R. C. Stevens

R C Stevens (born on July 22, 1934 in Moultrie, Georgia) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates before the 1952 season and traded to the Washington Senators on December 16, 1960. He played for the Pirates from 1958 to 1960, and for the Washington Senators in 1961.

Stevens was the first player to appear as a pinch hitter in modern Washington Senators history. On April 10, 1961, in the bottom of the 9th inning, he came into the game to bat for catcher Pete Daley against relief pitcher Frank Baumann. He hit a grounder to third, which advanced baserunner Jim Mahoney from first to second. The next batter made the third out, and the Washington Senators lost to the Chicago White Sox, 4-3.

Other career highlights include:
* in his very first game, he drove in the game-winning run in the top of the 14th vs. the Milwaukee Braves on Opening Day (April 15, 1958)
* in just his third MLB at bat, hit a pinch hit 2-run homer off All-Star Harvey Haddix of the Cincinnati Reds (April 19, 1958)
* in just his fourth MLB at bat, hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the 9th vs. the Cincinnati Reds (April 20, 1958)

Stevens was an excellent fielder. In 85 total appearances at first base, he handled 426 chances with only 2 errors for a fielding percentage of .995. His major league hitting started off with a bang (see above highlights), but he never again achieved his early-season success of 1959. In fact, during his two months with Washington, he batted just .129 (8-for-62)

In his short career, he had a lifetime batting average of .210, with 8 home runs, 21 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .395 in his 210 at bats. He scored 21 runs in 104 ballgames.

External links

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* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Pstevr101.htm Retrosheet]