Wayne Harper Ambler (November 8, 1915 – January 3, 1998) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player whose career spanned six seasons, including three 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), ...

with the Philadelphia Athletics (1937–1939). Over his career in the majors, Ambler player second base and

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 wh ...

. He also played in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

. Ambler played for the Class-A

Williamsport Grays The Williamsport Grays were a minor league baseball team in Williamsport, Pennsylvania between 1923 and 1962. The club began play in 1923 in the New York–Pennsylvania League and were a charter member of the Eastern League in 1938. The team was ...

(1939), the Double-A

Jersey City Giants {{about, the baseball team, the football team, American Association (American football) The Jersey City Giants was the name of a high-level American minor league baseball franchise that played in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the top farm system affi ...

(1940) and the Double-A Indianapolis Indians (1941). Ambler made his major league debut on June 4, 1937, after never playing in the minors, a rare feat. During his major league career, Ambler compiled a

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 ...

of .224 with 175 hits, 39 doubles, two triples, 73

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 ba ...

(RBIs) and four stolen bases in 271 games played. Ambler was discovered in 1933 by an amateur baseball

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

who introduced him to

Connie Mack Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...

, the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

of the Philadelphia Athletics at the time. Mack later introduced him to his friend and manager of the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

baseball team,

Jack Coombs John Wesley Coombs (November 18, 1882 – April 15, 1957), nicknamed "Colby Jack" after his alma mater, was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics (1906–14), Broo ...

, who persuaded Ambler to play baseball at Duke University. While attending Duke, Ambler's

tuition Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...

was paid for by Mack. He graduated from that institution in 1937 with a

Bachelor's Degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in business administration. In 1989, he was inducted in the Duke Sports Hall of Fame. Ambler entered

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

in 1941 after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

and later reached the rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

fighting in World War II. Ambler did not return to professional baseball after returning home from service.

Early life

Ambler was born on November 8, 1915 to Charles and Anne Ambler in Abington, Pennsylvania. Ambler was the youngest of three sisters and a brother. Graduating from Abington Senior High School in 1932, Ambler then enrolled at

George School George School is a private Quaker (Society of Friends) boarding and day high school located on a rural campus in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania ( Newtown postal address). It was founded at its present site in 1893, and has grow ...

where he attended for a year and a half. From there, Ambler was discovered by amateur baseball

Jim Rumsey, a friend and unpaid scout for

, the

of the Philadelphia Athletics. Mack sent for Ambler to come to

Shibe Park Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1 ...

, the home baseball park of the Athletics, to take batting practice with the team. On Labor Day in 1933, Ambler was introduced to

, who was the

baseball manager at the time. When propositioned to join Coombs at Duke University, Ambler recalled that he told him that " edidn't know where the hell Duke was". Ambler stated that he had wanted to attend college, but was financially incapable. Ambler accepted Coombs's invitation to go to Duke University with him. From there, Coombs set Ambler up with a job at the

dining hall A cafeteria, sometimes called a canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or schoo ...

for meals and as a box office worker selling tickets and programs at football games. Mack stayed in contact with Ambler and even gave him money for

. After his first year, Ambler was asked by Mack if he wanted to return to Duke to continue his college education. Ambler said yes and Mack continued paying his tuition. During his senior season, Ambler batted .476. He was also the captain of the team that year, who were the conference champions with a 64–12 record. His batting average still stands as the second-highest in Blue Devil history. During the summers, Ambler earned US$25 a week playing baseball in the

Coastal Plain League The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal League which operated in the area from 19 ...

. He graduated from Duke in 1937 with a

in business administration.

Baseball career

Philadelphia Athletics

In 1937, Ambler signed with the Philadelphia Athletics, going directly to the major leagues. He made his major league debut on June 4, 1937, against the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

, getting one

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in four at-bats. In his first 16

plate appearances In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...

, Ambler got nine hits. During a game against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

on June 7, Ambler jammed his finger, forcing him to leave the game. Ambler later sustained another, more severe injury. On July 18, in a double-header against the St. Louis Browns, Ambler collided head-to-head with Browns'

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

Ben Huffman Benjamin Franklin Huffman (July 18, 1914 – February 22, 2005) was a catcher in Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB i ...

after a play at second base. Both players were knocked

unconscious Unconscious may refer to: Physiology * Unconsciousness, the lack of consciousness or responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli Psychology * Unconscious mind, the mind operating well outside the attention of the conscious mind a ...

at the time of the injury. On the

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

after the game, Ambler complained that his

jaw The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term ''jaws'' is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serv ...

felt sore and doctors took

x-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

s the next morning to find that he had suffered a break on his jaw. Ambler recalled in a 1997 interview that he "didn't remember a thing" after sustaining the initial injury. He was sent back home to recover, but within six weeks he was back on the Athletics roster. Ambler batted .216 with three runs, 35 hits, five doubles and 11

(RBIs) in 56 games during his first season in the majors. On the defensive side, Ambler played all of his 56 games at second base, committing 12 errors in 268

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 ...

, giving him a .955 fielding percentage. While the team was in spring training in 1938,

, the manager of the Athletics at the time, alerted Ambler that he would report to the

for the start of the season. However, after he reported to the

of the Eastern League on Mack's orders, Ambler received a

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

from Mack telling him to report back to the majors. The reason being Mack needed a back-up

going into the season after their other shortstop suffered an injury. Ambler later revealed that before Mack called on him to play shortstop, he had not played the position since high school. In 1938, Ambler's contract was worth US$1,500. Due to his financial situation, Ambler was forced to ride the

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

and subway to

from his family's house. On May 13, 1938, in a game against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, Ambler went five-for-five, a career high single-game hits total. On the season, Ambler batted .234 with 42 runs, 92 hits, 21 doubles, two triples and 38 RBIs in 120 games played. Unlike the season before, Ambler played the majority of the season at shortstop (116 games), while still playing limited time at second base (four games). In 1939, Ambler re-signed with the Athletics and signed a contract worth US$2,500. During the season, he batted .211 with 15 runs, 48 hits, 13 doubles and 24 RBIs.

Later career

After the 1939 season, the Athletics sold Ambler to the New York Giants, who assigned him to the

of the International League for the 1940 season. With Jersey City, he batted .218 with 46 hits, 14 doubles and one home run in 83 games played. Ambler was used as a second baseman with Jersey City, playing 48 games at that position and committing seven errors in 233 total chances. In 1941, the Giants traded Ambler for

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Milt Shoffner Milburn James Shoffner (November 13, 1905 – January 19, 1978) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played seven years in the majors, from 1929 until 1931, then again from 1937 until 1940. Shoffner debuted in the majors with the Cleveland ...

who was a member of the Cincinnati Reds. Ambler attended spring training with the Reds that season and was assigned to the Double-A Indianapolis Indians for the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...

. In his final season in professional baseball, Ambler batted .245 with 126 hits, 10 doubles, three triples and two home runs in 139 games played. The Indians used Ambler as a shortstop, playing all of his 139 games at that position, committing 31 errors in 702 total chances.

Military career

Ambler enlisted in the United States Navy in 1941 and served in World War II. He stated that he was prompted to do so after the

. Ambler operated

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...

s on

liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...

s. Amber explained, "I was a gunnery officer on a merchant ship. What they called 'armed guard' service. They put a Navy gunnery officer and 26 Navy gunners on these merchant ships. All we had to do was man the guns and defend the ship. I was in both oceans, but mostly the Atlantic." Ambler fought in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

and took part in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

in Antwerp. He was waiting stationed in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

while his ship waited orders when Japan surrendered.

Later life

After completing his four-year service in the United States Navy, Ambler returned to his home-town of Abington, Pennsylvania. Ambler was in talks with the Philadelphia Phillies about making a return to the majors before World War II, but after the war, he retired from

. At home, Ambler worked as a

truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

and played semi-professional baseball. During his semi-pro career, Ambler made US$25 a game and sometimes played against

Negro league The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

teams. Ambler also coached Little League Baseball, including a 1960 all-star team featuring Reggie Jackson. In 1988, he retired as a truck driver. On January 3, 1998, Ambler died in

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Ponte Vedra Beach is a wealthy unincorporated seaside community and suburb of Jacksonville, Florida in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located southeast of downtown Jacksonville and north of St. Augustine, it is part of the Jackson ...

at the age of 82.

Personal

Ambler married Sara Bird on November 26, 1939, and with her, fathered two children; Sally Ann, born 1943 and Wayne Hunter, born 1947.

References

;General reference # # ;Inline citations

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ambler, Wayne 1915 births 1998 deaths Baseball players from Pennsylvania Philadelphia Athletics players Williamsport Grays players Jersey City Giants players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Duke Blue Devils baseball players United States Navy personnel of World War II Semi-professional baseball players People from Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania United States Navy officers Military personnel from Pennsylvania