Donald Leigh Nicholas (October 30, 1930 — October 23, 2007) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player who played from 1948 to 1959. Initially a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

in minor league baseball, then an

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 c ...

, Nicholas received two brief trials in the Major Leagues with the and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

as a pinch hitter and pinch runner. The native of

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, batted

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

, threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

, stood tall and weighed . Nicholas originally signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers and was a successful base stealer during his minor league career, surpassing the 30-stolen-base mark at least three times during his career. Purchased by the White Sox after the 1951 minor league season, Nicholas made his MLB debut on April 16, 1952, when he pinch ran for Eddie Robinson in a 1–0 defeat at the hands of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

. The following day, he pinch hit for

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Howie Judson Howard Kolls Judson (February 16, 1925 – August 18, 2020) was an American professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1948 to 1954 for the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Redlegs. Altogether, the , h ...

and was retired by Mike Garcia. Four days later, he batted for

Hal Brown Hector Harold Brown (December 11, 1924 – December 17, 2015) was an American professional baseball player and right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from through for the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, ...

and bounced out to

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

pitcher

Ned Garver Ned Franklin Garver (December 25, 1925 – February 26, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Browns (1948–1952), the Detroit Tigers (1952–1956), the Kansas City Athle ...

.1954-4-20 box score from Retrosheet
/ref> After spending the rest of 1952 and all of 1953 in the White Sox' farm system, Nicholas made Chicago's opening day roster in 1954. He pinch hit once (and received a base on balls) and scored three runs, but was sent to the Triple-A

Havana Sugar Kings The Havana Sugar Kings were a Cuban-based minor league baseball team that played from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 until 1960, they belonged in the Class AAA International League, affiliated with Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. Their home ...

at the May cutdown date and played the rest of his career in the minors.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas, Don 1930 births 2007 deaths Cambridge Dodgers players Charleston Senators players Chicago White Sox players Elmira Pioneers players Havana Sugar Kings players Memphis Chickasaws players Mobile Bears players Nashville Vols players Newport News Dodgers players Portland Beavers players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Savannah Reds players Seattle Rainiers players Baseball players from Phoenix, Arizona American expatriate baseball players in Cuba