Milton Joseph Bolling (August 9, 1930 – January 19, 2013) was 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
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 played from 1952 through 1958 for the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
(1952–1957),
Washington Senators (1957) and
Detroit Tigers (1958).
Bolling batted and threw right-handed. He was the older brother of
Frank Bolling.
In a seven-season career, Bolling was a .241
hitter with 19
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 and 94
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
(RBIs) in 400
games played.
[
]
Early career
At the age of 17, Bolling was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
.[ He began his professional career in Minor League Baseball for the Class B ]Piedmont League
The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States.
Teams
The following teams were members of the Piedmont ...
Roanoke Red Sox. As 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 ...
, he was not brought in for his bat, but as a defensive specialist. In the 1948 season, Bolling had 54 hits in 293 at bats to compile a .184 batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
in 85 games. 1949 saw Bolling as Roanoke's starting shortstop for the majority of the season. He had 12 home runs and 28 doubles to go with a .230 batting average in 139 games.[ His quality play earned him a spot at shortstop on the Piedmont League All-Star Team.
In 1950 Bolling was advanced to the Class A Scranton Miners of the Eastern League. Along with his fielding prowess, his batting was starting to get hot as well, batting .276 for the season with 134 hits in 486 at bats.][ For a short period, Bolling was promoted to the AA Birmingham Barons. He failed to make a good impression, going just 2 for 27 in 10 games to compile a .074 average.][ 1951 was familiar territory for Bolling as he began his second season with the Scranton Red Sox. He only played in 71 games, but still managed to hit a modest .253 with 56 hits and 16 doubles.][ 1952 would prove to be a big year for Bolling. He was promoted once again to the Birmingham Barons, but this time he held his own by hitting a clean .250 with 83 hits in 94 games.][
]
Boston Red Sox
In September 1952, the struggling Boston Red Sox brought up 11 minor leaguers all at once, including Bolling. On September 10, Bolling made his Major League debut by replacing Johnny Lipon at 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 ...
for Boston. Bolling walked in his first at bat in the seventh inning against Bill Wight of the Detroit Tigers. In the top of the ninth, Bolling slugged his first major league hit. The Red Sox would go on to lose the game 6 to 2. For the rest of September, Bolling put up typical numbers for a shortstop of the era. He hit .222 with a lone home run on September 16 and three runs batted in for only 36 at bats.[
1953 was the first full Major League season for Bolling. He competed with veteran Lipon for the starting role at shortstop which was eventually won by Bolling when the Red Sox sold Lipon to the St Louis Browns on September 8. On April 16, opening day for the Red Sox against the Philadelphia Athletics, Milt started at shortstop and got off to a red-hot start, going 4 for 5 with a double and one run batted in en route to an 11–6 victory. Milt finished April with a strong .293 average, but struggled in May and June with monthly batting averages of .215 and .229. In July, Bolling's bat got white hot as he hit .380 in 71 at bats. He eventually tapered off but put up a respectable .263 batting average with five home runs and 28 RBIs in 109 games as the Sox shortstop. He was sixth in the American League for ]sacrifice hits
In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, an ...
with 13.[
1954 was more of the same for Bolling, except this time he led the American League in errors committed with 33. However, he was fourth with assists at shortstop, and first with his range factor. Milt put down 13 more sacrifice hits, good enough for fourth in the league.][ Bolling was third in doubles among all AL shortstops with 20.][Historical Stats]
a
MLB.com
/ref> His hitting got off to a slow start and he never truly recovered, batting just .249 with six home runs and 36 RBIs.[
On March 23, 1955, Milt had a career-threatening injury when he broke his left elbow in a Spring training game against the ]St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
after he had already won the starting role at shortstop for the season. He was expected to return after six weeks,[ but ended up playing in only six games for the entire season.][
By the time Bolling got a clean bill of health, he had lost his starting job to Don Buddin for the 1956 season. Milt was a rarely used pinch hitter until he started seeing some starts at the tail end of the season in August and September. He could only muster a .212 batting average to go with 3 home runs and 8 RBI in just 45 games.][
]
Washington Senators
After playing just one game into the season for the Red Sox off the bench, on April 29, 1957, the Red Sox traded Bolling along with Russ Kemmerer
Russell Paul Kemmerer (November 1, 1930 – December 8, 2014) was an American professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox (–), the Washington Senators (–), the Chicago White Sox (–), and the ...
and Faye Throneberry to the Washington Senators for Bob Chakales
Robert Edwards Chakales ha-kuh'-les(August 10, 1927 – February 18, 2010) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with four clubs between the 1951 in baseball, 1951 and 1957 in baseball, 1957 seasons. Listed at 6'1", 185 lb., C ...
and Dean Stone. Milt was immediately put to work with the Senators, starting at shortstop occasionally in May and June before becoming their everyday starter from July through the end of the season. Bolling split time between second base and shortstop, committing 11 errors. His bat was cold once again, hitting .227 with four home runs and 19 RBIs in 91 games.[
]
Detroit Tigers and retirement
On February 25, 1958, the Senators traded Bolling to 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 ...
for Pete Mesa. It didn't work out, however, as a month later the Indians swapped him with the Detroit Tigers for Pete Wojey and $20,000. He became teammates with his brother, Frank Bolling, a five-year veteran for the Tigers as their starting second baseman. Despite the connection to his brother, Milt struggled to find playing time throughout the season. He started several games in April before being sidelined for a few days with a virus attack, and afterward playing time was scarce. Milt played his final Major League game on July 28, ending his season with a .194 average in just 31 at bats.[
After his playing days, Bolling spent more than 30 years with the Red Sox, first as an executive assistant to owner ]Tom Yawkey
Thomas Austin Yawkey, born Thomas Yawkey Austin (February 21, 1903 – July 9, 1976), was an American industrialist, philanthropist, conservationist and Major League Baseball executive. Born in Detroit, Yawkey became president of the Boston Red S ...
, and later as an area scout based in Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
.
Personal life and death
Bolling attended Spring Hill College
Spring Hill College is a private, Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama. It was founded in 1830 by Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile. Along with being the oldest college or university in the state of Alabama, it was the first Catholic college in the ...
. In late 2012, he underwent open-heart surgery. His health had declined since the surgery. He died on January 19, 2013.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolling, Milt
1930 births
2013 deaths
Baseball players from Mississippi
Birmingham Barons players
Boston Red Sox players
Boston Red Sox scouts
Charleston Senators players
Detroit Tigers players
Major League Baseball shortstops
People from Harrison County, Mississippi
Roanoke Red Sox players
Scranton Miners players
Scranton Red Sox players
Spring Hill College alumni
Washington Senators (1901–1960) players