Joe Durham
| Joe Durham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: July 31, 1931 Newport News, Virginia, U.S. | |
| Died: April 28, 2016 (aged 84) Randallstown, Maryland, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 10, 1954, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 6, 1959, for the St. Louis Cardinal | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .188 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 20 |
| Teams | |
Joseph Vann Durham (July 31, 1931 – April 28, 2016)player and coach. An outfielder, he appeared in Major League Baseball in 93 games for the Baltimore Orioles (1954 and 1957) and St. Louis Cardinals (1959).[2] Durham attended Huntington High School in his native city of Newport News, Virginia, and Shaw University.[citation needed] He threw and batted right-handed and was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 186 pounds (84 kg).
Durham began his professional career in the
Baltimore, Maryland, in 1954. After an outstanding season in the Double-A Texas League in 1954, he was recalled by the Orioles in September and in ten games collected nine hits in 44 plate appearances, including his first Major League home run off Al Sima of the Philadelphia Athletics on September 12.[4] Durham was one of the two African-American players on the Orioles roster in 1954. The other was Jay Heard.[5]
Durham then missed the 1955–1956 seasons performing military service.
He began the
batting practice pitcher. He moved into the Orioles' front office in 1986, then became a coach for the Class A Frederick Keys of the Carolina League.[3]
All told, he was a member of the Orioles' organization for over 40 years.
Durham died on April 28, 2016, at the Northwest Hospital Hospice Center in Randallstown, Maryland, at the age of 84.
References
- ^ Dubroff, Rich (April 28, 2016). "Joe Durham, first African American position player for Orioles, dies". CSN Mid-Atlantic. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
- ^ "Joe Durham Statistics and History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-12-15.
- ^ a b The Baltimore Sun, 1995.09.21
- ^ 1954-9-12 box score from Retrosheet
- ^ Integrating the Orioles: Baseball and Race in Baltimore Author:Bob Luke ASIN : B01BI71SDQ Print Length : 216 pages Publisher : McFarland (February 5, 2016) Publication Date : February 5, 2016
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet, or Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)