Ollie Bejma
| Ollie Bejma | ||
|---|---|---|
Runs batted in | 117 | |
| Teams | ||
Aloysius Frank Bejma (BAY-ma; September 12, 1907 – January 3, 1995)[1] was an American Major League Baseball infielder with the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Browns between 1934 and 1939.
Baseball career
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Bejma quit school at 16 and eventually wound up working for
third base, and outfield
).
Bejma (nicknamed "The Polish Falcon") spent the next two seasons with the Browns in a somewhat less frequent reserve role, filling in at every infield position but
first base. Bejma made no major league appearances in the 1937 or 1938 seasons, spending the latter in the minor league system of the Chicago White Sox
, who had purchased him from the Browns in March 1938. He made his White Sox debut with in 1939 and had 307 at-bats, the most he had in any MLB season. He also surprisingly tallied eight home runs, despite having hit only six in 599 previous major league at-bats; this contributed to his MLB career best of 44 runs batted in.
Bejma's last big-league game was on October 1, 1939, a 4-3 loss to his old team, the Browns. That winter, he was traded by the White Sox with
Cleveland Indians in exchange for Skeeter Webb. Though Webb played for another nine seasons in the majors, Bejma (nor Gerlach) ever played in MLB again. Bejma played another two seasons in St. Paul, a season out west with the San Francisco Seals
, and finally wrapped up his career in Buffalo in 1943. Back in South Bend, Bejma returned to work for Studebaker and played semi-pro ball. He also excelled at a different sport: bowling, where he was part of five-man state championship team in 1954.
Ollie Bejma died on January 3, 1995, at the age of 87.
Peanuts
Bejma was a childhood idol of cartoonist
Most Valuable Player
Award.
References
- ^ Pete Cava (2015). "BEJMA, Aloysius Frank ("Ollie", "The Polish Falcon")". Indiana-Born Major League Baseball Players: A Biographical Dictionary, 1871-2014. p. 14.
- ^ 21, 1974 episode of Peanuts
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Interview of Ollie Bejma conducted by Eugene Murdock on May 13, 1974, in South Bend, Indiana.