American baseball player (1922?2022)
Baseball player
Eddie Basinski
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Eddie_Balinski_%282%29.jpeg/220px-Eddie_Balinski_%282%29.jpeg) |
Shortstop
/
Second baseman
|
Born:
(
1922-11-04
)
November 4, 1922
Buffalo, New York
, U.S.
|
Died:
January 8, 2022
(2022-01-08)
(aged 99)
Gladstone, Oregon
, U.S.
|
Batted:
Right
Threw:
Right
|
|
May 20, 1944, for the Brooklyn Dodgers
|
|
July 4, 1947, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
|
|
Batting average
| .244
|
---|
Home runs
| 4
|
---|
Runs batted in
| 59
|
---|
|
---|
|
|
Edwin Frank Basinski
(November 4, 1922 ? January 8, 2022) was an American
professional baseball
infielder
. He played in
Major League Baseball
for the
Brooklyn Dodgers
and
Pittsburgh Pirates
.
[1]
Early life
[
edit
]
Basinski was born in
Buffalo, New York
, on November 4, 1922. His father, Walter, a U.S. Navy veteran, was a machinist.
[2]
He graduated from
East High School
in Buffalo.
[3]
Basinski attended the
University of Buffalo
where he lettered in tennis and cross country (they had no baseball team). In 1943 Basinski earned a degree in mechanical engineering and went to work for the
Curtiss-Wright
Company in Buffalo.
[2]
Pro baseball
[
edit
]
The
Brooklyn Dodgers
scouted him at a 1943 semi-pro game in Buffalo and signed him to a contract that included a $5,000 signing bonus. Listed at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 172 lb (78 kg), Basinski batted and threw right-handed. He made his major league debut on May 20, 1944, on the road against the
Cincinnati Reds
. Starting at shortstop and batting eighth, he went 1?4, with his first hit a fifth-inning triple off
Bob Katz
, and later scoring on a single by
Frenchy Bordagaray
in a 6?1 win.
[4]
He played in 39 games that year with 120 plate appearances, batting .257 with 4 doubles, a triple and 9 runs batted in.
[5]
In 1945 he played in 108 games with 262 plate appearances, batting .262 with 9 doubles and 4 triples. When many players returned from the war in 1945, he was sent to the minor leagues.
[6]
In December 1946 he was traded to the
Pittsburgh Pirates
. In 1947 he played in 56 games with 182 plate appearances. He batted .199 but hit the first 4 home runs of his career to go along with 33 runs batted in.
[5]
In addition to his major league career, Basinski played with six different
minor league
clubs between 1944 and 1959, as well as for the
Patriotas de Venezuela
of the
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
during the 1951?1952 season. Basinski is a member of the
Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame
, as well as the
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
in recognition of his lengthy career with the
Portland Beavers
?over 10 seasons. He was the oldest living former player of the
Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers
and
Pittsburgh Pirates
. Following the death of
Eddie Robinson
in October 2021, he became the second-oldest living major leaguer, behind
George Elder
.
[
citation needed
]
Personal life and death
[
edit
]
Basinski began practicing the violin at an early age and even held a chair with the
Buffalo Symphony Orchestra
. His mother was a pianist.
[6]
His nicknames were "The Fiddler" as well as "The Professor" (he wore glasses).
[6]
After retiring from baseball, Basinski remained in the Portland area with his wife and two sons, working for
Consolidated Freightways
for 31 years as an account manager.
[1]
He retired in 1991 in
Milwaukie, Oregon
.
[2]
In later life, he resided in a care facility in
Gladstone, Oregon
.
[6]
His son, Jeff, was a coach, athletic director and assistant principal during his 29 years with
Forest Grove School District
in
Washington County, Oregon
. Jeff died suddenly in 2011, and the Basinski Center gym was named in his honor in 2013.
[1]
[7]
Basinski died at a care facility in Gladstone on January 8, 2022, at the age of 99.
[8]
[9]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Swindler, Samantha (April 19, 2017).
"Finding a connection to Portland Beaver legend Eddie Basinski (Column)"
.
The Oregonian/OregonLive
. Retrieved
April 19,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
Rudman, Steve; Eskenazi, Dave; Armour, Mark.
"Eddie Basinski"
.
sabr.org
.
Society for American Baseball Research
. Retrieved
January 16,
2022
.
- ^
Cleve, Craig Allen (October 15, 2004).
"8. Eddie Basinski"
.
Hardball on the Home Front: Major League Replacement Players of World War II
. McFarland.
ISBN
978-0-7864-1897-8
. Retrieved
September 14,
2022
.
- ^
"Brooklyn Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds Box Score, May 20, 1944"
.
baseball-reference.com
. sports-reference.com. May 20, 1944
. Retrieved
January 16,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"Eddie Basinski Stats"
.
baseball-reference.com
. sports-reference.com
. Retrieved
January 16,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Tarapacki, Thomas (April 27, 2018).
"Eddie Basinski was one-of-a-kind"
. The Am-Pol Eagle
. Retrieved
January 16,
2022
.
- ^
Itel, Dan (January 10, 2019).
"Forest Grove High School's new athletic facility honors Jeff Basinski, former athletic director"
. Oregon Live
. Retrieved
January 16,
2022
.
- ^
Goldstein, Richard (January 14, 2022).
"Eddie Basinski, Who Played Both the Infield and the Fiddle, Dies at 99"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
January 15,
2022
.
- ^
Swindler, Samantha (January 10, 2022).
"Eddie Basinski, the violin-playing second baseman for the Portland Beavers, has died at age 99"
. Oregon Live
. Retrieved
January 10,
2022
.
External links
[
edit
]