| George Selkirk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1908-01-04)January 4, 1908 Huntsville, Ontario, Canada | |
| Died: January 19, 1987(1987-01-19) (aged 79) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 12, 1934, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 1942, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .290 |
| Home runs | 108 |
| Runs batted in | 576 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Member of the Canadian | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1983 |
George Alexander Selkirk (January 4, 1908 – January 19, 1987) was a Canadianoutfielder and front office executive inMajor League Baseball. In 1935, Selkirk succeededBabe Ruth as theright fielder of theNew York Yankees—and also inherited Ruth's fabled No. 3 uniform (which was not retired until 1948, the year of Ruth's death).
Over the next eight seasons, Selkirkbatted over .300 five times, twice drove home more than 100RBIs, played in five World Championships (1936,1937,1938,1939 and1941), and made theAmerican League All-Star team in 1936 and 1939.
George Selkirk was inducted into theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983, its initial year, and was later inducted into theOntario Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.[1]
A native ofHuntsville, Ontario, Selkirk batted left-handed and threw right-handed, standing 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighing 182 pounds (83 kg) (13stone). His family moved toRochester, New York, where Selkirk attended Rochester Technical School.[2] His professional career began in 1927.
During his nine years of Major League Baseball service, all with the Yankees, Selkirk appeared in 846games,batting .290 (.265 in 21 World Series games), with 108 regular-seasonhome runs, 131doubles, 41triples, 810hits, and 576runs batted in (RBI). He recorded anon-base percentage of .400 and aslugging percentage of .483.[3] Selkirk earned the nickname "Twinkletoes" for his distinctive way of running on the balls of his feet.[4]
Selkirk twice in his career recorded eight RBI in one game, both against the Philadelphia A's atYankee Stadium, on August 10, 1935, and August 12, 1938.[5]
After military service inWorld War II in theUnited States Navy, Selkirk managed at theClass A andTriple-A levels for the Yankees, and at Triple-A in thefarm system of theMilwaukee Braves. In 1953, he was named theAmerican Association Manager of the Year, having led theToledo Sox to the league's best regular-season record.[6]
Selkirk later worked as the player personnel director for theKansas City Athletics (1957–1959) and field coordinator of player development of theBaltimore Orioles (1960–1962) before becoming the secondgeneral manager in the history of theexpansionWashington Senators (now theTexas Rangers) in the autumn of 1962.
The Senators were chronically short of funds and never developed a strong farm system, forcing Selkirk to acquire players (such as the great sluggerFrank Howard) through trades and fill out the roster with waiver-price acquisitions. Nonetheless, Washington improved every year from 1963 through 1967, but when the team'sfield manager,Gil Hodges, departed for theNew York Mets after the1967 campaign, the Senators regressed and fell back into theAmerican League basement. The December 1967 death ofJames M. Johnston, one of the club's two principal owners, forced the sale of the team in the autumn of 1968, and Selkirk was fired during the transition. He then returned to the Yankees as ascout.
Selkirk is mentioned inAugust Wilson's 1987Pulitzer Prize-winning play,Fences. The protagonist, Troy, confident that he can do better than white ballplayers in the majors, alludes to Selkirk and the .269 average he put up in 1940, his last year as a regular in the Yankee lineup. His successful career as a player, and the respect he earned as ageneral manager, earned Selkirk a place in theCanadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
Selkirk died at age 79 inFort Lauderdale, Florida.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Washington SenatorsGeneral Manager 1962–1968 | Succeeded by |