Bob Swift
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bob Swift | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher / Manager | |
| Born: March 6, 1915 Salina, Kansas, U.S. | |
| Died: October 17, 1966 (aged 51) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 16, 1940, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 1953, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .231 |
| Home runs | 14 |
| Runs batted in | 238 |
| Managerial record | 56–43 |
| Winning % | .566 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
Robert Virgil Swift (March 6, 1915 – October 17, 1966) was an American professional baseball player, coach, manager and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, standing 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighing 180 pounds (82 kg). He threw and batted right-handed.
Swift is pictured in one of the most famous photographs in American sporting history. He was the catcher for the Detroit Tigers on August 19, 1951, when St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck sent midget Eddie Gaedel to pinch hit during an actual MLB game. The stunt occurred in the second game of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park,[1] inspired by the James Thurber short story You Could Look It Up. Gaedel was allowed to bat when the Browns showed the umpires a legitimate baseball contract issued by the American League office. Swift knelt on the ground to receive pitcher Bob Cain's offerings—it is this kneeling stance that is captured in the photo—and Gaedel took a base on balls. He was immediately replaced at first base by a pinch runner and he never appeared in a big league game again.
While Gaedel was a novice, Swift, a native of Salina, Kansas, played 14 consecutive seasons (1940–53) in the big leagues and all or parts of 22 years in professional baseball (1934–53; 1955–56).
During his big-league career, he toiled for the Browns (1940–42), Philadelphia Athletics (1942–43) and Tigers (1944–53), appearing in 1,001 games and hitting .231. His 635 hits included 86 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs. Defensively, he recorded a .985 fielding percentage. Swift was primarily a second-string catcher, although he started 83 of the 1945 world champion Tigers' official American League games. During the seven-game 1945 World Series, however, he started only in Game 3, with Paul Richards handling that assignment in the remaining six contests.
