Rube Walker
| Rube Walker | |
|---|---|
 As pitching coach of the Mets | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: May 16, 1926 Lenoir, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: December 12, 1992 (aged 66) Morganton, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 20, 1948, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 15, 1958, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .227 |
| Home runs | 35 |
| Runs batted in | 192 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Albert Bluford "Rube" Walker (May 16, 1926 – December 12, 1992) was an American Major League Baseball catcher and longtime pitching coach.
Career
A native of
Catcher
He made his major league debut with the Cubs on April 20, 1948, and spent 11 years in the
Walker then backed up Campanella for the next six seasons, the Dodgers' last years in Brooklyn. Over that time, they won four National League titles but Walker appeared in only one
After retiring as an active player in June 1958, Walker served out the season as a
Coach
Walker then was a
after his coaching career ended.Legacy and family
The book
A younger brother, Verlon "Rube" Walker, was nicknamed after him; Verlon was a minor league catcher and manager who served for ten years (from 1961 until his death in March 1971) as a coach for the Cubs.
Death
Rube Walker died from lung cancer on December 12, 1992, in Morganton, North Carolina at age 66. He is interred at Blue Ridge Memorial Park, Lenoir, North Carolina.
Popular culture
In the 1985 film Mask, Rocky Dennis states he is in need of a Rube "Ruby" Walker baseball card to complete his 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers set.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Rube Walker at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
- Rube Walker at Baseball Library
- Rube Walker at The Deadball Era
- Rube Walker at Find a Grave