| Del Rice | |
|---|---|
 Rice in about 1953 | |
| Catcher /Manager | |
| Born:(1922-10-27)October 27, 1922 Portsmouth, Ohio, U.S. | |
| Died: January 26, 1983(1983-01-26) (aged 60) Garden Grove, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 2, 1945, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 31, 1961, for the Los Angeles Angels | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .237 |
| Home runs | 79 |
| Runs batted in | 441 |
| Managerial record | 75–80 |
| Winning % | .484 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Delbert Rice Jr. (October 27, 1922 – January 26, 1983) was anAmerican professionalbaseball player,coach andmanager.[1] He played for 17 seasons as acatcher inMajor League Baseball from 1945 to 1961, most notably for theSt. Louis Cardinals. Although Rice was a relatively weak hitter, he sustained a lengthy career in the major leagues due to his valuable defensive abilities.[2]
A native ofPortsmouth, Ohio, Rice threw and batted right-handed and was listed as 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 190 pounds (86 kg). He attendedPortsmouth High School where he starred infootball,basketball andtrack as well as baseball.[2] He was contracted as an amateurfree agent by the St. Louis Cardinals in1941.[1] Although Rice received his induction notice into the military in 1943, he was turned down because of a physical disqualification.[2] After playing in theminor leagues for four seasons, he made his major league debut with the Cardinals on May 2,1945, at the age of 22.[1]
Shortly after the season began, the Cardinals sold the contract for their star catcher,Walker Cooper to theNew York Giants, leaving Rice to share catching duties withKen O'Dea.[2] Although they competed for the same job, the veteran O'Dea, who had played withHall of Fame catcherGabby Hartnett in Chicago during the 1930s, provided Rice with valuable help in learning the intricacies of catching in the major leagues.[2] Rice posted a .261batting average in 83 games as the Cardinals finished in second place, three games behind theChicago Cubs.[1][3]
Although he served as a backup catcher toJoe Garagiola in1946, he regularly played wheneverHarry Brecheen pitched.[2] The Cardinals ended the season tied for first place with theBrooklyn Dodgers and the two teams met in the1946 National League tie-breaker series.[4] It was the first playofftiebreaker in Major League Baseball history.[5] The Cardinals won the first two games of the best-of-three game series to capture the National League pennant.[4] In the1946 World Series against theBoston Red Sox, Rice caught all three of Brecheen's victories, as the Cardinals defeated the Red Sox in seven games.[2][6] He was also the hitting standout in Game 2, with a single, a double and a walk, scoring two runs in the Cardinals' 3–0 victory.[7]
In1947, Rice caught the majority of the team's games and guided the Cardinals' pitching staff to the lowest teamearned run average and the moststrikeouts in the National League, as the Cardinals finished in second place to theDodgers.[1][8] His pitch-calling skills were made evident once again in1949, leading the Cardinals' pitching staff to the lowest team earned run average in the league, as the Cardinals once again finished in second place, one game behind theDodgers.[9]
Rice had his best season in1952, posting a .259 batting average along with 11home runs and a career-high 65runs batted in.[1] He also ledNational League catchers in games played,putouts,assists and in baserunnerscaught stealing.[1] The following season, Rice was named as a reserve player for the National League team in the1953 All-Star Game, although an injury kept him from participating in the game.[10][11] Rice was injured during a game against the Dodgers on June 71954 whenRoy Campanella stole home and spiked Rice's leg.[12] While he was sidelined with the injury, his replacement,Bill Sarni hit for a .300 average for the remainder of the season.[13]
In the middle of the1955 season, the 32-year-old Rice was traded to theMilwaukee Braves, who were in need of a backup catcher for their perennial All-Star,Del Crandall.[14] He becamepitcherBob Buhl's personal catcher, as Buhl did not like having Crandall calling his pitches.[15] In1956, Rice helped Buhl to an 18–8 record as the Braves held first place with two games left in the season before the team faltered and finished the season one game behind theDodgers.[16][17]
In the1957 season, Buhl again won 18 games and posted a 2.74 earned run average with Rice as his catcher, as the Braves won the National League pennant.[16][18] Rice became a member of his second world championship winning team when the Braves defeated theNew York Yankees in the1957 World Series.[19]
The Braves won the National League pennant for a second consecutive year in1958, but lost a rematch with theYankees in the1958 World Series.[20] In June 1959, Rice suffered a broken leg in a collision at home plate withWillie Mays.[21] He missed more than two months of the season and was used sparingly upon his return.[22] He played in only a handful of games before he was given a coaching position in late August to make room on the roster for another player.[23] The Braves then released him at the end of the season.[23]
Rice played for the Chicago Cubs in1960, but was released in June when the Cubs acquired catcherJim Hegan.[24][25] One of the 18 games Rice caught as a Cub wasDon Cardwell'sno-hitter on May 15.[26] He was then re-signed with the Cardinals, but only appeared in one game before being selected off waivers by theBaltimore Orioles in September.[1] After appearing in only one game for the Orioles, he was released in October.[27]
Rice became the first player ever to sign with theLos Angeles Angels expansion team.[28] He played in 30 games during their inaugural1961 campaign and was released as a player at the end of the season, but was retained within the organization.[29] He played in his final major league game on August 31, 1961, at the age of 39.[1]
In a seventeen-year major league career, Rice played in 1,309games, accumulating 908hits in 3,826at bats for a .237 career batting average along with 79 home runs, 441 runs batted in and anon-base percentage of .312.[1] He ended his career with a .987fielding percentage.[1] Rice was known for his strong defensive skills, leading National League catchers in fielding percentage in 1948 and 1949, and tying for the lead indouble plays in 1949, 1950 and 1951.[2][30]
Rice also had a career in theNational Basketball League, playing four seasons for theRochester Royals from 1946 until 1950, whenFred Saigh, the Cardinals owner, asked him to concentrate on baseball.[2][31]
Rice was a longtime member of the Angels' organization. After retiring as a player, he was retained as their first base coach from1962 to1966. He spent the1967 season as a coach for theCleveland Indians, but then returned to the Angels as aminor league manager and had success at theTriple-A level. He was named Minor League Manager of the Year for 1971 byThe Sporting News after leading theSalt Lake City Bees to a divisional title in thePacific Coast League.[32][33]
Rice was rewarded with a promotion to manager of the1972 Angels, but after one season and a 75–80 (.484) fifth-place finish, he was replaced byBobby Winkles.[34][35] He remained with the club, however, as ascout.
Rice died of complications from cancer while attending a benefit dinner in his honor inGarden Grove, California, on January 26, 1983, at the age of 60.[33]
· Baseball Almanac