Richie Ashburn | |
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![]() Ashburn with the Philadelphia Phillies, c. 1953 | |
Center fielder | |
Born: Tilden, Nebraska, U.S. | March 19, 1927|
Died: September 9, 1997 New York City, U.S. | (aged 70)|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 20, 1948, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 30, 1962, for the New York Mets | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .308 |
Hits | 2,574 |
Home runs | 29 |
Runs batted in | 586 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Member of the National | |
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Induction | 1995 |
Election method | Veterans Committee |
Don Richard Ashburn (March 19, 1927 – September 9, 1997), also known by the nicknames "Putt-Putt", "the Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" (due to his light-blond hair), was an American professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1948 to 1962, most prominently as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies where, he was a four-time All-Star player, and was a member of the 1950 National League pennant winning team known as the Whiz Kids.
Ashburn was a two-time National League (NL) batting champion and finished with a .308 career batting average.[1] He also excelled as a defensive player, routinely leading the league in putouts.[2] His 5,803 career putouts ranks third among center fielders in Major League Baseball history behind only Willie Mays and Tris Speaker.[3] He ended his playing career with the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets.
Following his playing career, from 1963 until his death in 1997, Ashburn was a color commentator for television broadcasts of Philadelphia Phillies games, and developed into one of the most beloved sports figures in Philadelphia sports history.[1] In 1995, following a lengthy fan-led effort for his inclusion, Ashburn was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[1] In 1997, he was inducted into The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame and, he was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.[4]
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