Gus Niarhos
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Constantine Gregory (Gus) Niarhos (December 6, 1920 - December 29, 2004) was an American baseball player. He was a backup catcher in Major League Baseball. From 1946 though 1955, Niarhos played for the New York Yankees (1946, 1948-1950[start]), Chicago White Sox (1950[end]-1951), Boston Red Sox (1952-53) and Philadelphia Phillies (1954-55). He batted and threw right handed.
In a nine-season career, Niahros posted a .252 average with one home run and 59 RBI in 315 games.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Niarhos made his major league debut with the New York Yankees in the 1946 midseason. He joined the team as a platoon catcher with Yogi Berra, Aaron Robinson and Charlie Silvera. His most productive season came in 1948, when he hit .268 and collected career-highs in games (83), at-bats (228), runs (41), hits (61), doubles (12) and RBI (19).
In 1950, Niahros hit a career-high .324 (34-for-105) in 41 games for the Yankees and White Sox. He also played with the Red Sox and Phillies and retired after the 1955 season.
Following his playing career, Niarhos was a coach for the Kansas City A's and managed several minor league teams, including the Birmingham A's.
Niarhos died in Harrisonburg, Virginia at age of 84.
