957 American Association Batting Leaders
- ^Reyes, Ernest."RIP, Dick Gray – The Man Who Hit LA's 1st Home Run".Dodgers Blue Heaven.RetrievedJuly 10,2013.
External links
edit- Career statistics fromBaseball Reference,orBaseball Reference (Minors)