Thomas Jerome Dunbar (November 24, 1959 – March 16, 2011) was an American professional baseball player who played as outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three seasons with the Texas Rangers from 1983 until 1985. He was 6'2", 192 pounds, and he threw and batted left-handed. He played college baseball at Middle Georgia College.

Career

Dunbar was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 11th round (286th overall), of the 1979 draft. Deciding not to sign that year, he was drafted by the Rangers in the 1st round (25th overall) of the

1980 draft __NOTOC__ Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab ...

, after which he signed. Dunbar won the 1984 American Association batting title with a .337 average, as well as having the league leading on-base percentage of .417 for the Oklahoma City 89ers. He played a total of 91 major league games, making his debut on September 7, 1983, at the age of 23. He hit .231 with three home runs and 18 RBI, striking out 32 times and walking 23. In the field, he committed four errors for a .929 fielding percentage, below average for an outfielder. He played his final game on July 13, 1985, though continued to play in the minors until 1991. His most notable game was

Mike Witt's perfect game On Sunday, September 30, 1984, Mike Witt of the California Angels threw a perfect game against the Texas Rangers at Arlington Stadium. It was the 11th perfect game in Major League Baseball history. Witt's perfect game came on the last day of th ...

in the 1984 season finale. He went 0 for 3 including a strikeout leading off the bottom of the ninth. He could apparently hit the knuckleball, however, going 3-for-7 lifetime against Phil Niekro, one of three

Hall of Famers A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

he would face in his career (

Rollie Fingers Roland Glen Fingers (born August 25, 1946) is an American former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between 1968 and 1985, when his effectiveness helped to redefine the value of relievers within baseba ...

and Bert Blyleven being the others). After retirement he worked in the

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 ...

organization as a minor league coach and manager. Dunbar died at the age of 51 on March 16, 2011, in Aiken, South Carolina, while recuperating from

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

surgery.

Sources

External links

Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)What If Sports
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