| Carl Warwick | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1937-02-27)February 27, 1937 (age 88) Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 11, 1961, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 12, 1966, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .248 |
| Home runs | 31 |
| Runs batted in | 149 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Carl Wayne Warwick (born February 27, 1937) is an American former professionalbaseballoutfielder. He played six seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1961 to 1966 for theLos Angeles Dodgers,St. Louis Cardinals,Houston Colt .45s,Baltimore Orioles andChicago Cubs.[1] During the1964 World Series, he set a record by reaching base in his first fourplate appearances (threesingles and onebase on balls) as apinch hitter,[2] as he helped hisCardinals defeat theNew York Yankees in seven games.
Warwick batted right-handed but threw left-handed; he stood 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and weighed 170 pounds (77 kg). Born inDallas, Texas, he graduated fromSunset High School and then playedvarsity baseball forTexas Christian University, leaving after his junior season to sign a bonus contract with the Dodgers. In his second pro season, 1959 with theVictoria Rosebuds, he led theDouble-ATexas League inruns scored (129) andhome runs (35),hit .331 and was selectedMost Valuable Player. The following year, playing with theTriple-ASt. Paul Saints, he was named anAmerican Association all-star.
Warwick made the Dodgers' 28-man early-season roster coming out ofspring training in1961, but was traded to the Cardinals May 30 withshortstopBob Lillis forthird basemanDaryl Spencer.[3] Struggling at the plate, he spent 52 games tuning up his batting stroke with the Triple-ACharleston Marlins. He then spent the next four full seasons at the major league level.
In1962, in another early-season trade, the Cardinals dealt him to theexpansion Colt .45s on May 7. Back in his nativeTexas, Warwick became Houston's regularcenter fielder, starting in 104 games, and his 16 home runs ranked second on the club (toRomán Mejías' 24). The Colt .45s moved Warwick toright field in1963, and he got into a career-high 150 games, but his power numbers declined (hitting only seven home runs with 47runs batted in). Just prior to spring training in1964, the Cardinals reacquired Warwick to serve as a spare outfielder and pinch hitter. He appeared in 88 games (49 defensively), and had 11hits in 43at bats in a pinch hitting role, as St. Louis put on a late-season surge to win theNational Leaguepennant on the closing day of the season.
Then, in the 1964 World Series, Warwick was called on to pinch hit five times bymanagerJohnny Keane. He reached base four times in his first four appearances. Hissixth-inning pinch single in Game 1 offAl Downing drove home the go-aheadrun in the Cardinals' 9–5 triumph. He also singled and scored a run in Game 2 againstMel Stottlemyre, drew abase on balls fromJim Bouton in Game 3 and singled again off Downing in Game 4, to spark a rally capped byKen Boyer'sgrand slam home run in a 4–3 Cardinal win. Hefouled out off Bouton in Game 6 to complete a Series in which he batted .750 with an .800on-base percentage, two runs scored and an RBI.[4]
The 1964 World Series was the high-water mark of Warwick's baseball career. He batted only .132 in a1965 season split between the Cardinals and Orioles, and then .227 in 16 games for the last-place1966 Cubs. His contract was purchased by the Orioles from the Cardinals on July 24, 1965. He appeared in nine games but was hitless in fourteenat bats. He made it on base only on threewalks but scored each time.[5] He was traded from the Orioles to the Cubs forVic Roznovsky on March 31, 1966.[6] He retired from baseball prior to the 1967 season, returning toHouston and operatingreal estate andtravel agencies.[7]
In the majors, Warwick collected 363 hits, including 51doubles, tentriples, 31 home runs and 149 RBI.