Dusty Rhodes (outfielder)

James Lamar "Dusty" Rhodes (May 13, 1927 – June 17, 2009)^[1] was an outfielder with a 7-year career who played from 1952 to 1957 and in 1959. He played for the Giants franchise of the National League (1952-57 in New York, 1959 in San Francisco).

Of him, manager Leo Durocher said "a buffoon is a drunk on a hitting spree". In the 1954 season, he was often used as a pinch-hitter for Monte Irvin, and came through with an incredible number of clutch hits.

In the first game of the 1954 World Series, Rhodes had a pinch hit home run in the bottom of the tenth inning off Bob Lemon to win the game.^[2] The next day he delivered a pinch hit single in the fifth inning and then remained in the game to play left field. In the seventh inning he hit a homer off Early Wynn to help ensure the victory.^[3]

Roy Campanella, the Brooklyn Dodger catcher, said of Durocher and his action of pinch-hitting Rhodes: "If they have to pinch hit Rhodes for Irvin, they must be hurting." Willie Mays mocked this assumption in his autobiography. Mays considered Rhodes to be a "fabulous hitter", as did Durocher, who wrote in his autobiography, ". . . boy could he hit!", while commenting on Rhodes' atrocious fielding abilities.^[4]

After his baseball career, Rhodes worked for a friend on a tugboat for 25 years, a job which he said he loved. When asked why his career was so short, Rhodes said, "After Durocher left the Giants, baseball wasn't fun anymore."

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Weber, Bruce. "Dusty Rhodes, Star Pinch-Hitter in '54 Series, Dies at 82", The New York Times, Friday, June 19, 2009
• "Rhodes took 'fast track' to pro career", Las Vegas Sun, Monday, May 5, 2003
• Obituary by the Associated Press
• Dusty Rhodes at Find a Grave