American baseball player (born 1958)
Baseball player
John T. Shelby
(born February 23, 1958) is an American former
center fielder
in
Major League Baseball
(MLB) who played from 1981 to 1991. He began his career as a member of the
Baltimore Orioles
before later playing for the
Los Angeles Dodgers
and
Detroit Tigers
. Shelby was a member of two
World Series
?winning teams: the
1983 Orioles
and the
1988 Dodgers
. His nickname was "T-Bone" because of his slight frame. He currently is a coach in the
Atlanta Braves
minor league system.
Early life
[
edit
]
Shelby was born in
Lexington, Kentucky
, on February 23, 1958.
[1]
In 1976, he graduated from
Henry Clay High School
in Lexington, where he played baseball (as a
shortstop
) and
basketball
and was an all-area performer. After high school, he played one year of baseball at
Columbia State Community College
in
Columbia, Tennessee
.
Baseball career
[
edit
]
Playing career
[
edit
]
In the January 1977 amateur draft, Shelby was a first?round pick (20th overall) of the Baltimore Orioles.
[2]
He made his professional debut that year for the
Bluefield Orioles
of the
Appalachian League
, batting .256 with 21 RBI in 60 games.
[3]
While with the Orioles, Shelby was a member of the
1983 World Series
championship team
in his first full year at the major league level. He hit .444 (4-for-9) with an RBI in that year's World Series.
When Shelby was traded to the Dodgers during the
1987 season
, the team was so desperate for a center fielder that he was rushed into uniform and into his first game. There was not even time to put his name on the back of his uniform, so he played the entire game without his name stitched onto his uniform. During Game 4 of the
1988 National League Championship Series
, he drew a crucial walk off
Dwight Gooden
in the top of the ninth inning, allowing
Mike Scioscia
to come up and hit a game-tying home run, paving the way for the game-winning home run by
Kirk Gibson
in the top of the twelfth inning.
[4]
He also had a two-run single earlier in the game. The Dodgers would go on to win the
1988 World Series
and Shelby his second title.
On June 3, 1989, he batted 0-for-10 in a 22?inning game against the
Houston Astros
.
[5]
After the Dodgers released Shelby on June 2, 1990, he was signed eleven days later by the Detroit Tigers.
[1]
He became a free agent following the season, but the Tigers re?signed him on November 26. He was released by the Tigers on August 13, 1991.
[1]
In 1992, Shelby's final season as a professional baseball player, he appeared in 127 games for the
Pawtucket Red Sox
, the Class AAA affiliate of the
Boston Red Sox
. He tallied 17 home runs and 64 RBI, but managed only a .205 batting average.
[3]
Coaching career
[
edit
]
He was the hitting coach for the
Albuquerque Isotopes
, the
AAA
affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
[6]
In addition to managing several minor league teams, he has also served as a coach for the Dodgers,
Pittsburgh Pirates
, Baltimore Orioles, and
Milwaukee Brewers
. He was hired as a roving minor league instructor with the
Atlanta Braves
for the 2017 season.
Personal life
[
edit
]
His oldest son, John Shelby III, is a former player in
Major League Baseball
and now a coach in the farm system of the
Boston Red Sox
.
[7]
His second-oldest son, Jeremy Shelby, played one season in the Baltimore Orioles' farm system. His fourth-oldest son, JaVon Shelby, played for the University of Kentucky Wildcats baseball team and was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 2016 amateur draft.
[8]
His nephew
Josh Harrison
is a major league player.
[1]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
"John Shelby Stats"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
Sports Reference
. Retrieved
November 13,
2017
.
- ^
"1st Round of the 1977 MLB January Draft-Regular Phase"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"John Shelby Minor Leagues Statistics & History"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
Sports Reference
. Retrieved
November 13,
2017
.
- ^
Minami, Craig (October 9, 2013).
"Scioscia & Gibson hit clutch home runs in Game 4"
.
True Blue LA
.
SB Nation
. Retrieved
June 30,
2022
.
- ^
"Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros Box Score June 3, 1989"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
Sports Reference
. June 3, 1989
. Retrieved
November 13,
2017
.
- ^
Goeldner, Cameron (February 11, 2016).
"Colorado Rockies minors: Albuquerque Isotopes name John Shelby hitting coach"
.
Purple Row
.
SB Nation
. Retrieved
February 11,
2016
.
- ^
"Drive Announces Coaching Staff for 2021 Season"
.
Greenville Drive
.
Minor League Baseball
. February 1, 2021
. Retrieved
February 14,
2021
.
- ^
"5 JaVon Shelby"
.
University of Kentucky
. Archived from
the original
on February 2, 2014
. Retrieved
March 31,
2014
.
External links
[
edit
]