Bob Nieman
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2017) |
| Bob Nieman | ||
|---|---|---|
Runs batted in | 544 | |
| NPB statistics | ||
| Batting average | .301 | |
| Home runs | 13 | |
| Runs batted in | 53 | |
| Teams | ||
Robert Charles Nieman (January 26, 1927 – March 10, 1985) was an American
Career
Minor leagues
Nieman was born in
farm system, although he played only 38 games above the Class A level. In June 1951, he was acquired by the unaffiliated Oklahoma City Indians from the Reds' Tulsa Oilers farm team, and he played 109 games for the 1951 Indians and batted .328.[2] (His combined average, his tenure with Tulsa included, of .324 won him the batting title of the Texas League.)[3]
Major leagues
Nieman then was purchased by the Browns and was added to their active roster in September 1951, setting the stage for his dramatic big league debut. On
J.P. Arencibia (2010) and Trevor Story (2016) are the only others to accomplish the feat.[4] Also, Nieman is one of two players in MLB history to homer in each of his first two big league at bats. Keith McDonald, in 2000, became the other.[6]
Nieman became an everyday outfielder for the Browns, later played regularly for the Tigers and Orioles, and overall he fashioned a 12-year career as a semi-regular outfielder and
In his final MLB campaign, he collected eight pinch hits to help the Giants win the
grand slam home run ever struck by a National League player in World Series history.[8]
The Giants won that contest, 7–3, but dropped the series in seven games.
Scout
After retiring from the field, Nieman served as a scout for over two decades, working for the Indians, Dodgers, Athletics, White Sox and Yankees. He died from a heart attack in Corona, California, at 58 years of age.[1][2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Retrosheet: "Bob Nieman"
- ^ Baseball Reference: "Bob Nieman Major, Minor & Japanese Stats"
- ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
- ^ a b MLB.com: "Best Debuts in Baseball History
- ^ Retrosheet box score: 1951-09-14
- ^ Kipnis, Jason (June 30, 2012), "St. Louis Baseball's Five Strangest People and Events," Bleacher Report
- ^ Retrosheet: 1962 Batting Splits for Bob Nieman
- ^ Retrosheet box score: 1962-10-08
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Retrosheet
- Bob Nieman at Find a Grave
