| Buddy Blattner | |
|---|---|
 Blattner, circa 1941 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born:(1920-02-08)February 8, 1920 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Died: September 4, 2009(2009-09-04) (aged 89) Chesterfield, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 18, 1942, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 2, 1949, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Hits | 176 |
| Batting average | .247 |
| Games played | 272 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Garnett Blattner | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Table tennis | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Robert Garnett"Buddy"Blattner (February 8, 1920 – September 4, 2009) was an Americantable tennis and professionalbaseball player. He played five seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB), primarily for theNew York Giants. After his retirement as a player, he became a radio and televisionsportscaster.
Blattner playedtable tennis in his youth, winning thegold medal in the men's doubles withJames McClure at the1936 World Table Tennis Championships.[1] The following year he won double gold at the1937 World Table Tennis Championships in the men's team event and in the men's doubles with McClure.[2]
A graduate ofBeaumont High School inSt. Louis, Blattner started hisMajor League Baseball (MLB) career with theSt. Louis Cardinals, making his big league debut in the 1942 season. Following a stint in theUnited States Navy, Blattner played for theNew York Giants (1946–48) andPhiladelphia Phillies (1949); he played primarily as asecond baseman.
Blattner turned to broadcasting after his retirement as a player, teaming withDizzy Dean onSt. Louis Browns radio as well as nationally on theLiberty andMutual networks, and on the televised baseballGame of the Week onABC (1953–54) andCBS (1955–59). He also called games for theSt. Louis Hawks of theNational Basketball Association in the '50s.
Blattner was replaced on CBS byPee Wee Reese following a dispute with Dean. Blattner continued to broadcast baseball for the Cardinals (1960–61),Los Angeles/California Angels (1962–68), andKansas City Royals (1969–75) as well as onNBC's coverage of the 1964 and 1967All-Star Games.
In 1962, Blattner founded the "Buddy Fund", a charitable organization that supplies athletic equipment to disabled and underprivileged children in the St. Louis area.[3] He was inducted into the U.S. Table Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 1979, and theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.[4] On September 4, 2009, Blattner died at his home inChesterfield, Missouri, fromlung cancer, aged 89.[5] In2021 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, Blattner was a finalist for theFord C. Frick Award, presented annually by theNational Baseball Hall of Fame.[6]
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