Cleotha "Chico" Walker (born November 25, 1957) is an American former

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 ...

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

. He played for four teams 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), ...

(MLB) in all or parts of 11 seasons spanning from 1980–1993. Listed at and , he was a

switch hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

and threw right-handed.MLB fielding statistics
''Baseball Reference''. Retrieved on April 1, 2016.

Biography

Well known for his versatility, Walker, a graduate of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

's Tilden High School, played at least 40 games at five different positions in his MLB career, appearing at

third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

, second base, and all three

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and ...

positions. His most productive season came in 1992, when he posted a combined .289

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 38 RBI in 126 games for the Cubs and Mets, all career numbers. Additionally, Walker spent 19 seasons in Minor League Baseball, compiling a .269 average with 154

home run 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 ...

s and 725 RBI in 1646 games. Walker also played in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

, and had a stint as a

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 ...

with the Cook County Cheetahs of the

Frontier League The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada. Formed in 1993, it is the oldest currently running independent league in the United States. The le ...

in 1999. While playing for Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

, Walker participated in the longest game in professional baseball history. It lasted for 33 innings spread over two months, with eight hours and 25 minutes of playing time. 32 innings were played on April 18–19, 1981, at

McCoy Stadium McCoy Stadium is a former baseball stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1970 through 2020, it served as home field of the Pawtucket Red Sox (PawSox), a Minor League Baseball farm team, affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Completed in 1942, the st ...

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls ...

, and the visiting

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

were tied with the Red Sox, 2–2. The 33rd and final inning took place on June 23 and Pawtucket finally won, 3–2.

Family ties

Walker is the uncle of

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

player

Antoine Walker Antoine Devon Walker (born August 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft out of the University of Kentucky and played in the NBA from 1996 to 2008. Walker ...

.Antoine Walker profile
. ''NBA.com''. Retrieved on April 1, 2016.

Sources

External links

, o

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Chico 1957 births Living people African-American baseball players Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from Jackson, Mississippi Boston Red Sox players Bristol Red Sox players California Angels players Charlotte Knights players Chicago Cubs players Edmonton Trappers players Elmira Pioneers players Iowa Cubs players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball third basemen Minor league baseball managers Naranjeros de Hermosillo players New York Mets players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Batesville, Mississippi Rojos del Águila de Veracruz players Senadores de San Juan players Syracuse Chiefs players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tigres del Licey players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Winter Haven Red Sox players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople