Hershel Ray Martin (September 19, 1909 – November 17, 1980) was an American professional baseball player and

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. An outfielder born in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Ponca City, Oklahoma, Martin played for 23 seasons, mostly in minor league baseball, although he did appear in 607 Major League

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in 1937–1940 and 1944–1945 for the

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 ...

and New York Yankees. Martin stood tall and weighed ; 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 ...

who threw right-handed. He had 643

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during his Major League career, batting .285, including 28

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 ...

, 135 doubles and 29

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. His 3 seasons with the Phillies occurred during one of the worst stretches in the team's history; from through , the Phils compiled a

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of 201–406 ( .331). At age 34 he was acquired by the Yankees from the minor-league version of the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

and appeared in 202 games for the Bombers during the World War II manpower shortage. In 1948, as the playing manager of the Class C Albuquerque Dukes of the West Texas–New Mexico League, Martin batted .425 with 61 doubles and 128 runs batted in. The following seasons, he hit .376 and .389. Overall as a minor leaguer he batted .317 with 2,298 hits. After retiring from the field, Martin scouted for the Phillies (1955–1956),

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 ...

(1958) and New York Mets (1961–1979). Hershel Martin was former MLB commissioner Bud Selig's favorite player as a youngster.

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1909 births 1980 deaths Abilene Blue Sox players Albuquerque Dukes players Bartlesville Pirates players Baseball players from Birmingham, Alabama Baseball players from Oklahoma Bloomington Bloomers players Borger Gassers players Chicago Cubs scouts Des Moines Bruins players Elmira Red Wings players Houston Buffaloes players Jackson Mississippians players Jersey City Giants players Major League Baseball outfielders Monroe Twins players New York Mets scouts New York Yankees players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players People from Ponca City, Oklahoma Philadelphia Phillies players Philadelphia Phillies scouts Pittsburg Pirates players Pocatello Bannocks players Springfield Cardinals players Springfield Senators players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Vicksburg Hill Billies players {{US-baseball-outfielder-1900s-stub