| Bob Dillinger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Third baseman | |
| Born:(1918-09-17)September 17, 1918 Glendale, California, U.S. | |
| Died: November 7, 2009(2009-11-07) (aged 91) Santa Clarita, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 16, 1946, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 1951, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .306 |
| Home runs | 10 |
| Runs batted in | 213 |
| Stolen bases | 106 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Robert Bernard Dillinger (September 17, 1918 – November 7, 2009) was an American professionalbaseballthird baseman who appeared in 753games in themajor leagues (MLB) from1946 through1951 for theSt. Louis Browns,Philadelphia Athletics,Pittsburgh Pirates andChicago White Sox. Dillinger's six years in the major leagues showcased his batting ability (he led theAmerican League inhits in1948 with 207 andbatted over .300 four times) and his speed (he was the Junior Circuit'sstolen base champion for three consecutive years,1947 through1949, with 82 total thefts), but poor defense and a perceived lackadaisical attitude[1] resulted in a premature end to his big-league tenure. He threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 170 pounds (77 kg).
Born inGlendale, California, and nicknamed "Duke", Dillinger attended theUniversity of Idaho inMoscow and playedfootball for theVandals, but broke his collarbone as a freshman in 1936 and was injured again as a sophomore; he left the school in the spring of 1938.[2] He was signed by the Browns as anamateurfree agent in1939, then hit over .300 in three of his fourminor-league seasons before his playing career was interrupted byWorld War II service in theUnited States Army Air Forces from 1943 through 1945.[3]
In1946, the first postwar season, Dillinger made the Browns' MLB roster as the backup to veteran third basemanMark Christman, starting 50 games at thehot corner and batting .307. Just prior to the1947 campaign, the Browns made room for Dillinger by selling Christman's contract to theWashington Senators.
In his first season as a regular, Dillinger led his team in hits (168) and his league in stolen bases (34). Then, in1948, he batted .321, with his AL-best 207 hits including 34doubles and tentriples. His 28 stolen bases enabled him to repeat as the American League's base-stealing king. The following year, Dillinger batted a career-best .324, stole 20 more bags (again the league's best), and was selected to the1949American League All-Star team. In the midsummer classic, played atEbbets Field on July 12, Dillinger entered the contest in the sixthinning as apinch runner forGeorge Kell. He displayed his speed byscoring from first base on a double byJoe DiMaggio to help the AL increase its lead to 8–5. Staying in the game at third base, he came to bat in the seventh inning and singled offHowie Pollet, driving inDom DiMaggio, and then scored arun himself when he again tallied from first base on a double, this time hit byDale Mitchell.[4] The American League went on to win, 11–7, with Dillinger scoring two runs and collecting a keyrun batted in.
That off-season, however, Dillinger was traded away from the Browns, as he andPaul Lehner were swapped to the Philadelphia Athletics for four players and $100,000. The Athletics had finished eight games over .500 in 1949, the team's third straight winning season. Philadelphia had briefly contended for the American Leaguepennant in 1948. The1950 season would markConnie Mack's 50th year as the team'smanager, and the Athletics acquired top-calibre talent like Dillinger to try to put Mack over the top.[5] But 1950 was a disaster for the Athletics. Instead of contending for first place, they fell into the league's cellar, and were only 29–57 on July 20, 1950. That day, despite his .309 batting average in 84 games, Philadelphia obtainedwaivers on Dillinger and sold his contract to theNational League's last-place team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dillinger batted .288 in 58 games for the Bucs, to finish the campaign at .301. He split1951 between Pittsburgh and the Chicago White Sox, and matched that .301 average in 101 games played. It was his last year in the majors.
He played his last four professional seasons (1952–55) in thePacific Coast League, where he moved to theoutfield and led the league in hitting with a .366 mark in1953. Dillinger's career as an active player ended when he was given his unconditional release from theSacramento Solons on May 25, 1955, despite being the team's second-best batter with a .281 average. Upon his departure, he bitterly criticizedTony Freitas whom he called "the worstmanager I ever played for in 16 years in the game."[6]
As an excellentcontact hitter, his career MLBbatting average was .306. He amassed 888 hits, with 123 doubles, 47 triples and tenhome runs in 3,201plate appearances. He stole 106 bases, and wascaught stealing 50 times.[7] In the field, he experienced problems throwing the ball to first base, and was criticized regularly for lack of effort in fielding ground balls—a charge that Dillinger strongly contested.[8]
In retirement, he returned toSouthern California and served as a construction inspector for the city ofLos Angeles.[1] Bob Dillinger died on November 7, 2009, at age 91 inSanta Clarita, California.
· Baseball Almanac