Charles William "Whammy" Douglas (February 17, 1935 – November 16, 2014) was an American professional baseball player. The right-handed pitcher stood tall and weighed during his active career. Douglas was able to forge a professional career despite having lost an eye at age 11. Moreover, his blindness is what gave rise to Douglas's nickname (or at least the most enduring version thereof), his glass eye giving the appearance of an "evil eye," putting the "whammy" on opposing batters (an apparent allusion to "whammy"-wielding Hammond "Evil Eye" Fleegle, a supporting character in cartoonist

Al Capp Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip ''Li'l Abner'', which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (wi ...

's syndicated '' Li'l Abner'' comic strip).

Career

Although Douglas only played part of one season in Major League Baseball out of his ten-year pro career, he had a measure of success for the 1957 Pittsburgh Pirates, appearing in 11

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

(eight as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

), and posting a 3.26 earned run average. In 47

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

, he allowed 48

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

and 30

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

, with 28

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s. That season, the pitcher also played a supporting role in what has become a famous instance of umpire-baiting by controversial manager Bobby Bragan, when, on July 31, following a disputed call favoring the visiting

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

, Douglas slipped into the stands to purchase the orange drink with which Bragan then confronted the umpires. Douglas also was part of a major trade between the Pirates and 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 ...

in January 1959. Douglas was sent to Cincinnati in a package of players headlined by Pittsburgh slugger Frank Thomas. In return, the Bucs received Smoky Burgess, Harvey Haddix and Don Hoak — and that trio would play integral roles in the Pirates' 1960 world championship season. Douglas never appeared in an MLB game for the Reds. His

minor league 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 Nor ...

record of 82–57 (compiled from 1953–1961; 1965) included a stellar season with the 1954

Brunswick Pirates The Brunswick Pirates were a minor league baseball team based in Brunswick, Georgia. The team was a member of the Georgia–Florida League and a Class D affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1951 to 1956. In 1957 the team played as the Brunsw ...

of the Class D Georgia–Florida League, in which he won 27 games, lost only six and posted a 2.06 ERA. In the months immediately preceding that season, the winter of 1953-54, Douglas earned extra money playing semi-pro basketball.Times-News staff (December 11, 1953)
"Eli Whitney in 79-60 Win Over Saxapahaw"
''The Burlington Times-News''.

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Whammy 1935 births 2014 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from North Carolina American men's basketball players Brunswick Pirates players Burlington-Graham Pirates players Burlington Senators players Columbus Jets players Havana Sugar Kings players Macon Peaches players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Nashville Vols players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players People from Carrboro, North Carolina Pittsburgh Pirates players Tigres del México players Williamsport Grays players Baseball players with disabilities Sportspeople with a vision impairment

Career

Notes

References

Further reading

External links