| Leon Culberson | |
|---|---|
 Culberson in 1947 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1919-08-06)August 6, 1919 Halls, Georgia, U.S. | |
| Died: September 17, 1989(1989-09-17) (aged 70) Rome, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 16, 1943, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 12, 1948, for the Washington Senators | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .266 |
| Home runs | 14 |
| Runs batted in | 131 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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Delbert Leon Culberson (August 6, 1919 – September 17, 1989) was an American professionalbaseball player. He played as anoutfielder inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1943 to 1948 for theBoston Red Sox and theWashington Senators. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg), he both batted and threw right-handed.
Culberson's first year in professional baseball was 1940, when he played for theKannapolis Towelers of the Class DNorth Carolina State League. He hit .307 with 14 home runs in 68 games, and was spotted by a Red Sox scout and acquired.[1] In 1941, he played for theScranton Red Sox of the Class AEastern League, and hit .232 in 76 games. During the season, he had an emergencyappendectomy, which led to six weeks in the hospital. In 1942, he again played for Scranton and raised his average to .286 while playing 120 games. In 1943, he moved up to theLouisville Colonels in Class AA. He struggled in his first 10 games, hitting just 7-for-41 (.171), but was called up to the major league club when they sent down another outfielder,Tom McBride.
Culberson made his major league debut on May 16, 1943, against theChicago White Sox. Baseball records for many years credited a career minor league pitcher, Al Olsen, as appearing in the first game of that day'sdoubleheader as apinch hitter whowalked and had astolen base.[2] Research later found that Olsen did not make any major league appearances, rendering him aphantom ballplayer. Culberson is now credited with the noted appearance in the first game of the doubleheader,[3] although Culberson denied playing in the game.[2] Culberson was the starting center fielder in the second game of the doubleheader, thus his debutdate is not in question.[4]
During the 1943 season, Culberson played in 81 games for Boston, hitting .272 and stealing 14 bases; third best on the team in each of those categories. On July 3, hehit for the cycle against theCleveland Indians.[5][6] Battinglead off, he hit a single in the 1st inning, a double in the 3rd inning, a triple in the 6th inning, and a home run (inside-the-park) in the 8th inning. By collecting the hits in that order it was a rare "natural" cycle, the fifth in MLB history. He remains the last player to have an inside-the-park home run as part of their cycle. In 1944, his average fell to .238 playing in 75 games, then in 1945 he raised his average to .275 while appearing in 97 games. He played through the war years due to atrick knee condition that rendered him unfit for military duty, and also sidelined him at times.[1]
In 1946, Culberson hit .313 while appearing in 59 games for Boston. That year, the Red Sox ran away with theAmerican League crown by twelve games over theDetroit Tigers with a 104–50 record, and were heavy favorites in theWorld Series against theSt. Louis Cardinals, however the series went the full seven games.
In game seven, Culberson was involved in a famous play known as the "mad dash". After Red Sox center fielderDom DiMaggio drove in two runs in the top of the eighth, the score was tied 3–3.[7] DiMaggio pulled a hamstring during the play and was forced to leave the game;[8] he was replaced by Culberson, who entered the game as apinch runner and also took over for DiMaggio in centerfield.Enos Slaughter led off the bottom half of the inning with a single. After the next two batters failed to advance him, Slaughter found himself still on first base with two outs. With outfielderHarry Walker at the plate with a two balls and one strike count, the Cardinals called for ahit and run. With Slaughter running, Walker lined the ball to left-center field. Culberson fielded the ball, and threw a relay to shortstopJohnny Pesky. Slaughter rounded third base heading for home, running through the stop sign from histhird base coach. What exactly happened when Pesky turned around is still a matter of contention, but catcherRoy Partee caught a delayed throw up the line, allowing Slaughter to score what proved to be the winning run.[9] While "Pesky held the ball" became a catchphrase in Boston, a soft throw from Culberson (playing in place of the strong-armed DiMaggio) may have been more to blame.[1][10]
Culberson finished the series batting two-for-nine with one RBI (a home run in game five) and one walk; it was the only postseason series of his career.
Culberson's final season with Boston was 1947, when he appeared in 47 games and his hitting again dropped to a .238 average. In the offseason he was traded to theWashington Senators.
In 1948, Culberson played in just 12 games for the Senators, batting 5-for-29 (.172) before he was traded to theNew York Yankees who designated him to Class AAA, playing for theKansas City Blues. He would not return to the major leagues.
For the remainder of 1948 through 1952, Culberson played for a total of eight different teams, ranging from Class AAA to Class D. During 1951 and 1952, he also managed the teams he played for in Class D and Class B, compiling a .415 winning percentage.
Culberson died inRome, Georgia, in September 1989, and is buried there in Oaknoll Memorial Gardens. While some baseball sites state that Leon Culberson was the grandfather of MLB playerCharlie Culberson (born 1989),[11] Charlie Culberson has stated that "he was actually my grandfather’s first cousin."[12]
· Baseball Almanac, orRetrosheet| Achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Hitting for the cycle July 3, 1943 | Succeeded by |