Ronald Thomas Campbell (April 5, 1940 – February 2, 2023) was an American right-handed

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

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

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. After spending some time at

Tennessee Wesleyan College Tennessee Wesleyan University (TWU) is a private Methodist university in Athens, Tennessee. It was founded in 1857 and is affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. It maintains a branch campus in Knoxville, where i ...

, Campbell was signed by the Cubs as a free agent in 1960. He toiled in the minor leagues for a few seasons before getting his first opportunity with the Cubs on September 1, 1964. After going 0-for-8 in his first two contests, Campbell singled off

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

pitcher

John Tsitouris John Philip Tsitouris (May 4, 1936 – October 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1957–60 and 1962–68. He threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed . Tsitouris gradu ...

in his first at-bat on September 3, 1964, not only recording his first major league hit, but also his first RBI as teammate Len Gabrielson scored from third to give the Cubs a 1–0 lead. The Cubs went on to win 3–0, giving Campbell credit for the game-winning RBI. In lieu of

Joey Amalfitano John Joseph Amalfitano (born January 23, 1934) is a former utility infielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played a combined ten seasons with the New York and San Francisco Giants (1954–55; 1960–61; 1963), Hou ...

, Campbell went on to start at second base for all but two of the Cubs' remaining games that season, sharing the field with future Hall of Famers Billy Williams and

Ernie Banks Ernest Banks (January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015), nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", was an American professional baseball player who starred in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between ...

. He hit his first and only major league home run on September 6 of that season 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 hav ...

Ray Sadecki Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

. Another highlight of his first month in the majors was collecting his first three-hit game on September 23 against the

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 ...

. Campbell finished his brief 1964 campaign with the Cubs with a batting average of .272, six doubles, a triple, a home run, and 10 RBI in just 92 at-bats. However, 1965 saw Campbell back in the minors for almost the entire season. His only appearances with the Cubs were as a pinch-hitter in each game of a September 12 doubleheader against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

. Campbell was with the Cubs for two stints during the 1966 season; first from late June to mid-July, and again from late August through the end of the season. He played both third base and shortstop during this time with the club, spelling

Ron Santo Ronald Edward Santo (February 25, 1940 – December 3, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 through 1973 and the Chicago White Sox in 1974. In 1990, Santo became a member of the ...

and

Don Kessinger Donald Eulon Kessinger (born July 17, 1942) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from to , most prominently as a member of the Chicago Cubs where, he was a six-time Al ...

. However, he did not fare nearly as well as in 1964, batting only .217 with one double, no triples or home runs, and four RBI. On his final day as a major leaguer, Campbell recorded his second and last three-hit game, collecting three singles against the New York Mets on September 28 in the first game of a doubleheader (he went 0-for-4 in the second game, however). He never appeared in the major leagues again. For his career, Campbell hit .247 with a home run and 14 RBI. Campbell died February 2, 2023.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Ron 1940 births 2023 deaths Chicago Cubs players Wenatchee Chiefs players St. Cloud Rox players Morristown Cubs players Columbus Jets players Tacoma Cubs players Salt Lake City Bees players Amarillo Gold Sox players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs baseball players Baseball players from Chattanooga, Tennessee