Lenny Green

From BR Bullpen

Leonard Charles Green

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 5' 11", Weight 170 lb.

Debut August 25, 1957
Final Game June 23, 1968
Born January 6, 1933 in Detroit, MI USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Lenny Green was a fleet footed, left-hand hitting outfielder who had a 12-year Major League career. He was signed out of high school in Detroit as an amateur free agent by the Baltimore Orioles before the 1953 season. Following two years of Military Service (1953-54), during the Korean War, he was assigned to the San Antonio Missions in 1955 for 59 games, hitting .216 in 116 at bats. He finished out '55 with the Wichita Indians where he appeared in 78 games and hit .302.

Green was one of the first black players in the South Atlantic League, playing in 1956 for the Columbus Foxes, where he led the league in hitting with .318 and also in runs scored with 92. He also played in the outfield in the All-Star game. In 1957 he was hitting .311 for the Vancouver Mounties when he got a late season call to Baltimore where he made his first appearance in the majors, getting in 19 games and picking up six base hits.

He was with the Rochester Red Wings of the IL in '58 when the Orioles would call again and he would appear in 69 contests, hitting at a .231 clip and become a full-fledged major leaguer. During an Orioles - Senators series in May of 1959 Green only had to switch clubhouses when he was traded to Washington.

Green hit a career high .294 in 1960 and homered four times on Opening Day, including three years in a row from 1961 to 1963. He started off 1961 with a 24 game hitting streak, a franchise record until it was broken by Ken Landreaux in 1980. He was traded to the Los Angeles Angels early in 1964, then dealt back to the Orioles. For a second time he merely had to change clubhouses when the trade happened between the two clubs.

He was with the Boston Red Sox in 1965 and 1966and finished up his career with his hometown Detroit Tigers in 1967 and 1968 with a lifetime .267 mark. Lenny had spent 14 active seasons in pro baseball (1955-68) and along with Green's 12 seasons in the majors he spent all or parts of 7 years in the minors. Lenny appeared in 632 contests, went to bat 2,132 times, collected 633 base hits (including 33 home runs) and had a minor league career batting average of .296.

After baseball Lenny was employed as a security supervisor for the Ford Motor Company and contiued to reside in Detroit, MI.