James Henry Landis (March 9, 1934 – October 7, 2017) was an

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professional baseball player. Landis played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...

on six teams from 1957 through 1967. While playing eight seasons for the Chicago White Sox, he was an American League (AL) All-Star in 1962 and an AL

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

winner five consecutive seasons. Landis is considered to be one of the best defensive

s in major-league history. Landis attended Richmond High School in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.

where he starred in baseball as a third baseman and Contra Costa College in San Pablo, California. He was signed by the White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1952. Landis served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict in 1954 and 1955, and was stationed in Alaska before beginning his major league career.

Major League career

Landis began his career in the major leagues playing for the Chicago White Sox in 1957, where he remained for seven more seasons. He helped the "Go-Go White Sox" win the 1959 American League Pennant, hitting .272 with 26 doubles. He led the American League that season with 13 sacrifice hits and 426 and 420 putouts as a center fielder and an outfielder, and hit .292 during the

1959 World Series The 1959 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers beating the American League champion Chicago White Sox, 4–2. Each of the three games played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum drew record crowds, Game 5's atte ...

against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the 1960 season, he hit .253 and had 23

stolen bases In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

. In 1961, he hit .283 with 22 home runs, 8

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

, 85

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s, and won his first of five consecutive American League

s. In 1962, he played in two All-Star games. In 1963, Landis led the American League in fielding with a .993 fielding average both as a center fielder and an outfielder. Landis was traded on January 20, 1965 to the Kansas City Athletics, where he played one season. He also played one season for the Cleveland Indians in 1966. In 1967, he finished his 11-year major league career playing for three teams: The

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, and the Boston Red Sox. Known more for his defensive abilities, Landis posted a .989

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 ...

at all three outfield positions in his major league career.

Later years

Landis went into the safety sign business for several years after playing professional baseball and also coached for Babe Ruth League baseball. He made his home in Napa, California, with his wife Sandy (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Foster).

Death

Landis succumbed after a 3-month battle with lung cancer at his home in Napa on October 7, 2017, the day following his 61st wedding anniversary. He was 83.

Legacy

The Chicago White Sox announced on September 30, 2000, that Jim Landis and 26 other former and active White Sox players were members of the Chicago White Sox All-Century Team. He was honored by fans in Chicago as "The Best All-Time Chicago Center Fielder". Landis was mentioned in a 1991 episode of the 6th season of '' Married... with Children'', "If I Could See Me Now". As Al watches TV, the announcer asks a sports trivia question, "Who played centerfield for the '59 White Sox?" Al correctly gives Landis' name.

References

External links

''Baseball Almanac'' interview with Jim Landis
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Landis, Jim 1934 births 2017 deaths Deaths from lung cancer in California American League All-Stars Gold Glove Award winners Boston Red Sox players Chicago White Sox players Kansas City Athletics players Detroit Tigers players Cleveland Indians players Houston Astros players Sportspeople from Fresno, California People from Napa, California Major League Baseball center fielders Baseball players from California Military personnel from California Richmond High School (Richmond, California) alumni