Willie Tasby
Encyclopedia
Willie Tasby Jr. was a Major League Baseball
player for six seasons, all in the American League
. Tasby came up with the Baltimore Orioles
and spent time with the Boston Red Sox
, Washington Senators
, and Cleveland Indians
. Willie was primarily an outfielder, appearing in just two games in the infield in his 583-game career.
Tasby made his major league debut on September 18, 1958, and played in 18 games for the Orioles at the end of the season. Willie's performance in 1959
was solid as he played 142 games, batted .250 with 13 home run
s, while patrolling center field
for the Orioles. Baltimore's sixth place finish in the AL was not impressive, but Tasby's rookie performance was, as he was selected to the inaugural Topps All-Star Rookie Team
along with future Hall of Famer Willie McCovey
.
In 1960
, the Orioles were much improved. They contended for the AL pennant until late September. In June, however, with a tenuous hold on first place, they were swept in a four-game series at home by the Detroit Tigers
. June 9 was the low point for Tasby, though, as his Orioles lost both ends of a double header to the Tigers and then traded him to the last place Red Sox. Boston plugged Willie right into their lineup and the center fielder responded with a career-best .281 batting average
.
Tasby's performance for the Sox garnered some attention as he became an expansion draft selection of the Washington Senators. Washington's opening season showed promise for Tasby. He started in center field for the Senators and hit a career high 17 home runs and collected 63 RBI in 141 games. Unfortunately, it was not as promising as it appeared. After just 11 games in 1962
, Willie was traded by the Senators to the Cleveland Indians for a couple of pitchers. Tasby scratched out 127 games over two partial seasons with Cleveland to finish his career.
One highlight from Tasby's career happened on September 28, 1960, when Willie was with the Red Sox. It was Boston's final home game of the season and they were solidly entrenched in 7th place in the AL. And it was to be the final home game for the glorious Red Sox career of one Ted Williams
. Tasby grounded out to open the bottom of the eighth inning with the Red Sox trailing 4-2, then sat down to watch Williams pound the 521st and final home run of his Hall of Fame
career. The blast sparked the Red Sox to a 5-4 comeback win and gave the Boston fans a fitting ending to a troubled relationship with their brilliant star. A fuller telling of this game can be found here.
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...
player for six seasons, all in the American League
American League
The 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...
. Tasby came up with 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...
and spent time with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, Washington Senators
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, and Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. Willie was primarily an outfielder, appearing in just two games in the infield in his 583-game career.
Tasby made his major league debut on September 18, 1958, and played in 18 games for the Orioles at the end of the season. Willie's performance in 1959
1959 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago White Sox ; Larry Sherry, MVP*All-Star Game , July 7 at Forbes Field: National League, 5-4*All-Star Game , August 3 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: American League, 5-3...
was solid as he played 142 games, batted .250 with 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, while patrolling center field
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
for the Orioles. Baltimore's sixth place finish in the AL was not impressive, but Tasby's rookie performance was, as he was selected to the inaugural Topps All-Star Rookie Team
Topps All-Star Rookie Rosters
This is a year-by-year list of the Topps All-Star Rookie teams. Note that players selected for a particular team appear in the following year's set release...
along with future Hall of Famer Willie McCovey
Willie McCovey
Willie Lee McCovey , nicknamed "Mac", "Big Mac", and "Stretch", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played nineteen seasons for the San Francisco Giants, and three more for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics, between and...
.
In 1960
1960 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over New York Yankees ; Bobby Richardson, MVP*All-Star Game , July 11 at Municipal Stadium: National League, 5-3*All-Star Game , July 13 at Yankee Stadium: National League, 6-0...
, the Orioles were much improved. They contended for the AL pennant until late September. In June, however, with a tenuous hold on first place, they were swept in a four-game series at home by the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The 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...
. June 9 was the low point for Tasby, though, as his Orioles lost both ends of a double header to the Tigers and then traded him to the last place Red Sox. Boston plugged Willie right into their lineup and the center fielder responded with a career-best .281 batting average
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 :...
.
Tasby's performance for the Sox garnered some attention as he became an expansion draft selection of the Washington Senators. Washington's opening season showed promise for Tasby. He started in center field for the Senators and hit a career high 17 home runs and collected 63 RBI in 141 games. Unfortunately, it was not as promising as it appeared. After just 11 games in 1962
1962 in baseball
The 1962 season is perhaps most notable for the dismal 40–120 record of the New York Mets, the third-worst winning percentage and the record for most games lost since 1900.-Major League Baseball:...
, Willie was traded by the Senators to the Cleveland Indians for a couple of pitchers. Tasby scratched out 127 games over two partial seasons with Cleveland to finish his career.
One highlight from Tasby's career happened on September 28, 1960, when Willie was with the Red Sox. It was Boston's final home game of the season and they were solidly entrenched in 7th place in the AL. And it was to be the final home game for the glorious Red Sox career of one Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
. Tasby grounded out to open the bottom of the eighth inning with the Red Sox trailing 4-2, then sat down to watch Williams pound the 521st and final home run of his Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
career. The blast sparked the Red Sox to a 5-4 comeback win and gave the Boston fans a fitting ending to a troubled relationship with their brilliant star. A fuller telling of this game can be found here.