George Bullard
From BR Bullpen
George Donald Bullard (Curly)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Weight 165 lb.
- Debut September 17, 1954
- Final Game September 25, 1954
- Born October 24, 1928 in Lynn, MA USA
- Died December 23, 2002 in Lynn, MA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Before the 1950 season, the Detroit Tigers signed George Bullard as an amateur free agent. The shortstop was sent to the class A Williamsport Grays where he hit .246 his first year out. George would spend the next four years in the minors with the Richmond Tigers, Williamsport Tigers, the Buffalo Bisons and the Little Rock Travelers before the Detroit Tigers gave him a very quick look-see in 1954.
The 1954 Tigers gave the shortstop his only shot in the majors with a September call up. George said, "I played for a dozen seasons in the minor leagues. I was called up from Buffalo for the last month of the season, but only got into a few games. But it was a thrill just being up there for a while." George was hitless in one at-bat in four games.
After his quick stop in Detroit, he wound up with the Durham Bulls of the Carolina League where he barely lost the batting title, hitting .341 and making the All-Star team. This was to be his best overall season that he spent in baseball.
Bullard played for four more years, hoping for that one more call, but it never came and he was out of baseball after the 1958 season. George had nine active seasons, from 1950 through 1958, played with eight different teams in 891 games. He had 3,029 at bats with 822 base hits, including 40 home runs and had a creditable career batting average of .271.
Bullard made his home in Buffalo, NY for many years, where he worked in civil service as a maintenance engineer, in charge of heating and air conditioning for a housing project. He died on December 23, 2002 at age 74 in Lynn, MA.
[edit] Sources
Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page
