| Neal Watlington | |
|---|---|
.png) Watlington with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1953 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1922-12-25)December 25, 1922 Yanceyville, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: December 29, 2019(2019-12-29) (aged 97) Yanceyville, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 10, 1953, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 17, 1953, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .159 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 3 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Julius Neal Watlington (December 25, 1922 – December 29, 2019) was an AmericanMajor League Baseballplayer for thePhiladelphia Athletics in 1953. Born inYanceyville, North Carolina, he battedleft-handed and threwright-handed; he was listed as 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and 195 pounds (88 kg).
Watlington broke intoprofessional baseball in theminor leagues in 1941, then missed five seasons (1942–46). He served in theUnited States Army in theEuropean Theater of Operations duringWorld War II,[1] where he received a Purple Heart during his service and was 24 years old when he was signed as a free agent by theNew York Giants in 1947. Primarily acatcher, Watlington was acquired by Philadelphia in February 1952 when the Athletics took over as parent team of theTriple-AOttawa Giants of theInternational League.
The Athletics recalled Watlington from Ottawa in the midsummer of 1953, and he appeared in 21games for them through the remainder of theAmerican League season. He started seven games at catcher, served as a defensive replacement in one contest, and was apinch hitter in 13 others. Watlington's 47plate appearances produced sevenhits, including onedouble, and threebases on balls. He scored fourruns. He returned to the International League in 1954 and played five more seasons of Triple-A baseball until his 1958 retirement.
In 2016 Watlington received France'sLegion of Honour medal for his combat services to help liberate that nation during World War II.[2]
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