Willie Upshaw
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Willie Upshaw | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Baseman | ||
| Born: April 27, 1957 | ||
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | ||
| April 9, 1978 for the Toronto Blue Jays |
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| Final game | ||
| September 28, 1988 for the Cleveland Indians |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Batting average | .262 | |
| Home runs | 123 | |
| RBI | 528 | |
| Teams | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
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Willie Clay Upshaw (born April 27, 1957 in Blanco, Texas) is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1978, 1980-1987) and Cleveland Indians (1988), both of the American League.
Upshaw was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 5th round of the 1975 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Following the 1977 season, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the Rule 5 Draft. Prior to the 1988 season, Upshaw's contract was purchased by the Cleveland Indians.
Upshaw is currently Major League Baseball's career leader in home runs (123) and RBIs (528) for players whose surname begins with the letter U.
Most recently, he served as the first base coach for the San Francisco Giants. When Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's career home run record, Upshaw was the first to congratulate him with a high-five as Bonds circled the bases.
He is the cousin of NFL Hall of Famer Gene Upshaw and former NFL player Marvin Upshaw. In May 2007 his son, Chad Upshaw, signed a 3-year contract with the Carolina Panthers as a tight end after going undrafted following his graduation from Buffalo.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
