Frank Elmore Bolling is a former
second basemanSecond base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
in
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played from through for the
Detroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1954, 1956–1960) and with the
Milwaukee / Atlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(1961–66). Bolling batted and threw right-handed. He is the younger brother of
shortstopShortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Milt BollingMilton Joseph Bolling is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Boston Red Sox , Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers . Bolling batted and threw right-handed...
.
In a 12-season career, Bolling was a .254
hitterBatting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with 106
home runIn baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 556
RBIRuns batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in 1540
games playedGames played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
.
Bolling reached the Majors in with the Detroit Tigers, playing during six seasons with them before moving to the Milwaukee Braves in 1961. He was on the Braves roster when the team moved to Atlanta in .
A fine defensive second baseman, Bolling also averaged 14 home runs from 1957–59, with a career-high 15 in . His most productive season came in 1958, when he posted career numbers in
hitsIn baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(164),
doublesIn baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(27),
runsIn baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
and RBIs (75), and won the Gold Glove Award after lead the
American LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
second basemen in
fielding percentageIn baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
. When his brother Milt was traded to Detroit during the same season, the Bollings became one of only four brother combinations in Major League history to play second base / shortstop on the same club. The others are
GarvinWesley Garvin Hamner was an American professional baseball player. A second baseman and shortstop, he appeared in one season for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball...
and
Granny HamnerGranville Wilbur Hamner was an American shortstop and second baseman in Major League Baseball. Hamner was one of the key players on the "Whiz Kids", the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies...
, for the
Philadelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
in 1945; the twins
EddieEdward Joseph O'Brien is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop, outfielder and pitcher. He played his entire five-year baseball career for the Pittsburgh Pirates...
and
Johnny O'BrienJohn Thomas O'Brien is a former backup second baseman and pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Braves . O'Brien batted and threw right-handed...
with the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
in the mid-1950s, and
CalCalvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. , nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles ....
and
Billy RipkenWilliam Oliver Ripken is an American radio personality for XM Satellite Radio, a studio analyst for MLB Network's "MLB Tonight," and is a former infielder in Major League Baseball from –...
for the
Baltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
during the 1980s.
Traded to the Braves for
Bill BrutonWilliam Havon Bruton was a Major League Baseball center fielder who played for the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 through 1960, and for the Detroit Tigers in 1961 through 64. Bruton batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
after the season, Bolling led the
National LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
second basemen in fielding in , and . He made the National League All-Star team in 1961 and 1962, and also was named on
The Sporting News NL All-Star TeamSporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
in 1961. Bolling never played an inning at any position other than second base, ending with a career fielding mark of .982.
Highlights
- Four times collected four hits or two home runs in a single game
- Hit a grand slam
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
off Sandy KoufaxSanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
on September 22, 1965
External links