Born inLos Angeles, Stainback played in 817 games, 629 in the outfield. For his career, he had a .259 batting average with 17 home runs and 204 RBIs. An unusual statistic from his career was that his career errors (48) outnumbered his home runs and stolen bases combined (44).[3]
As a rookie outfielder with theChicago Cubs in 1934, he batted .306.
In the1935 World Series, Stainback was on the bench for theChicago Cubs when he began riding umpireGeorge Moriarty, leading to the entire Cubs' dugout being cleared. Stainback was ejected. He did not make an appearance in the 1935 World Series.
In April 1938, after four seasons with the Cubs, Stainback was traded to theSt. Louis Cardinals in a deal for pitcherDizzy Dean.
On May 28, 1938, after being selected off waivers by thePhiladelphia Phillies, Stainback single-handedly preventedCarl Hubbell from pitching a perfect game. Stainback was the only Phillies baserunner, as he had both a walk and a single off Hubbell.[5]
Traded to theBrooklyn Dodgers in exchange for Gibby Brack on July 11, 1938. Stainback went on to hit .327 in 104 at bats for the remainder of that season.[6]
Stainback played four seasons for theNew York Yankees from 1942 to 1945. He played in sevenWorld Series games for the Yankees in 1942 and 1943, although he only batted in the latter. He batted 3-for-17 in the1943 World Series, which the Yankees won in five games.
After retiring as a player, Stainback helped organize the first pension system for major league ballplayers in 1947 withFrankie Crosetti, requesting $250 from every player.[7]
After the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, Stainback, who had settled in the area after retiring from baseball, approached the Dodgers' Red Patterson with his idea to develop ticket sales to fraternal and civic organizations. He developed group ticket sales over a 20-year career as a Dodger executive and supervised the club's Knothole program, which treated children to free games.
