Dick Littlefield
From BR Bullpen
Richard Bernard Littlefield
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
- Debut July 7, 1950
- Final Game May 30, 1958
- Born March 18, 1926 in Detroit, MI USA
- Died November 20, 1997 in Detroit, MI USA
[edit] Biographical Information
In the early 1980s Dick Littlefield was honored by a group of Philadelphia insurance executives who had formed a club that honored former major leaguers who were not in the Hall of Fame. Ironically Philadelphia was one of the few big league cities that the left-hander never pitched for during his nine years in the majors. From 1950 to 1958 he wore the uniforms of ten different teams.
He started with the Boston Red Sox in 1950, the Chicago White Sox in 1951, his hometown Detroit Tigers in 1952, the St. Louis Browns in 1952, then to the Baltimore Orioles in 1954, and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1954, also the St. Louis Cardinals in 1956, and the New York Giants in 1956, the Chicago Cubs in 1957 and finally the Milwaukee Braves in 1958, in compiling his major league record of 33 wins and 54 losses with a .471 ERA.
Littlefield never had a winning season, but when he was 10-11 for Pittsburgh in 1954 he led the Pirates in victories. Following the 1956 season Dick was the player traded by the New York Giants to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Jackie Robinson, who announced his retirement, cancelling the deal. Dick was then swapped to the Chicago Cubs.
Among those Dick could include as teammates during his career were Ted Williams, Satchel Paige, Roberto Clemente, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn, all in baseball's Hall of Fame. Littlefield had a journeymans minor league career, spending 12 seasons (1946-62) with ten different clubs, while building a 91-69 record with a 3.55 ERA. Littlefield managed the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers for about half of the 1963 season.
Littlefield died November 20, 1997, at age 71 in Detroit, Michigan, where he had been a tool and die worker.
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