Dave Philley

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Topps baseball card, 1953 Series #064
Topps baseball card, 1953 Series #064

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David Earl Philley (born May 16, 1920 in Paris, Texas) is a former center fielder who played in Major League Baseball. A switch-hitter who threw right-handed, he debuted on September 6, 1941 and played his final game on August 6, 1962.

A well travelled and regarded clutch-hitter, Philley played for eight different teams in a long 18-season career. He was considered one of the game svelte defensive outfielders before Gold Gloves were awarded. A hustler with good range and an outstanding arm, he led American League outfielders in assists three different years (1948, 1950, 1953) and once in outs (1950). A highly disciplined hitter as well, he had a short and compact swing with occasional power and was a daring and intelligent bases runner. But Philley is best remembered for his pinch-hitting heroics in the late 1950s.

Philley reached the majors in 1941 with the Chicago White Sox. He spent four years in military service and rejoined the White Sox in 1946, spending five and a half years for them before moving to the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox, including second stints with Chicago and Baltimore. His most productive season came in 1953 with the Athletics, when he posted career-numbers in batting average (.303), hits (188), doubles (30), and games played (157). From 1947-53 he averaged 27 doubles per season, and in 1950 with Chicago hit 14 home runs with 80 RBI, also career-highs. While in Cleveland he appeared in the 1954 World Series.

As he got older, Philley became more of a pinch-hitting specialist. In 1958, playing for the Phillies, he collected 18 pinch-hits, including a streak of eight straight to close the season. He also had a pinch-hit double Opening Day 1959, for an actual total of nine straight, a major league record that still stands today. While playing for Baltimore in 1961, he had a season total of 24 pinch-hits in 72 at-bats, which are also American League records.

A 42-year-old Philley was signed off the Baltimore roster by the expansion Houston Colt .45's during the 1961-62 offseason, but a few hours later Houston sent him to the Boston Red Sox. Philley spent most of 1962 on the bench for Boston and retired at the end of the season.

In an 18-season career, Philley was a .270 hitter with 84 home runs and 729 RBI in 1904 games. He also collected 1700 hits, 276 doubles, 72 triples, 789 runs, 101 stolen bases, and a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 1.708 (594-to-551). As a pinch-hitter, he batted .299 (93-for-311).

Following his playing retirement, Philley worked as a manager for the Houston minor league system from 1963-64, and spent 1965 managing the Durham Bulls, where he won a Carolina League division title. He found employment for 1966 in the Red Sox organization, where he managed the single-A Waterloo Hawks.

[edit] Teams/Seasons

  • Chicago White Sox: 1941, 1946-1951[start], 1956[end]-1957[start]
  • Philadelphia Athletics: 1951[end]-1953
  • Cleveland Indians: 1954-1955[start]
  • Baltimore Orioles: 1955[end]-1956[start], 1960[end]-1961
  • Detroit Tigers: 1957[end]
  • Philadelphia Phillies: 1958-1960[start]
  • San Francisco Giants: 1960[mid]
  • Boston Red Sox: 1962

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources

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