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| Roy Cullenbine | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1913-10-18)October 18, 1913 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| Died: May 28, 1991(1991-05-28) (aged 77) Mount Clemens, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 19, 1938, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 1947, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .276 |
| Home runs | 110 |
| Runs batted in | 599 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Roy Joseph Cullenbine (October 18, 1913 – May 28, 1991) was an American professionalbaseballoutfielder andfirst baseman. He played ten seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theDetroit Tigers,Brooklyn Dodgers,St. Louis Browns,Washington Senators,New York Yankees, andCleveland Indians between 1938 and 1947.
Cullenbine was among theAmerican League leaders inwalks for seven consecutive seasons from 1941 to 1947, and holds the major league record for most consecutive games (22) with a walk.
Born inNashville, Tennessee but raised inDetroit, Michigan, Cullenbine was a switch-hitter and one of the most prolific recipients ofbases on balls in major league history. In his ten-year career, he collected almost as many walks (853) as he did hits (1,072). He was among theAmerican League leaders in walks for seven consecutive seasons from 1941 to 1947. He was once walked four times in the same game by Yankee aceLefty Gomez, in August 1941.Roy Cullenbine In a July 1941 game, he scored 5 runs in only 2 official at bats.
Driven largely by his ability to draw walks, he had a careeron-base percentage of .408, 132 points higher than his careerbatting average of .276. This on-base percentage ranks 38th best in major league history, higher than many Hall of Fame legends, includingHonus Wagner,Joe DiMaggio,Willie Mays andHank Aaron.
He played football for Detroit'sEastern High School, and was a Tiger batboy in 1930. In 1932, legendary scoutWish Egan saw him working out on Navin Field and signed him. His minor league career ran from 1932 to 1937, for Shreveport, Louisiana; Greenwood, Mississippi; Springfield, Illinois; Beaumont, Texas; and Toledo, Ohio.[1]
After starting his major league career in 1938-39 for his hometown Detroit Tigers, he was among several major league players declared free agents in January 1940 by CommissionerKenesaw Mountain Landis and was given a $25,000 bonus to sign with theBrooklyn Dodgers the following month.[2]
After playing only 22 games for the Dodgers, he was traded in May 1940 to theSt. Louis Browns forJoe Gallagher.
He had a strong 1941 season for the Browns, hitting .317 with 121 walks for a .452 on-base percentage, 2nd only toTed Williams in the AL. Cullenbine also drove in 98 runs, made the All-Star team (in Detroit, ending with a two-out ninth-inning come-from-behind walk-off three-run blast by Williams offClaude Passeau) and finished 10th in AL Most Valuable Player voting.
After that career year with the Browns, he was bounced around to three different teams in 1942. He started the season with the Browns, but was traded to theWashington Senators on June 1. TheNew York Yankees then claimed him off waivers on August 31, 1942. This was a stroke of luck for Cullenbine, sending him to the1942 World Series with a .300 on-base percentage and three runs scored for the Yanks, who were upset 4-1 by the overachievingSt. Louis Cardinals. He was then traded on December 17, 1942, to theCleveland Indians, his fourth team that calendar year.
He played for the Indians throughout 1943–44, putting up solid numbers both years: .289 & .284, with on-base percentages of .407 & .380. He made the All-Star team for a second time in 1944.
Shortly after the start of the 1945 season, the Indians traded him back to his hometownDetroit Tigers where he had started his major league career. As was the case in 1942, he was fortunate enough to be traded in 1945 to a team that went on to win the American League pennant.
In 1945, Cullenbine put up his best numbers in many offensive categories (with many stars still in World War II service). He led the American League with 113 walks, and was 2nd with a .402 on-base percentage. He also hit for power with 18home runs (2nd), 93runs batted ins (2nd), 51extra base hits (4th) and a .444slugging percentage (3rd). After leading the Tigers to the pennant, he helped the Tigers win the World Series over theChicago Cubs. Despite hitting only .227 in the Series, he drew eight walks for a .433 on-base percentage and scored five runs.
Cullenbine continued his solid offense for the Tigers in 1946 & 1947, with career-high .335batting average and .477on-base percentage in 1946. In 1947, he hit a career-high 24 home runs and set a Tiger record with 137 walks, while his .407 on-base percentage was third best in the American League. From July 2–22, 1947, he drew walks in 22 consecutive games, breakingTed Williams' 19 in 1941 (as the last .400 hitter at .406), a record still standing at the end of the 2019 season.[1] But with only 104 hits, his batting average dropped to .224 in 1947, and the Tigers released him after the season.
Seeking to rebound from his release, he was picked up briefly by thePhiladelphia Phillies only to be released again just three weeks into the 1948 season on April 19 without getting into a game.
In 1,181games played, Cullenbine batted .276 (1072 hits in 3879 at bats) with 627runs scored, 209doubles, 32triples, 110 home runs, 599 runs batted in, anon-base percentage of .408 and a slugging percentage of .432 over 10 seasons. He finished his career with a .977fielding percentage. In 12 World Series games, he hit .244 (10-41) with 8 runs and 6 runs batted in.
Cullenbine died of heart disease at 77 in 1991 at Mount Clemens Hospital inMount Clemens, Michigan, and was buried at the Christian Memorial Cultural Center Cemetery inRochester Hills, Michigan.[3]
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