- Herb Washington
Infobox MLB retired
name=Herb Washington
caption=Washington on his 1975Topps baseball card
width=180px
position=Pinch runner
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1951|11|16
city-state|Belzoni|Mississippi
debutdate=April 4
debutyear=by|1974
debutteam=Oakland Athletics
finaldate=May 4
finalyear=by|1975
finalteam=Oakland Athletics
stat1label=Games played
stat1value=105
stat2label=Runs
stat2value=33
stat3label=Stolen base s
stat3value=31
teams=
*Oakland Athletics (1974-1975)
highlights=Herbert Lee (Hurricane Herb) Washington (born
November 16 ,1951 inBelzoni, Mississippi ) became one of the world's most celebrated sprinters as a student-athlete atFlint Central High School andMichigan State University .cite web | url = http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Herb_Washington | title = Player Page | publisher = BaseballHistory.com | accessdate = 2007-11-11] He went on to gain further recognition as a player forMajor League Baseball 'sOakland Athletics , despite his lack of previous baseball experience.cite web | url = http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/washihe01.shtml | title = Player Page | publisher = Baseball-Reference.com | accessdate = 2007-11-11]Washington first caught the attention of sports fans when he was enrolled at Michigan State. The four-time all-American won one NCAA title, seven Big Ten titles, and tied or broke the world record in the 50- and 60-yard dashes several times.
Pro baseball career
In by|1974, Washington was tapped by Oakland owner
Charlie Finley to become the A's "designated runner." Despite having no professional baseball experience, and having last played baseball inhigh school , Washington was a member of the Athletics1974 World Series championship team. His major league debut was onApril 4 ,1974 against the Texas Rangers.Appearing as a pinch-runner for
Joe Rudi in game two of the1974 World Series , Washington was picked off first base in a crucial ninth-inning situation byDodgers ' reliver Mike Marshall.Washington played in 105 major league games without batting, pitching, or fielding, playing exclusively as a
pinch runner . He had 31 stolen bases in 48 attempts and scored 33 runs during his short career, numbers which were relatively low considering his great speed. He was released one month into the by|1975 season.Washington's 1975 Topps baseball card (pictured above) is the only baseball card ever released that uses the "pinch runner" position label.
Business career
Following his baseball career, Washington joined the pro track circuit and remained in competition until 1976. Today he is a successful businessman, owning several
McDonald's franchises in theYoungstown andCleveland , Ohio areas, in addition to a recent acquisition in WesternPennsylvania .In the late 1990s, he purchased all the Youngstown, Ohio area McDonald's franchises from Sam Covelli, once the largest
McDonalds franchise owner in theUnited States . In 2006, he added another McDonalds to his holdings, purchasing a Greenville, Pennsylvania McDonalds from an independent owner.In 2005, he became the owner of the
Youngstown Steelhounds minor league hockey franchise, which plays in theChevrolet Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. The following year, he sold several of his Youngstown-area McDonald's franchises to John Perdue, who turned them into 24/7 operations.Washington currently resides in the Youngstown suburb of
Boardman, OH with his wife and children.Trivia
*Washington was actually the second of six players that Finley's Athletics used as a pinch-running specialist during the 1970's. Of those 6, however, Washington was the only player who served exclusively as a pinch runner; the others played the field and batted at some point during their tenures. Before Washington was released in 1975, Oakland actually had three such players on the roster at the same time.
*Washington's cousin,George Hoey , was an all-Big Tendefensive back at theUniversity of Michigan and played five seasons in theNFL .References
External links
* [http://z.lee28.tripod.com/sbnsforgottenintime/id24.html Forgotten in Time]
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