Charles Mader Gilbert (July 8, 1919 – August 13, 1983) was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
who appeared in 364 games, mostly as a
center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...
, in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
for the
Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
(1940),
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
(1941–1943 and 1946) and
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
(1946–1947). He threw and batted left-handed and stood tall and weighed .
Born in
, he was the son of former MLB outfielder and longtime minor-league
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
Larry Gilbert; his brother
Tookie also played in the majors.
Charlie Gilbert served in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
in the
Pacific Theatre of World War II. He joined the Dodgers in his second pro season, in . In his third MLB game, on April 23, 1940, he hit a pair of
home runs
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
against the
Boston Bees in an 8–3 Brooklyn victory at
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. It is mainly known for having been the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team of the National League (1913–1957). It was also home to five p ...
. He thus became the first player, and one of three men in the history of the
Dodgers' franchise, to have a multi-home-run game in his first five starts; the others are
Cody Bellinger
Cody James Bellinger (born July 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball center fielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was selected ...
and
Yasiel Puig.
He died at age 64 in New Orleans. Gilbert's daughter
Jan went on the memorialize her late father i
''Goodbye, Dad'' a series of mixed-media works utilizing family photographs.
References
External links
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1919 births
1983 deaths
United States Navy personnel of World War II
Baseball players from New Orleans
Brooklyn Dodgers players
Chicago Cubs players
Jesuit High School (New Orleans) alumni
Major League Baseball center fielders
Montreal Royals players
Nashville Vols players
Philadelphia Phillies players
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