Vince Shupe
| Vince Shupe | |
|---|---|
 Shupe with the Boston Braves, c. 1945 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: September 5, 1921 East Canton, Ohio | |
| Died: April 5, 1962 (aged 40) Canton, Ohio | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 7, 1945, for the Boston Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1945, for the Boston Braves | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .269 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 15 |
| Teams | |
Vincent William Shupe (September 5, 1921 – April 5, 1962) was a professional baseball first baseman who played for the 1945 Boston Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg), he batted and threw left-handed.
Biography
[edit]Shupe's minor league career spanned 1939 to 1950; he did not play professionally for two seasons (1942–1943) during World War II.[1] He appeared in 1153 minor league games, playing for seven different teams, including four seasons in the Pacific Coast League.[1] Primarily a first baseman, he also made nine appearances as a pitcher early in his career, and five appearances in the outfield late in his career.[1]
Shupe is one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II. His first major league experience was on July 7, 1945,[2] for the Boston Braves against the Pittsburgh Pirates.[3] He played first base regularly for the Braves through the end of the season,[4] taking over from Joe Mack, whose last game had been on July 4.[5] Baseball records list Shupe as appearing in a game earlier in the season, against the Brooklyn Dodgers on June 17;[4] however, that was a suspended game, and he only played in the completion of the game, when it was resumed on August 4.[6] Shupe played in 78 major league games, registering a .269 batting average (76-for-283), 15 RBIs, and no home runs.[2] Defensively, he made eight errors in 703 total chances for a .989 fielding percentage.[2]
Shupe was a native of East Canton, Ohio.[2] At one time, he dated actress Jean Peters.[7] After his professional baseball career, he worked as a petroleum salesman.[8] Shupe died at the age of 40 in Canton, Ohio.[2]
Retrosheet
[edit]- ^ a b c "Vince Shupe Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Vince Shupe". Retrosheet. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "Boston Braves 7, Pittsburgh Pirates 6". Retrosheet. July 7, 1945. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ a b "The 1945 BOS N Regular Season Batting Log for Vince Shupe". Retrosheet. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "The 1945 BOS N Regular Season Batting Log for Joe Mack". Retrosheet. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "Boston Braves 4, Brooklyn Dodgers 1 (2)". Retrosheet. June 17, 1945. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "Stark's Famous: Vincent W. Shupe". The Repository. Canton, Ohio. July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "Former Major League Player Dies at Canton". The Marion Star. Marion, Ohio. AP. April 7, 1962. p. 17. Retrieved July 21, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Vince Shupe at Find a Grave
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