Tom Haller

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Thomas Frank Haller (June 23, 1937 - November 26, 2004) was a Major League Baseball catcher who played with the San Francisco Giants (1961-67), Los Angeles Dodgers (1968-71) and Detroit Tigers (1972). Haller was born in Lockport, Illinois. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

A quarterback with the University of Illinois, Haller was signed by the Giants as an amateur free agent in 1958. He made his debut on April 11, 1961 as a platoon catcher.

Haller hit .261 with 18 home runs and 55 RBI for the Giant team that lost to the Yankees in the 1962 World Series. He collected four hits in 14 at-bats with a home run and three RBI in the Series.

A regular from 1964-67, Haller hit career highs of 27 home runs and 67 RBI in 1966. He was traded to the Dodgers in 1968, collecting .285 in 1968 and .286 in 1970. Haller was sent to Detroit in December 1971. After hitting .207 with two homers and 12 RBI in 1972, he retired at the end of the season.

An All-Star from 1966 to 1968, Haller was a career .257 hitter with 134 home runs and 504 RBI in 1294 games. After retiring, he worked for the Giants as a coach (1977-79), and was their vice president of baseball operations (1981-86). He was named to the Giants' 25th anniversary team in 1982.

After a long illness, Haller died in Los Angeles, California, at age of 67.

[edit] Highlights

3-time All-Star (1966-68)
Set a National League record for most double plays by a catcher in a season (23, 1968)
Caught all 23 innings of a Mets - Giants game (May 31, 1964 )

[edit] Trivia

The younger brother of American League umpire Bill Haller, Tom was the Tigers catcher during a game against the Kansas City Royals while Bill umpired behind the plate (July 14, 1971). It was the first such occurrence in the major leagues.

The trade of Haller to the Dodgers, which also sent Ron Hunt to San Francisco, was the first between the two teams since they moved to the West Coast. It was also the first trade since the one after the 1956 season that would have sent Jackie Robinson to the Giants; he retired rather than report with his new team.