Earle Brucker Sr.

Earle Brucker
Earle Brucker
	San Diego, California, U.S.
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
	April 19, 1937, for the Philadelphia Athletics
Last MLB appearance
	May 23, 1943, for the Philadelphia Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average	.290
Home runs	12
Runs batted in	105
Teams
	Philadelphia Athletics (1937–1940, 1943);

Earle Francis Brucker Sr. (May 6, 1901 – May 8, 1981) was an American

minor league career in the Pacific Coast and Western leagues – and after missing three full seasons (1927–29) in his prime due to arm trouble – Brucker was an unusually old rookie

player in the Major Leagues. He made his debut on April 19, 1937, seventeen days shy of his 36th birthday.

A longtime San Diego resident who was born in Albany, New York, Brucker threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) (180 cm) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg). He made his first appearance in professional baseball in 1924 for the Seattle Indians of the Pacific Coast League, but it would be 13 years before he would reach the majors. He was even a playing manager in the Western League during this apprenticeship.

He played his entire MLB career (1937–40; 1943) for the

runs batted in. In 1938, his best campaign, Brucker batted .374 with 64 hits in 171 at bats, three homers and 35 RBI. During his long tenure with Philadelphia, he also witnessed the brief major-league career of his son Earle Jr.

, also a catcher, who appeared in two games for the Athletics at the end of the 1948 season.

After leaving the A's, Brucker Sr. coached for the

farm system

for two additional campaigns before leaving the game.

In 1960, Brucker was also inducted by the

Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface.^[2] Brucker died in San Diego

, at age 80.