| Steve Bilko | |
|---|---|
 Bilko with theLos Angeles Angels in 1956 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born:(1928-11-13)November 13, 1928 Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: March 7, 1978(1978-03-07) (aged 49) Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 22, 1949, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 14, 1962, for the Los Angeles Angels | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .249 |
| Home runs | 76 |
| Run batted in | 276 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Stephen Thomas Bilko (November 13, 1928 – March 7, 1978) was an American professionalbaseball player known for hishome run hitting as aminor leaguer during the 1950s. He was 20 years old when he broke intoMajor League Baseball on September 22, 1949, with theSt. Louis Cardinals. Bilko threw and batted right-handed; he was listed as 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall, and 230 lb (100 kg), and was nicknamed "Stout Steve" during his career because of his ample girth.
Nat Hiken, creator ofThe Phil Silvers Show, supposedly took the name of the characterSgt. Bilko from the ballplayer, whose long-ball heroics for theLos Angeles Angels of thePacific Coast League (PCL) in the mid-1950s made him a local celebrity.[1]
Bilko was born inNanticoke, Pennsylvania, incoal mining country, and made his debut with theAllentown Cardinals in 1945 at the age of 16 during the final year ofWorld War II.[2]
Afirst baseman, Bilko enjoyed his greatest fame with theLos Angeles Angels of thePacific Coast League from 1955–1957, when he won three consecutive PCL Most Valuable Player awards and home run titles. His greatest year came in 1956, when he won the PCLTriple Crown with a .360batting average, 55 home runs and 164runs batted in; he also led the league inruns scored (163) andhits (215). His Triple Crown year came for a pennant-winning Angels' team that won 107 games, and was sandwiched in between seasons in which Bilko belted 37 (1955) and 56 (1957) long balls. He was posthumously inducted into thePacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2003.[3]
In addition to the Cardinals (1949–1954), Bilko also appeared in the majors for theChicago Cubs (1954),Cincinnati Redlegs (1958),Los Angeles Dodgers (1958),Detroit Tigers (1960) and theAmerican League'sLos Angeles Angels (1961–1962), but he never enjoyed the phenomenal success he had with the PCL Angels in the 1950s. He was the Cardinals' regular first baseman in1953 and smashed 21 homers with 84 RBI in 154 games, but ledNational League hitters instrikeouts with 125. Still, it was his most productive big-league season. As an original member of the American League Angels, anexpansion team, he became the first player to appear for each of Los Angeles' MLB teams.[4] Playing in his old minor-league haven, Los Angeles'Wrigley Field, Bilko responded with his second-best MLB campaign with 20 homers and 59 RBI in 1961.
In 600 games over ten major-league seasons, Bilko posted a .249batting average (432-for-1,738) with 220runs, 76home runs, 276RBI, 234bases on balls and a .444slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded a .992fielding percentage as a first baseman.
During his stay with the 1954 Cubs, announcerBert Wilson placed Bilko at the end of what he hoped would be a soon-to-be-famous double play combination ofErnie Banks,Gene Baker and Bilko. His fanciful name for that trio was "Bingo to Bango to Bilko". However, Bilko got into only 47 games with the Wrigleys (only 22 of them at first base) before he was sent at season's end to the PCL Angels, the Cubs' top minor league affiliate, where he would become a legend.
Bilko died on March 7, 1978, after a lengthy but undisclosed illness.
Bilko was inducted into theBaseball Reliquary'sShrine of the Eternals in 2015.[5]
His granddaughter, Barbara Bilko, was a goaltender in ice hockey for theOhio State Buckeyes from 2008–09 through 2010–2011.[6]
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