George Whiteman

George (Lucky) Whiteman (December 23, 1882 - February 10, 1947) was an utility outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox (1907, 1918) and New York Yankees (1913). Whiteman batted and threw right handed. He was born in Peoria, Illinois.

In a three-season career, Whiteman posted a .272 batting average with one home run and 31 RBI in 85 games played.

A 35-year-old minor league journeyman, Whiteman filled in outfield for the Boston Red Sox whenever Babe Ruth was pitching. Prior to the 1918 season, he had played in only 15 major league games since 1907 before becoming the surprise hero of the World Champion Boston team. Although Ruth and Carl Mays won two games apiece in the World Series, Whiteman batted just .250 (5-for-20) against the Chicago Cubs but delivered some key hits and made several run-saving catches in the outfield, specially in the eighth inning of the final game won by the Red Sox, 2–1, at Fenway Park. He never appeared in another game after the Series.

Whiteman died in Houston, Texas, at the age of 64.

External links

* [http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/10/22/it_may_have_been_the_last_title_but_it_was_hardly_the_best/ The Boston Globe]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/W/Whiteman_George.stm Baseball Library]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/whitege01.shtml Baseball Reference]
* [http://www.texas-league.com/gallery/index.php?cat_id=27 Texas League photo gallery]