Johnny Callison

John Wesley Callison (March 12, 1939 – October 12, 2006) was an American

In 1959, Callison split time between Chicago and Indianapolis. He was not on the World Series roster when the White Sox lost the series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and in December he was traded to the Phillies for third baseman Gene Freese.^[1]

Baseball career

Callison became a fan favorite in Philadelphia; Supreme Court Justice and lifelong Phillies fan Samuel Alito recalls he "adopted Johnny Callison out there in right field" as a boy.^[2] Over the next decade, Callison would be named to the NL All-Star roster three times (1962, 64-65).^[a] In 1962, he batted an even .300, the only time he would reach that mark, and led the NL with 10 triples. On June 27, 1963, he hit for the cycle against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 1964 season became best remembered, however, for the Phillies' late-season collapse; despite a 6+1⁄2-game lead with 12 games to play, the Phillies lost 10 in a row and finished one game behind the

In 1965, Callison again led the NL with a career-high 16 triples, once more topping 30 home runs and 100 RBI; on June 6, he hit three home runs against the Cubs and the Phillies won 10-9. In 1966, he paced the league with 40 doubles. Callison also is remembered for being an excellent outfielder with a formidable throwing arm. He led the NL in fielding average as a right fielder in 1963 and 1964, and his throwing accuracy helped him lead the NL in outfield assists (24) and double plays (7) in 1962 and he topped the league in assists the next three years with totals of 26, 19, and 21. But his power production fell off sharply, and he failed to collect 20 homers or 65 RBI in any of his last four Phillies seasons. After the 1969 season, he was traded to the Cubs, and he posted 1970 totals of 19 home runs and 68 RBI before hitting only .210 in 1971 with just 8 home runs. In January 1972 he was traded to the New York Yankees, and he found limited playing time over two years, closing his career with a .176 average, one home run, and 10 RBI in 45 games in 1973.

Callison was a career .264 hitter with 226 home runs, 926 runs, 840 RBI, 1,757 hits, 321 doubles, 89 triples, and 74 stolen bases in 1,886 games. He recorded a .984 fielding percentage at all three outfield positions.

Life after baseball

Callison was a player-coach with the

A resident of Glenside, a northern suburb of Philadelphia, Callison died in 2006 in Abington, Pennsylvania.^[8][9]

MLB awards and achievements

• MLB All-Star MVP (1964)
• NL All-Star (1962,^[a] 1964–65)
• NL Leader in Doubles (1966)
• NL Leader in Triples (1962, 1965)
• NL Leader in Fielding Average as Right Fielder (1963, 1964)

Other honors

• In 1997, he was named to the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame.
• In 2012, he was inducted posthumously into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

Notes

See also

• Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVP Award
• List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
• List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
• List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle

References

Further reading

• Johnny Callison at Baseballbiography.com
• Rossi, John. "Johnny Callison". SABR.
• Wulf, Steve (July 11, 2013). "A Hard-Knock Life". ESPN. Retrieved August 28, 2013.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
• Johnny Callison at the SABR Baseball Biography Project
• Johnny Callison at Baseball Almanac