| Gail Harris | |
|---|---|
| First baseman | |
| Born: October 15, 1931 Abingdon, Virginia |
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| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| June 3, 1955 for the New York Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 30, 1960 for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Career statistics | |
| Home runs | 51 |
| RBIs | 190 |
| Batting average | .240 |
| Teams | |
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Boyd Gail Harris (born October 15, 1931 in Abingdon, Virginia) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played with the New York Giants and Detroit Tigers from 1955 to 1960. In 1958, Harris hit a career high 20 home runs with the Tigers.
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Harris was an athletic standout at now-defunct William King High School in Abingdon. He was drafted as an amateur free agent in 1950, and called up to the majors in the summer of 1955.
Harris hit .232 in 79 games as a rookie, connecting for 12 home runs and driving in 36 runs. His manager was the ferocious Leo Durocher.
Harris struggled in 1956, but rebounded with a solid season in 1957. It was during the waning days of the ’57 season that Harris had his best day as a pro and became a footnote in history. The homer off O’Brien would have historical implications. The smash was the last home run by a New York Giant player.
The team relocated to San Francisco the following year. Meanwhile, Harris also had a new destination as he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in the offseason.
Harris enjoyed some success in the Motor City. Getting the chance to play on a regular basis, Harris flourished in the summer of 1958 for the Tigers. He smashed 20 home runs, collected 83 RBIs and finished with a .273 batting average.
Harris’ batting average dipped in 1959, as he hit .221 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs.
Harris played his last game in the majors on May 3, 1960.
Harris currently lives in Manassas, Virginia, and his son, Mark, played in the minors briefly and is currently a minor league instructor for the Kansas City Royals organization.
Article on Gail Harris at Tricities.com