Al Pilarcik
From BR Bullpen
Alfred James Pilarcik
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.
- Debut July 13, 1956
- Final Game September 24, 1961
- Born July 3, 1930 in Whiting, IN USA
[edit] Biographical Information
A native of Whiting, IN, Al Pilarcik began his career in the New York Yankees organization when he signed as an amateur free agent before the 1948 season. The lefty-hitting outfielder had great speed and a strong throwing arm. Al once raced Mickey Mantle. "We had a match race in training camp which he said he beat me by ten feet, but it was more like ten inches," recalled Pilarcik. Al would spend seven active seasons in the minors (1948-56) and sandwiched in between these years he would spend 1953 and '54 in the United States Military Service during the Korean War. Pilarcik would have three good years out of the seven, his first was in 1949 with the Joplin Miners of the class C Western Association when he hit .304 in 107 games.
The year before he served in the military, 1952, he hit .305 for the Beaumont Roughnecks of the AA Texas League in 137 games. Al would be sent to the Kansas City Athletics by the New York Yankees in October of 1955 as part of a conditional agreement, playing with the Columbus Jets of the International League in 1956. In the first half of the season he was on fire hitting .375 with 18 home runs and 75 RBIs. "Luke Easter and I were challenging each other," said Pilarcik. "Luke was about 6' 5" and 240 lbs.. I was 5' 10". They called him 'Big Poison' and me 'Little Poison'." Unknown at the time this would be Al's last run in the minors and he finished up his seven year run , hitting .285 along with 43 home runs.
His strong showing with Columbus in the first part of the 1956 year got Al called up for his first crack at the majors and he debuted with the Kansas City Athletics on July 13, 1956 and he finished out the year there, hitting .251 in 69 games. The following year Al was sent to the Baltimore Orioles in a multi-player deal and would be with the Baltimore Club through 1960, In 1957 Al had 15 assists in the outfield and hit a career high .282 in 1959. Pilarcik would waltz out with the Athletics and the White Sox in 1961 with six major league years on his record, hitting at a .256 average in 668 games. He played the outfield well, ending with a .986 fielding percentage.
Al attended Valparaiso University in the off season while working for a degree in physical education and later earned his master's at Purdue University. For 34 years he was a high school health teacher in St. John, Indiana, and coached baseball, basketball and football. More recently he taught part time at the Indiana University campus in Gary, IN and was inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. As of last notice Al currently resides in St. John, Indiana.
[edit] Sources
