Willie Clay Upshaw (born April 27, 1957 in

Blanco, Texas Blanco (Spanish: "white", ) is a city in rural Blanco County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,739 at the 2010 census. Blanco is a cattle and ranching community. Geography Blanco is located in the Texas Hill Country on the Blanco Ri ...

) is a retired

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), ...

player who played

first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

(1978, 1980–1987) and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1988), both of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

. Following his Major League career, he played two seasons in Japan for the

Fukuoka Daiei Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

(1989–1990). He was later the field manager of the independent minor league

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

Biography

Upshaw was drafted by the

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

in the 5th round of the

1975 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. Many baseball draft experts consider the 1975 draft to be the weakest in MLB history. Other notable selections ''*'' Did not sign N ...

. He was selected by the

in the Rule 5 draft on December 5, 1977, and in 1982, became the Blue Jays' regular first-baseman, leading the team in

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s with 21, RBI with 75, and extra base hits. In 1983 he became the first Blue Jays player to reach the 100 RBI plateau in a season, driving in 104 runs while batting .306. Prior to the season, Upshaw's contract was purchased by the

. At the time of his retirement, he was Major League Baseball's career leader in

s (123) and

RBIs 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 ...

(528) for players whose

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

begins with the letter U. From 2006 to 2007 he served as the first base coach for 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 ...

. When

Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Bonds was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and the San Francisco Giants f ...

broke

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. One of the gre ...

's career home run record, Upshaw was the first to congratulate him with a high-five as Bonds circled the bases. He is the cousin of the late NFL Hall of Fame guard

Gene Upshaw Eugene Thurman Upshaw Jr. (August 15, 1945 – August 20, 2008), also known as "Uptown Gene" and "Highway 63", was an American professional football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL) and later the National F ...

and former NFL defensive lineman

Marvin Upshaw Marvin Allen "Marv" Upshaw (born November 22, 1946 in Robstown, Texas) is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. He played nine seasons for the Cleveland Browns (1968–1969), the Kansas City Chiefs (1970� ...

. In May 2007 his son, Chad Upshaw, signed a three-year contract with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

as a

Tight End The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

after going undrafted following his graduation from Buffalo. Upshaw, who resides in Fairfield, Connecticut, spent eight seasons as manager of the independent

over two stints (1998-2000, 2010-2014) and also managed the club during the second half of their 2009 season following the resignation of manager

Tommy John Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians, ...

. Upshaw was a combined 571-543 (.513) during the regular season, leading the Bluefish to four of their playoff appearances (1998-2000, 2010), three trips to the Atlantic League Championship Series (1998-1999, 2010) and their lone league championship (1999) and was named league Manager of the Year in 1998 and 2010.

References

External links

Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Upshaw, Willie 1957 births Living people African-American baseball coaches African-American baseball managers African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baseball coaches from Texas Baseball players from Texas Bridgeport Bluefish Cardenales de Lara players Venezuelan Professional Baseball League players by team Cleveland Indians players Fort Lauderdale Yankees players Fukuoka Daiei Hawks players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball first basemen Minor league baseball managers Oneonta Yankees players People from Blanco, Texas San Francisco Giants coaches Syracuse Chiefs players Toronto Blue Jays players West Haven Yankees players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople