Gene Alley
| Gene Alley | |
|---|---|
 Alley in 1966 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: July 10, 1940 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 4, 1963, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 1973, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .254 |
| Home runs | 55 |
| Runs batted in | 342 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Leonard Eugene Alley (born July 10, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1963 through 1973. A two-time All-Star player, Alley was a member of Pirates teams that won three consecutive National League Eastern Division titles between 1970 and 1972 and, won the World Series in 1971.
Early life
[edit]Alley was born on July 10, 1940 in Richmond, Virginia. While still an infant, Alley's father died in a car accident, and he and his three siblings were raised by his mother.[1] He attended Hermitage High School in Henrico, Virginia.[2] Alley had hoped to receive a basketball scholarship to attend the University of Virginia, but the sum offered was insufficient. Instead, the 18-year old Alley signed to play baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates.[3][1]
Professional baseball
[edit]Alley was a modest hitter, with some strong years, but an exceptionally steady shortstop with good range and an accurate throwing arm.[1]
Minor leagues
[edit]In 1959, the Pirates assigned Alley to the Dubuque Packers of the Class-D Midwest League. He had a .287 batting average (his highest in the minor leagues) with 15 home runs, and a .922 fielding percentage at shortstop, his principal position with Dubuque.[4] Because of pain in his throwing arm, he did not continue at shortstop for the next three years.[1] He continued in the Pirates minor league system until 1963, playing third base in 1960 (.932 fielding percentage), and second base in 1961 (.933 fielding percentage) and 1962 (.969 combined fielding percentage between Single-A and Triple-A baseball). Finally, in 1963, he played a full year of Triple-A baseball for the Columbus Jets of the International League at shortstop, with a .963 fielding percentage, a .244 batting average, 19 home runs, 61 runs batted in (RBI) and 76 runs scored.[4]
Pittsburgh Pirates
[edit]Alley played briefly for the Pirates at the end of the 1963 season, and then played in 81 games for the Pirates in 1964, hitting only .211, but with a fielding percentage at shortstop of .966 in 61 games at that position.[5] He was a frequent backup to starting shortstop Dick Schofield.[1]
In 1965, he started 40 games at second base for the injured Bill Mazeroski, and then 102 games at shortstop after Mazeroski's return.[5][1] He had a .964 field percentage at shortstop and .974 at second base. He hit .252, with five home runs, 47 runs and 47 RBI.[5]
1966 was his first full year at shortstop. He had a .979 fielding percentage, and led all National League shortstops in turning double plays with 128. He received the Gold Glove Award for NL shortstops.[5][6] In the same year, Mazeroski set the all-time double play record for second basemen in a season with 161,[7] and the Pirates as a team turned 215 double plays, the second most in baseball history after the record 217 set by the 1949 Philadelphia Athletics (as of 2023).[8][9]
In 1967, he led the league again in double plays with 105, as well as leading the league's shortstops in putouts (257) and assists (500).[5] He again won the Gold Glove Award.[6]
He won two Gold Glove Awards at shortstop (1966–67) and garnered two All-Star appearances primarily on the strength of his glove. He spent most of his career turning double plays with Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski. They also joined a select list of eight shortstop-second baseman duos to each win a Gold Glove the same season while playing together twice (1967–68). Shoulder and knee problems ultimately ended his career early. A knee injury suffered late in the season that subsequently required surgery limited his participation in the 1971 postseason.[10][11][12]
On September 2, 1970, Alley hit an inside-the-park grand slam at Jarry Park Stadium in Montreal, against the Montreal Expos. With the bases loaded, facing Carl Morton, Alley hit a line drive which landed in front of center fielder Boots Day, who slipped on the wet grass. The ball rolled all the way to the wall in deepest center field, and all the baserunners and Alley scored.
Post-baseball life
[edit]Alley worked for a printing company in Richmond after his retirement from baseball.[3]
In 1998, Alley was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.[2] In 2013, he received the Paul Keyes RBI (Richmond Baseball Impact) Award, given annually to a person making a significant contribution to baseball within or around the Richmond community.[3]
See also
[edit]- List of Gold Glove middle infield duos
- List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Newville, Todd. "Gene Alley, Society for American Baseball Research". SABR.org.
- ^ a b "Gene Alley | Virginia Sports Hall of Fame". August 25, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c O'Connor, John (July 11, 2024). "Hermitage High grad Gene Alley worked overtime for 1967 All-Star win". The Bristol Herald Courier. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Gene Alley Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Gene Alley Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Gold Glove Shortstops | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Double Plays Turned as 2B". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ Piroli, Gino (March 22, 2015). "New York man finds glove of major-leaguer from Aliquippa". Beaver County Times. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- ^ Bowen, Tom; Marmer, Mel. "Pete Suder, Society for American Baseball Research". SABR.org.
- ^ Jacobson, Steve (October 9, 1971). "Maz and Alley: Forgotten Men". Newsday. p. 58. Retrieved June 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Millsaps, Bill (October 13, 1971). "Alley's Series May Be Ended". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 22. Retrieved June 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gene Alley, Stargell to Undergo Surgery". Brdgeport Telegram. October 29, 1971. p. 64. Retrieved June 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Gene Alley at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
.jpg){kind=small}   | This biographical article relating to an American baseball shortstop is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |