James William "Junior" Gilliam (October 17, 1928 – October 8, 1978) was an American
second baseman,
third baseman
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 ...
, and
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
in
Negro league
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...
and
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), ...
who spent his entire major league career with the
Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers. He was named the 1953
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
Rookie of the Year, and was a key member of ten National League championship teams from 1953 to 1978. As the Dodgers'
leadoff hitter
In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. It can also refer to any batter who bats first in any inning.
Strategy
Traditionally, the leadoff hitter has been utilized as a contact-oriented position. The leadoff hit ...
for most of the 1950s, he scored over 100
runs in each of his first four seasons and led the National League in
triples in 1953 and
walks in 1959. Upon retirement, he became one of the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
coaches in the major leagues.
Negro leagues
Born in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, Gilliam began playing on a local semi-pro team at age 14 and dropped out of high school in his senior year to pursue his baseball career. He joined the
Negro National League's
Baltimore Elite Giants
The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from to . The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. The team w ...
, with whom he played from 1946 to 1950. He received his nickname, "Junior", during this time. He was voted an
All-Star three straight years from 1948 to 1950. Veteran
George Scales
George Louis Scales (August 16, 1900 - April 15, 1976), nicknamed "Tubby", was an American second baseman and manager in Negro league baseball, most notably with the New York Lincoln Giants and Baltimore Elite Giants. Born in Talladega, Alabama, ...
taught him to
switch hit
A switch hit is a modern cricket shot. A switch hit involves the batter effectively changing from a right-hander to a left-hander (or vice versa) just before the ball is delivered by the bowler for the purpose of executing the shot. It is a varia ...
.
Minor leagues
In 1951, he was signed as an amateur free agent by the
Brooklyn Dodgers, who sent him to play for their
Triple-A International League farm team, the
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club (Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; p ...
; he could not play for the Dodgers'
Double-A affiliate, the
Fort Worth Cats
The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Basebal ...
, as blacks were still
barred from the
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
. He led the International League in runs in both 1951 and 1952.
Brooklyn Dodgers
Gilliam made his debut with the Dodgers in April 1953, with the formidable task of taking over second base from
Jackie Robinson, who was shifted to the outfield and third base; he proved capable,
batting Batting may refer to:
* Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs
* Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score ...
.278 with a team-leading 125 runs for the National League champions. His 17 triples led the National League, and remain the most by a Dodger since 1920; he was second in the league (behind
Stan Musial) with 100 walks, and third with 21
stolen bases. For his excellent season he earned National League Rookie of the Year honors, as well as
''The Sporting News'' Rookie of the Year Award.
He continued to play well during the team's Brooklyn years, batting .282 in 1954 with a career-high 13
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 before slipping to a .249 average for the 1955 champions; he scored over 100 runs both years, as well as in 1956. With the 1956 pennant winners, he batted a career-best .300 and made his first major league
All-Star team, also finishing fifth in voting for the
Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...
; he was again second in the league in walks (95, behind teammate
Duke Snider
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider (September 19, 1926 – February 27, 2011), nicknamed "the Silver Fox" and "the Duke of Flatbush", was an American professional baseball player. Primarily a center fielder, he spent most of his Major League Baseball (M ...
) and steals (21, behind
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...
). On July 21 of that year, he tied
John Montgomery Ward
John Montgomery Ward (March 3, 1860 – March 4, 1925), known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, manager, executive, union organizer, owner and author. Ward, of English descent ...
's 1892 major league record of 12
assists in a game. In the Dodgers' last season in Brooklyn in 1957, he batted .250 but led the National League in
putouts and
fielding percentage and again finished second behind Mays in stolen bases.
Los Angeles Dodgers
He continued to star with the team after their 1958 move to Los Angeles, though he gradually shifted to third base; for the 1959 champions he led the National League in walks (96), along with 23 steals, and was again an All-Star, hitting a home run in that year's second All-Star Game. During the team's Los Angeles years, he moved back to second base from 1961 to 1963, batting .282 in the 1963 pennant year and placing sixth in that year's MVP vote; he also relinquished the leadoff role to
Maury Wills
Maurice Morning Wills (October 2, 1932 – September 19, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1959 through 1966 and the latter part of ...
in the 1960s, instead batting second in the order.
Gilliam was named a coach after the 1964 season, and intended to end his playing career, but team injuries resulted in his seeing substantial play at third base in 1965 and 1966, with the team again winning the National League championship in both seasons. In 1965 he was part of the major leagues' first all-switch-hitting infield, with shortstop Wills, first baseman
Wes Parker
Maurice Wesley Parker III (born November 13, 1939) is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from to . He also played one season in Japan for the Nankai Hawks in .
As of 2009, Parker has been a me ...
, and second baseman
Jim Lefebvre
James Kenneth Lefebvre ( ; born January 7, 1942) is a former major league baseball player, coach, and manager. An infielder, he was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1962.
Baseball career Playing career
Lefebvre was th ...
. On September 5, Gilliam hit a 2-run pinch triple in a road game against the
Houston Astros, giving the Dodgers a 3–2 lead in the ninth inning; the
Los Angeles Rams, playing a preseason game against the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
at the
Coliseum
The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...
, were playing so poorly despite their 10–0 win that the biggest cheer from the stands came from people listening to portable radios tuned to the Dodger game who cheered when Gilliam got the hit.
He finally retired as a player following the 1966 season with a .265 career batting average, 1,889
hits, 1,163 runs, 65 home runs, 558 runs batted in, 304
doubles, 71 triples, 1,036 walks, and 203 stolen bases over 14 seasons. Defensively, he recorded an overall .973
fielding percentage.
Post-season games
Gilliam played in seven
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
with the Dodgers, four of them against the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
. In the
1953 World Series
The 1953 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1953 season. The 50th edition of the World Series, it matched the four-time defending champions New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in a rematch of t ...
he singled to lead off Game 1, and had a solo homer in the fifth inning batting left-handed. He hit three doubles, scoring once and
driving in two runs, in the 7–3 Game 4 victory; he had another homer, this time batting right-handed, in the 11–7 loss in Game 5. In Game 3 of the
1955 World Series
The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in seven games to capture their first championship in franchise history. It would be the only Series the Dodgers won while based ...
, he drew a walk with the bases loaded in the second inning to give the Dodgers the lead for good, and he drove in the first run of the 8–5 Game 4 win; the Dodgers won in seven games for their first Series championship. In the
1956 World Series, he walked with one out in the tenth inning of Game 6 and scored on a single by Robinson to give the Dodgers a 1–0 victory, tying the Series; in Game 5, he
struck out
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denote ...
and grounded out twice in the
perfect game
Perfect game may refer to:
Sports
* Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners
* Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game
* Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...
pitched by the Yankees'
Don Larsen. In the
1963 World Series
The 1963 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1963 season. The 60th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff that matched the American League (AL) champion and two-time defending World Se ...
, he scored the only run of Game 3 in the first inning, after walking and advancing to second base on a
wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third str ...
; after advancing all the way to third base on an
error
An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'.
In statistics ...
by
Joe Pepitone
Joseph Anthony Pepitone (born October 9, 1940) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who played the bulk of his career for the New York Yankees. He also played several seasons with the Chicago Cubs and had short stints wi ...
in the seventh inning of Game 4, he scored on a
Willie Davis sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers a 2–1 win and a Series sweep. He was also on Dodgers teams which won the Series in
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
against the
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 ...
and
1965 against the
Minnesota Twins. His final major league appearance was in Game 2 of the
1966 World Series
The 1966 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1966 season. The 63rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Baltimore Orioles and National League ...
against the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
.
Coach
Gilliam served as a
player-coach
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
beginning in 1964, and became a full-time coach in 1967. He continued as a coach with the Dodgers until his death in 1978, including three more Dodger pennant teams in 1974, 1977, and 1978; they lost the World Series in each year.
Death and legacy
Gilliam suffered a massive
brain hemorrhage at his home on September 15, 1978, and, following surgery, lapsed into a
coma from which he did not recover. He died in
Inglewood, California, nine days before his 50th birthday, one day after the Dodgers clinched their tenth pennant during his tenure in the
1978 National League Championship Series
The 1978 National League Championship Series was a best-of-five matchup for the second straight year between the West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies. It was the tenth NLCS in all. The ...
. His uniform number 19 was retired by the Dodgers two days after his death, prior to Game 1 of the
1978 World Series
The 1978 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1978 season. The 75th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the Natio ...
. His number is the only one retired by the Dodgers of a player not in the Hall of Fame. He is interred in the
Inglewood Park Cemetery.
Gilliam was respected for his personal qualities and sportsmanship, in addition to his playing ability, over his 28-year career with the Dodgers. Quotations about him include the following:
The book ''
Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings'' (2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher
Carl Erskine
Carl Daniel Erskine (born December 13, 1926) is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959. He was a pitching mainstay on Dodger team ...
. Gilliam is prominent in many of these stories.
In 1981, the City of Los Angeles dedicated a park in honor of Junior Gilliam's legacy. In 1984 the Jim Gilliam Park opened to the public, and is located on La Brea Avenue. The Jim Gilliam Park is marked by several facilities named after him. The first ball ceremony was thrown by the Honorable Tom Bradley, Mayor of Los Angeles (1973–1993).
On May 21, 2015, the
Nashville Metro Council passed an ordinance renaming a part of Jackson Street between Second Avenue and to an alley slightly past Fifth Avenue to "Junior Gilliam Way". The center part of this stretch named for Gilliam is the location of Nashville's
First Horizon Park
First Horizon Park, formerly known as First Tennessee Park, is a baseball park in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The home of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds of the International League, it opened on April 17, 2015, and can seat u ...
, a minor league baseball stadium built in 2015 for the Triple-A
Nashville Sounds.
See also
*
*
List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
*
List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
*
List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
In baseball statistics, a stolen base is credited to a baserunner when he successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is throwing the ball to home plate. Under Rule 7.01 of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Official Rules, a runner acqu ...
*
References
* ''Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia'' (2000). Kingston, New York: Total/Sports Illustrated. .
External links
o
SeamheadsJim Gilliamat SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Jim Gilliamat Baseball Almanac
Jim Gilliamat Baseballbiography.com
*
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilliam, Jim
1928 births
1978 deaths
African-American baseball coaches
African-American baseball players
Baltimore Elite Giants players
Baseball players from Nashville, Tennessee
Brooklyn Dodgers players
Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery
Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players
Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente infielders
Los Angeles Dodgers coaches
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Major League Baseball coaches with retired numbers
Major League Baseball first base coaches
Major League Baseball hitting coaches
Major League Baseball players with retired numbers
Major League Baseball second basemen
Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners
Major League Baseball third basemen
Montreal Royals players
National League All-Stars
American sportsmen
International League MVP award winners
20th-century African-American sportspeople