Eugene Victor Hermanski (May 11, 1920 – August 9, 2010) was a

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), ...

outfielder. A native of

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

, he attended

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...

. Signed by the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

as an amateur free agent in 1939, Hermanski made his

debut with 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 ...

on August 14, 1943, and appeared in his final game on September 22, 1953. The Salem (Massachusetts) ''Evening News'', reported on August 8, 1943, that the then-22-year-old outfielder, recently released from the USCG Salem Air Station in order to enlist in the USN's V-5 Aviation Training Program, was expected to use a month-long break to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. "Hermanski hit a homer and two triples in an exhibition game with the Red Sox and poled out a homer and a double in a contest with the Braves." When Hermanski played for the Brooklyn Dodgers along with

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

, he demonstrated he was a great teammate by suggesting that all of the players stand in solidarity by wearing No. 42 to confuse potential snipers who were said to be out to kill Robinson because he had broken the color barrier. Hermanski died in Homosassa Springs, Florida, at the age of 90.

Career statistics

In a 739 game major league career spanning nine seasons, Hermanski posted a .272 batting average (533-for-1960) with 276 runs, 46

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 ...

and 259 RBI. Playing primarily left and right field, he recorded a .977

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. In two World Series (1947 & '49), he hit .219 (7-for-32) with 5 runs and 3 RBI.

References

External links

* Major League Baseball outfielders Brooklyn Dodgers players Chicago Cubs players Pittsburgh Pirates players Durham Bulls players Federalsburg A's players Kinston Eagles players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Olean Oilers players Pocomoke City Chicks players Seton Hall Pirates baseball players Baseball players from Massachusetts 1920 births 2010 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II Sportspeople from Pittsfield, Massachusetts {{US-baseball-outfielder-1920s-stub