Eldon John "Rip" Repulski (October 4, 1928 – February 10, 1993) was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...
, an
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
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), ...
for 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 ...
(1953–56),
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 ...
(1957–58),
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
(1959–60) and
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 eight ...
(1960–61). He batted and threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed . He was born in
Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
Sauk Rapids is a city in Benton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,862 at the 2020 census and is 13,896 according to 2021 census estimates, about a third of Benton County's population. It is on a set of rapids on the Missi ...
.
Playing career
In a nine-season MLB career, Repulski posted a .269
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 ...
with 830
hits, 106
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 416
RBI in 928
games played
Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.
Basebal ...
. He recorded a .976
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 ...
playing at all three outfield positions.
A fine defensive player at all outfield positions, Repulski became the regular
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 ...
for the St. Louis Cardinals in his
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
season. He appeared in a career-high 153 games and finished third in
National League Rookie of the Year
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...
voting behind
Jim Gilliam
James William "Junior" Gilliam (October 17, 1928 – October 8, 1978) was an American second baseman, third baseman, and coach in Negro league and Major League Baseball who spent his entire major league career with the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dod ...
and
Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix, Jr. (September 18, 1925 – January 8, 1994) was an American professional baseball left-handed pitcher and pitching coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1952–1956), Philadelphia Phillies ...
.
Repulski enjoyed his most productive seasons in and .
In , he hit 19 home runs and posted career highs in batting average (.283),
runs (99), RBI (79) and
doubles (39). From June 13–25 he had a string of ten consecutive games in which he collected two or more hits, going 22-for-44 (.500), half for
extra bases. After that, he hit in six more consecutive games before going hitless.
In Repulski posted career highs in home runs (23), walks (49), on-base percentage (.333), slugging average (.467), OPS+ (110), and batting runs (7.7).
He earned an
All-Star berth in . Pinch-hitting for National League starting pitcher
Bob Friend
Robert Bartmess Friend (November 24, 1930 – February 3, 2019) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher between and , most notably as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A fou ...
, he batted against
Whitey Ford
Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford (October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020), nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played his entire 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees ...
in the fourth inning and was retired on a foul pop fly to the catcher.
At the end of the '56 season, he was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies in the same trade that brought
Del Ennis
Delmer Ennis (June 8, 1925 – February 8, 1996) was an American professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1946 to 1959 for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago Whit ...
to St. Louis.
Repulski hit 20 home runs for the Phillies in 1957. A year later, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with two other players in exchange for
second baseman Sparky Anderson
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player, coach, and manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third ...
. He appeared in the
1959 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Traded by Los Angeles to the Boston Red Sox in the 1960 midseason for
Nelson Chittum
Nelson Boyd Chittum (born March 25, 1933 in Harrisonburg, Virginia) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. A right-hander, he stood tall and weighed .
Career
Chittum attended Elizabet ...
, Repulski hit a
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
at
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...
in his first
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
at bat
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
. He played his last major league season with the Red Sox in 1961.
Personal life
Repulski married the former Mildred M. "Millie" Ellis
[Spink, J.G. Taylor, ed., ''The Sporting News Official Baseball Register.'' ]St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
: The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
, 1958, page 121 on December 30, 1950. The couple had one child together, a daughter, Nadine Sue. Rip Repulski died in Sauk Rapids at the age of 64.
References
External links
, o
Rip Repulski - Baseballbiography.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Repulski, Rip
1928 births
1993 deaths
Baseball players from Minnesota
Boston Red Sox players
Fresno Cardinals players
Houston Buffaloes players
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Major League Baseball outfielders
National League All-Stars
Omaha Cardinals players
People from Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
Philadelphia Phillies players
Rochester Red Wings players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Syracuse Chiefs players
West Frankfort Cardinals players
Winston-Salem Cardinals players