Raymond Lee Cunningham (January 17, 1905 – July 30, 2005) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

and

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

. He batted and threw right-handed. A native of Mesquite, Texas, Cunningham played briefly for the Cardinals at third base before an injury cut short his career. He injured himself, whipping a sidearm throw to

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

on a swinging

bunt Bunt may refer to: * Bunt (community), an elite social group from Karnataka, India * Bunt (baseball), a batting technique in baseball * Bunt (sail), a part of a ship's sail * Bunt Island, island in Antarctica * The Bunt, nickname of the Bunting ...

Life

Cunningham was a 26-year-old rookie when he joined the Cardinals for the final weeks of the 1931 season. His salary was $500 a year. During his time with St. Louis, Cunningham roomed with two Cardinal legends, Dizzy Dean and Pepper Martin. In a two-season career, Cunningham was a .154

hitter In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher. The three main goals of batters are to become a baserunner, to driv ...

with one RBI and no home runs in 14

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

. Following his retirement as a player, Cunningham worked as a salesman and for an oil company. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, he was recognized as the oldest living former Major League Baseball player. He gained this distinction when a former pitcher for the old Washington Senators and St. Louis Browns, Paul Hopkins, died in 2004 at 99 years of age. Cunningham was honored at the ''Texas Baseball Hall of Fame'' with a special plaque celebrating his life in baseball. He remained a baseball fan and kept a daily watch on 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 ...

. Cunningham died in Pearland, Texas at 100 years of age. With his death, the distinction of oldest living former major league player moved to

Howdy Groskloss Howard Hoffman "Howdy" Groskloss (April 10, 1906 – July 15, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. He played all or part of three seasons in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1930–32), primarily as a second basem ...

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* 1905 births 2005 deaths Major League Baseball third basemen St. Louis Cardinals players Baseball players from Houston American centenarians Men centenarians People from Mesquite, Texas Sportspeople from Dallas County, Texas Dayton Aviators players {{US-baseball-third-baseman-stub

Life

See also

External links