Batting average .255 Role Baseball athlete Name Jim Delsing | Runs batted in 286 Home runs 40 | |
Died May 4, 2006, Chesterfield, Missouri, United States | ||
James Henry Delsing (November 13, 1925 – May 4, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder who is most remembered for having been the pinch runner for 3 ft 7 in (1.09 m)-tall Eddie Gaedel on August 19, 1951. His other claim-to-fame is that he was replaced as Detroit center fielder by Al Kaline.
His first professional contract was at the age of 16 in 1942 with Green Bay in the Wisconsin State League; he would spend five seasons in the minor leagues. During his career, which spanned 822 games over 10 seasons, he played for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, St. Louis Browns (whom he was playing for when he pinch ran for Gaedel), Detroit Tigers, and Kansas City Athletics. His best year with the bat was in 1953, when he hit .288 with 11 home runs.
His career statistics include a batting average of .255, with 40 home runs and 286 runs batted in.
After he retired he worked 30 years for the St. Louis Review. His son, Jay, is a professional golfer, and his grandson Taylor Twellman, was MVP of Major League Soccer in 2005. He was once quoted as saying, "Maris may have hit 61, but I'm the one who ran for a midget".