Tony Batton York (November 27, 1912 in

Irene, Texas Irene is an unincorporated community in Hill County, Texas. It is located approximately twelve miles southeast of Hillsboro, near the intersection of FM 308 and FM 1946. Irene had an estimated population of 170 in 2000. Area students attend sch ...

– April 18, 1970 in

Hillsboro, Texas Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Hill County, Texas, Hill County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,221 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Hillsboro was named for Hill County. At one point during Bon ...

) was a

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. He played part of one season 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

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 ...

in 1944 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 who ...

and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. The 31-year-old

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 ...

was measured during his playing career at and weighing 165 lbs.

Personal life

He was born in

to Theodore York (1888–1942) and his wife Mattie. Tony was the second of their four children, and the only son. His sisters were Juanita M., Lois C., and May W. York. He was married twice, first to Stephanie. They had no children. His second marriage, on January 29, 1941, was to Mariana Norris (November 30, 1915 – July 21, 2009). They had one daughter, Nancy Ann York. Stephanie born in 1985 was the wife of Tony Batton York's Great Grandson Tony Farmer.

Playing career

York had an extensive career in minor league baseball. He began his career in 1933 with the

Baton Rouge Solons Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conductin ...

in the Dixie League, and continued to play until 1956. In the minors, York was primarily a shortstop, moving to second base full-time in 1947. York is one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He made his major league debut on April 18, 1944 (

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

) in a road game against 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 ...

Crosley Field Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second (1937) an ...

. His season and career major league totals for 28 games include a .235

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 ...

(20-for-85) with 7

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 bat ...

and 4

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...

. He was a good fielder for his era, handling 120 out of 125

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

successfully for a

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 ...

of .960. In 1952, York became

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

of the

Texarkana Bears The Texarkana Bears minor league baseball team played in the East Texas League in 1947 and the Big State League from 1947 to 1953. It was based in the American city of Texarkana, Texas. It was affiliated with the Chicago White Sox in 1946. In 1947 ...

in the

Big State League The Big State League was a mid-level, Class B level circuit in American minor league baseball that played for 11 seasons, from 1947 through 1957. Its member clubs were exclusively based in Texas. The Corpus Christi Clippers (1955-1956), Texark ...

. He served as a player-manager for the remainder of his playing career, and continued managing in the minor leagues until 1958.

Death

Tony and his wife are buried in Fairview Cemetery in

Hubbard, Texas Hubbard is a city in Hill County, Texas, United States. It was named for Texas Governor Richard B. Hubbard. The city is by road south of Dallas. The population was 1,423 at the 2010 census, down from 1,586 at the 2000 census. History Hubbard ...

References

External links

Retrosheet
* {{DEFAULTSORT:York, Tony Major League Baseball infielders Chicago Cubs players Baton Rouge Solons players Dallas Steers players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Shreveport Sports players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Seattle Rainiers players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Texarkana Bears players Crowley Millers players Odessa Eagles players Ballinger Westerners players Minor league baseball managers Baseball players from Texas 1912 births 1970 deaths People from Hill County, Texas Carlsbad Potashers players