Herb Plews
Herb Plews | ||
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Herbert Eugene Plews (June 14, 1928 – December 12, 2014) was an American
Born in
Early life
Plews was born in East Helena, Montana, on June 14, 1928.[1] His father, also named Herbert (though his middle name was different), was a stereotyper for the Montana Herald-Record. The older Plews was also a pitcher for the local town baseball team, and he taught his son the game.[2] Plews grew up in East Helena and was a sprinter and broad jumper at Helena High School before his graduation in 1946. Though the high school did not have a baseball team, Plews also batted .400 playing American Legion baseball and was once selected as the Montana representative in a National High School All-Star Game sponsored by Esquire; Ty Cobb coached his team.[1][2]
It was Plews's dream to attend a
Early career
On June 17, 1950, Plews played in his first professional baseball game for the
Plews's career was put on hold for the next two years as the Korean War broke out; he was drafted by the United States Army and sent to Camp Drake, located northwest of Tokyo in Japan. Part of the infantry, he might have seen front line service, except that the colonel in charge of Camp Drake, upon learning he was a baseball player, assigned him to stay at the camp and play on the baseball team. Completing his service in 1953, Plews returned to the states without ever having to serve in combat.[2]
In January 1953, Plews was invited to attend
During 1954 spring training, Plews and teammate Jim Ludtka accomplished the rare feat of hitting two
Major league career
Plews joined the Senators for 1956 spring training and was added to their roster for 1956. He made his debut with the Senators against the Yankees, on April 18, 1956, at
In 1957, Plews began the year as the Senators' starting second baseman.[17] On June 15, he had three hits, including an RBI triple against Bill Fischer and scored three runs as the Senators beat the White Sox 9–1.[18] He batted .261 through June 23, then lost the starting role to Rocky Bridges.[17][19] Plews started at third base from July 11 through 16 and played second base every day from August 13 through 20 but other than that received only occasional spots or was used as a late-inning replacement for the rest of the season.[17] On July 13, he had two hits, scored two runs, and hit his second career home run (also against Keegan) as the Senators lost 7–4 to the White Sox.[20] Five times during the year, he had a season-high three hits: May 13, May 18, June 15, July 11, and August 14.[17] Plews played 104 games this year and batted .271 with 51 runs scored, 89 hits, one home run, and 26 RBI.[14]
In its 1958 preview of the Senators,
Plews lost his starting role completely in 1959, as
Later career
Plews finished out the 1959 season with the
From 1962 through 1964, Plews played for the Hawaii Islanders of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL). In 1962, he played 138 games, batting .245 with 66 runs scored, 127 hits, seven home runs, and 41 RBI. Next season, he played 135 games, batting .271 with 65 hits, 124 hits, two home runs, and 52 RBI. His final year with the Islanders, he played 131 games, batting .293 with 59 runs scored, 120 hits, eight home runs, and 39 RBI.[4]
In 1965, Plews began the season with the
Plews played 346 major league games over four years, batting .262 with 125 runs scored, 266 hits, four home runs, and 82 RBI.[4] However, he was best known for his defensive abilities.[1] He had a lifetime fielding percentage of .967 at second base.[14] Plews said of his career, "I enjoyed every minute of it, and if I had to do it over, I would certainly do the same thing."[2] He kept in touch with Yost and Roy Sievers once his playing days were over.[2]
Personal
In 1955, Plews married Shirley Mae Williams, a dental assistant. They had one child, son Reese. The couple continued to live in Montana during his offseasons, when Plews worked as a mailman. During the seasons, Shirley rarely missed attending his games. When Plews reached the major leagues, Congressman Lee Metcalf was so excited over this development that he read all the details of Plews's baseball career into the Congressional Record on April 17, 1956.[2] After retirement, Plews played handball as a hobby, winning several championships in his town. He was one of the inaugural members of the Helena Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 2003) and the Helena Senators Baseball Hall of Fame (inducted 2014).[1]
After retiring from baseball, Plews worked for cement plants. First, he worked for a Kaiser Permanente plant in Montana, but later, he moved to Colorado, where he worked at one in the Denver area started by former major leaguer Dale Mitchell.[2] In 2006, he and Shirley moved to a retirement community in Boulder, Colorado. Shirley died of cancer in 2009, and Plews died on December 12, 2014. At his death, he was the only athlete from the Helena area to play Major League Baseball.[2][1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Syness, Curt (December 16, 2014). "Herb Plews, only local to play MLB, dies at 86". helenair.com. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Nowlin, Bill. "Herb Plews". SABR. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ "American Association". The Sporting News. June 28, 1950. p. 28.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Herb Plews Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Daniel, Dan (January 21, 1953). "Casey's Backyard College to Include 7 Yanks as Pupils". The Sporting News. p. 6.
- ^ "Deals of the Week: Majors-Minors". The Sporting News. April 15, 1953. p. 46.
- ^ "Minor Averages: Piedmont League". The Sporting News. Home News Bureau. July 29, 1953. p. 38.
- ^ "1953 Piedmont League Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ "American Association". The Sporting News. March 24, 1954. p. 30.
- ^ "1955 American Association Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ 1957 Topps Baseball Card #169
- ^ a b "Herb Plews 1956 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Tony Roig 1956 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Herb Plews Stats". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Chicago White Sox at Washington Senators Box Score, August 28, 1956". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Luis Aparicio Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2009. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Herb Plews 1957 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Washington Senators at Chicago White Sox Box Score, June 15, 1957". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Rocky Bridges 1957 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Washington Senators at Chicago White Sox Box Score, July 13, 1957". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Washington Senators". Sports Illustrated. April 14, 1958. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Herb Plews 1958 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ "Bobby Malkmus 1958 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "Eddie Yost 1958 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ "Indians Nip Nats, 2–1". The Lewiston Daily Sun. May 24, 1958. p. 12. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ "Washington Senators at Detroit Tigers Box Score, May 25, 1958". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Washington Senators at Detroit Tigers Box Score, September 9, 1958". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Reno Bertoia 1959 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Consolo traded to Senators". The Ellensburg Daily Record. June 11, 1959. p. 8. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ "Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Athletics Box Score, July 26, 1959". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Herb Plews at Find a Grave