Jim Gilliam
Encyclopedia
James William Gilliam was an American
second
and third baseman
and coach
in Negro League
and Major League Baseball
who spent his entire major league career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers
. He was named the National League
Rookie of the Year
, and was a key member of ten NL championship teams from 1953 to 1978. The Dodgers' leadoff hitter
for most of the 1950s, he scored over 100 runs
in each of his first four seasons and led the NL in triples
and walks
once each. Upon retirement, he became one of the first African-American coaches in the major leagues.
, he began playing on a local semi-pro team at age 14 and dropped out of high school in his senior year to pursue his career. He was nicknamed "Junior" during his time playing in the Negro leagues with the Baltimore Elite Giants
, where he was voted an All-Star three straight years from 1948 to 1950; veteran George Scales
taught him to switch hit.
farm team, the Montreal Royals
; he couldn't play for the Dodgers' Fort Worth Cats
affiliate, as blacks were still barred
from the Texas League
. He led the IL in runs in both 1951 and 1952.
, who was shifted to the outfield and third base; he proved capable, batting
.278 with a team-leading 125 runs for the NL champions. His 17 triples led the NL, and remain the most by a Dodger since 1920; he was second in the league (behind Stan Musial
) with 100 walks, and third in the NL with 21 stolen base
s. For his excellent season he earned NL Rookie of the Year honors, as well as The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
.
He continued to play well during the team's Brooklyn years, batting .282 in 1954 with a career-high 13 home run
s before slipping to a .249 average for the champions; he scored over 100 runs both years, as well as in 1956. With the pennant winners, he batted a career-best .300 and made his first major league All-Star
team, also finishing fifth in the MVP
voting; he was again second in the NL in walks (95, behind teammate Duke Snider
) and steals (21, behind Willie Mays
). On July 21 of that year, he tied John Montgomery Ward
's 1892
major league record of 12 assists
in a game. In the Dodgers' last season in Brooklyn in 1957, he batted .250 but led the NL in putout
s and fielding percentage
and again finished second behind Mays in stolen bases.
, though he gradually shifted to third base; for the champions he led the NL in walks (96), along with 23 steals, and was again an All-Star, hitting a home run in that year's second All-Star Game. During the team's Los Angeles years, he moved back to second base from 1961–63, batting .282 in the pennant year and placing sixth in that year's MVP vote; he also relinquished the leadoff role to Maury Wills
in the 1960s, instead batting second in the order.
Gilliam was named a coach after the 1964 season, and intended to end his playing career, but team injuries resulted in his seeing substantial play at third base in and , with the team again winning the NL championship in both seasons. In 1965 he was part of the major leagues' first all-switch-hitting infield, with shortstop Wills, first baseman Wes Parker
and second baseman Jim Lefebvre
. On September 5, Gilliam hit a 2-run pinch triple in a road game against the Houston Astros
, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead in the 9th inning; the Los Angeles Rams
, playing a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles
at the Coliseum
, were playing so poorly despite their 10-0 win that the biggest cheer from the stands came from people listening to portable radios tuned to the Dodger game who cheered when Gilliam got the hit.
He finally retired as a player following the 1966 season with a .265 career batting average, 1889 hits
, 1163 runs, 65 home runs, 558 runs batted in, 304 doubles
, 71 triples, 1036 walks and 203 stolen bases over 14 seasons.
with the Dodgers, four of them against the New York Yankees
. In the 1953 World Series
he singled to lead off Game 1, and had a solo homer in the fifth inning batting left-handed. He hit three doubles, scoring once and driving in
two runs, in the 7-3 Game 4 victory; he had another homer, this time batting right-handed, in the 11-7 loss in Game 5. In Game 3 of the 1955 World Series
, he drew a walk with the bases loaded in the second inning to give the Dodgers the lead for good, and he drove in the first run of the 8-5 Game 4 win; the Dodgers won in seven games for their first Series championship. In the 1956 World Series
, he walked with one out in the tenth inning of Game 6 and scored on a single by Robinson to give the Dodgers a 1-0 victory, tying the Series; in Game 5 he had struck out
and grounded out twice in the perfect game
pitched by the Yankees' Don Larsen
. In the 1963 World Series
he scored the only run of Game 3 in the first inning after walking and advancing to second base on a wild pitch
; after advancing all the way to third base on an error
by Joe Pepitone
in the seventh inning of Game 4, he scored on a Willie Davis sacrifice fly
to give the Dodgers a 2-1 win and a Series sweep. He was also on Dodger teams which won the Series in 1959
against the Chicago White Sox
and 1965
against the Minnesota Twins
. His final major league appearance was in Game 2 of the 1966 World Series
against the Baltimore Orioles
.
from which he did not recover. He died in Inglewood, California
nine days before his 50th birthday, one day after the Dodgers clinched their tenth pennant during his tenure in the 1978 National League Championship Series
. His uniform number 19 was retired by the Dodgers two days after his death, prior to Game 1 of the 1978 World Series
. His number is the only one retired by the Dodgers of a player not in the Hall of Fame. He is interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery
.
The book Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings
(2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine
. Gilliam is prominent in many of these stories.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
second
Second baseman
Second 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...
and third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
and coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
in Negro League
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
and Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major 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 spent his entire major league career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. He was named the National League
National League
The 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...
Rookie of the Year
MLB Rookie of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
, and was a key member of ten NL championship teams from 1953 to 1978. The Dodgers' leadoff hitter
Batting order (baseball)
The batting order, or batting lineup, in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins...
for most of the 1950s, he scored over 100 runs
Run (baseball)
In 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...
in each of his first four seasons and led the NL in triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
once each. Upon retirement, he became one of the first African-American coaches in the major leagues.
Negro leagues
Born in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, he began playing on a local semi-pro team at age 14 and dropped out of high school in his senior year to pursue his career. He was nicknamed "Junior" during his time playing in the Negro leagues with the Baltimore Elite Giants
Baltimore Elite Giants
The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from to . The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. The team was renamed the Elite Giants in , and would move to...
, where he was voted an All-Star three straight years from 1948 to 1950; veteran George Scales
George Scales
George Walter Scales , nicknamed "Tubby", was an American second baseman and manager in Negro league baseball, most notably with the New York Lincoln Giants and Baltimore Elite Giants. Born in Talladega, Alabama, he batted .321 over a 25-year career during which he played several positions...
taught him to switch hit.
Minor leagues
In he was signed as an amateur free agent by the Brooklyn Dodgers, who sent him to play for their International LeagueInternational League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
farm team, the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
; he couldn't play for the Dodgers' Fort Worth Cats
Fort Worth Cats
The Fort Worth Cats are a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats are a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 2002 season the Cats...
affiliate, as blacks were still barred
Baseball color line
The color line in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Organized Baseball, or the major leagues and affiliated minor leagues, until Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization for the 1946 season...
from the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. He led the IL in runs in both 1951 and 1952.
Brooklyn Dodgers
Gilliam made his debut with the Dodgers in April , with the formidable task of taking over second base from Jackie RobinsonJackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
, who was shifted to the outfield and third base; he proved capable, batting
Batting average
Batting 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 :...
.278 with a team-leading 125 runs for the NL champions. His 17 triples led the NL, and remain the most by a Dodger since 1920; he was second in the league (behind Stan Musial
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...
) with 100 walks, and third in the NL with 21 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s. For his excellent season he earned NL Rookie of the Year honors, as well as The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award was established in 1946 by The Sporting News .*In 1947-48, and again in 1950, a single award was given for all of Major League Baseball....
.
He continued to play well during the team's Brooklyn years, batting .282 in 1954 with a career-high 13 home run
Home run
In 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 before slipping to a .249 average for the champions; he scored over 100 runs both years, as well as in 1956. With the pennant winners, he batted a career-best .300 and made his first major league All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
team, also finishing fifth in the MVP
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
voting; he was again second in the NL in walks (95, behind teammate Duke Snider
Duke Snider
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider , nicknamed "The Silver Fox" and "The Duke of Flatbush", was a Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Mets , and San Francisco Giants .Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of...
) and steals (21, behind Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
). On July 21 of that year, he tied John Montgomery Ward
John Montgomery Ward
John Montgomery Ward , known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop and manager. Ward was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Renovo, Pennsylvania...
's 1892
1892 in baseball
-Champions:*National League: Boston Beaneaters defeated Cleveland Spiders, 5 games to 0 - First half of season :-Second half of season:-Overall record:-Events:...
major league record of 12 assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
in a game. In the Dodgers' last season in Brooklyn in 1957, he batted .250 but led the NL in putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s and fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In 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...
and again finished second behind Mays in stolen bases.
Los Angeles Dodgers
He continued to star with the team after their move to Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, though he gradually shifted to third base; for the champions he led the NL in walks (96), along with 23 steals, and was again an All-Star, hitting a home run in that year's second All-Star Game. During the team's Los Angeles years, he moved back to second base from 1961–63, batting .282 in the pennant year and placing sixth in that year's MVP vote; he also relinquished the leadoff role to Maury Wills
Maury Wills
Maurice Morning "Maury" Wills is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and switch-hitting batter who played most prominently with the Los Angeles Dodgers , and also with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Expos...
in the 1960s, instead batting second in the order.
Gilliam was named a coach after the 1964 season, and intended to end his playing career, but team injuries resulted in his seeing substantial play at third base in and , with the team again winning the NL championship in both seasons. In 1965 he was part of the major leagues' first all-switch-hitting infield, with shortstop Wills, first baseman Wes Parker
Wes Parker
Maurice Wesley Parker III is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from to...
and second baseman Jim Lefebvre
Jim Lefebvre
James Kenneth Lefebvre is a former second baseman, third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. Lefebvre, the 1965 National League Rookie of the Year, was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1962. In 1965, his rookie year, he hit .250 with 12 home runs and 69 RBI...
. On September 5, Gilliam hit a 2-run pinch triple in a road game against the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead in the 9th inning; the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, playing a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
at the Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
, were playing so poorly despite their 10-0 win that the biggest cheer from the stands came from people listening to portable radios tuned to the Dodger game who cheered when Gilliam got the hit.
He finally retired as a player following the 1966 season with a .265 career batting average, 1889 hits
Hit (baseball)
In 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....
, 1163 runs, 65 home runs, 558 runs batted in, 304 doubles
Double (baseball)
In 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....
, 71 triples, 1036 walks and 203 stolen bases over 14 seasons.
Playoffs
Gilliam played in seven World SeriesWorld Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
with the Dodgers, four of them against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. In the 1953 World Series
1953 World Series
The 1953 World Series matched the four-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in a rematch of the 1952 Series. The Yankees won in six games for their fifth straight title—a mark which has not been equalled—and their sixteenth overall...
he singled to lead off Game 1, and had a solo homer in the fifth inning batting left-handed. He hit three doubles, scoring once and driving in
Run batted in
Runs 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...
two runs, in the 7-3 Game 4 victory; he had another homer, this time batting right-handed, in the 11-7 loss in Game 5. In Game 3 of the 1955 World Series
1955 World Series
The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in seven games to capture their first championship in franchise history. It would be the only Series the Dodgers won in Brooklyn . The last time the Brooklyn franchise won a World...
, he drew a walk with the bases loaded in the second inning to give the Dodgers the lead for good, and he drove in the first run of the 8-5 Game 4 win; the Dodgers won in seven games for their first Series championship. In the 1956 World Series
1956 World Series
The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers during the month of October 1956. The Series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series...
, he walked with one out in the tenth inning of Game 6 and scored on a single by Robinson to give the Dodgers a 1-0 victory, tying the Series; in Game 5 he had struck out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
and grounded out twice in the perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
pitched by the Yankees' Don Larsen
Don Larsen
Donald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series...
. In the 1963 World Series
1963 World Series
The 1963 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers sweeping the Series in four games to capture their second title in five years, and their third in franchise history....
he scored the only run of Game 3 in the first inning after walking and advancing to second base on a wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...
; after advancing all the way to third base on an error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
by Joe Pepitone
Joe Pepitone
Joseph "Joe" Anthony Pepitone is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who played the bulk of his career for the New York Yankees. He also played several seasons with the Chicago Cubs and had short stints with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves...
in the seventh inning of Game 4, he scored on a Willie Davis sacrifice fly
Sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....
to give the Dodgers a 2-1 win and a Series sweep. He was also on Dodger teams which won the Series in 1959
1959 World Series
The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, four games to two. It was the first pennant for the White Sox in 40 years . They would have to wait until 2005 to win another championship...
against the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
and 1965
1965 World Series
The 1965 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the American League champion Minnesota Twins, who had won their first pennant since 1933 when the team was known as the Washington Senators...
against the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. His final major league appearance was in Game 2 of the 1966 World Series
1966 World Series
The 1966 World Series matched the Baltimore Orioles against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Orioles sweeping the Series in four games to capture their first championship in franchise history...
against the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The 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...
.
Coach
Gilliam served as a player-coach beginning in 1964, and became a full-time coach in 1967. He continued as a coach with the Dodgers until his death, including three more Dodger pennant teams in , and ; they lost the World Series in each year.Death
Gilliam suffered a massive brain hemorrhage at his home on September 15, , and following surgery lapsed into a comaComa
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
from which he did not recover. He died in Inglewood, California
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, southwest of downtown Los Angeles. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. Its population stood at 109,673 as of the 2010 Census...
nine days before his 50th birthday, one day after the Dodgers clinched their tenth pennant during his tenure in the 1978 National League Championship Series
1978 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 4, 1978 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaBecause of having to start an NL East-clinching game a few days earlier, Phillies ace Steve Carlton wasn't available for the start of the series, leaving the task to Larry Christenson...
. His uniform number 19 was retired by the Dodgers two days after his death, prior to Game 1 of the 1978 World Series
1978 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 1978 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaWith Yankee ace Ron Guidry unavailable at least until Game 3, the Dodgers pounded twenty-game winner Ed Figueroa. Figueroa left after two innings, allowing home runs to Dusty Baker and Davey Lopes. Lopes would add a...
. His number is the only one retired by the Dodgers of a player not in the Hall of Fame. He is interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery was founded in 1905 in Inglewood, California. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed here.-List of notable and celebrity interments at Inglewood Park:...
.
Legacy
Gilliam was widely beloved for his personal qualities and sportsmanship, in addition to his playing ability, over his 28-year career with the Dodgers. Quotations about him include the following:- "What a great team player he was. He'd hit behind Maury, take pitch after pitch after pitch. And when Maury got to second, he'd give himself up by hitting the ball to the right side, even with two strikes, which most hitters won't do." - teammate Jeff Torborg, describing Gilliam as the ideal #2 hitter.
- "He didn't hit with power, he had no arm, and he couldn't run. But he did the little things to win ballgames. He never griped or complained. He was one of the most unselfish ballplayers I know." - manager Walter AlstonWalter AlstonWalter Emmons Alston , nicknamed "Smokey," was an American baseball player and manager. He was born in Venice, Ohio but grew up in Darrtown. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he lettered three years in both basketball and baseball and is a member of the University's Hall...
- "Father, friend, and locker room inspiration that will never be forgotten." - Davey LopesDavey LopesDavid Earle Lopes is a former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed. He is currently the first base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.He is of Cape Verdean descent.-Playing:...
, Dodgers second baseman from 1972–81
The book Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings
Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings
Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings is a book by former Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher Carl Erskine. It is a compilation of short stories about life in the glory days of Major League Baseball. The forward was penned by Hall of Fame announcer Vin...
(2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine
Carl Erskine
Carl Daniel Erskine is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959...
. Gilliam is prominent in many of these stories.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
External links
- BaseballLibrary - career highlights
- Baseball Almanac