Aloysius Frank Bejma (BAY-ma;September 12,1907 –January 3,1995) [1] was an American professional baseball infielder in Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Browns between 1934 and 1939.
Born in South Bend,Indiana,Bejma quit school at 16 and eventually wound up working for Studebaker and playing for five years on the company's baseball team. He made his pro baseball debut in 1929 with the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association,just one step below the majors;the 21-year-old batted .287 as a back-up outfielder. He spent most of 1930 with the Class B Quincy Indians (despite the names,neither club was affiliated with the MLB Cleveland Indians) where he hit .344 and switched to second base. After another year in Quincy and two more in the Texas League,Bejma made his major league debut on April 24,1934 for the Browns in a 15-2 loss to Cleveland. Used as a utility infielder for the remainder of the season,Bejma hit .271 in 95 games (both career highs) and played four positions (shortstop,second base,third base,and outfield).
Bejma (nicknamed "The Polish Falcon") spent the next two seasons with the Browns in a somewhat less frequent reserve role,filling in at every infield position but first base. Bejma made no major league appearances in the 1937 or 1938 seasons,spending the latter in the minor league system of the Chicago White Sox,who had purchased him from the Browns in March 1938. He made his White Sox debut with in 1939 and had 307 at-bats,the most he had in any MLB season. He also surprisingly tallied eight home runs,despite having hit only six in 599 previous major league at-bats;this contributed to his MLB career best of 44 runs batted in.
Bejma's last big-league game was on October 1,1939,a 4-3 loss to his old team,the Browns. That winter,he was traded by the White Sox with Johnny Gerlach to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Skeeter Webb. Though Webb played for another nine seasons in the majors,Bejma (nor Gerlach) ever played in MLB again. Bejma played another two seasons in St. Paul,a season out west with the San Francisco Seals,and finally wrapped up his career in Buffalo in 1943. Back in South Bend,Bejma returned to work for Studebaker and played semi-pro ball. He also excelled at a different sport:bowling,where he was part of five-man state championship team in 1954.
Ollie Bejma died on January 3,1995,at the age of 87.
Bejma was a childhood idol of cartoonist Charles Schulz,and Schulz immortalized the ballplayer in a Peanuts comic strip on February 21,1974. Snoopy asks his bird friend Woodstock who was the starting shortstop for the pennant-winning 1938 St. Paul Saints,and Woodstock says it was Ollie Bejma. [2] This is in fact incorrect;the Saints' shortstop that year was Tony York (who later briefly played with the Cubs during World War II) while Bejma played second base. Still,the South Bend native was instrumental in leading St. Paul to the pennant,batting .326 and winning the American Association Most Valuable Player Award.
Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel,nicknamed "Little Louie",is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop from 1956 to 1973 for three American League (AL) teams,most prominently the Chicago White Sox. During his ten seasons with the team,he became known for his exceptional defensive and base-stealing skills. A 13-time All-Star,,he made an immediate impact with the team,winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1956 after leading the league in stolen bases and leading AL shortstops in putouts and assists;he was the first Latin American player to win the award.
Joseph Edward Cronin was an American professional baseball player,manager and executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop,most notably as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Cronin spent over 48 years in baseball,culminating with 14 years as president of the American League (AL).
The following are the baseball events of the year 1970 throughout the world.
John Phalen"Stuffy"McInnis was an American first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. McInnis gained his nickname as a youngster in the Boston suburban leagues,where his spectacular playing brought shouts of "that's the stuff,kid".
The following are the baseball events of the year 1967 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1956 throughout the world.
Lynford Horbart Lary,nicknamed "Broadway",was an American professional baseball shortstop. He played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees,Boston Red Sox,Washington Senators,St. Louis Browns,Cleveland Indians,Brooklyn Dodgers,and St. Louis Cardinals.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1959 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1954 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1953 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1952 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1951 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1950 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1949 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1948 throughout the world.
Woodson George "Woodie" Held was an American shortstop/outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the New York Yankees,Kansas City Athletics,Cleveland Indians,Washington Senators,Baltimore Orioles,California Angels and Chicago White Sox. He batted and threw right-handed. His last name was originally Heldt,but later changed it to Held due to confusion pronouncing his name.
John Peter "Joe" Boley was an American professional baseball player. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1927 to 1932,most notably as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics dynasty that won three consecutive American League pennants from 1929 to 1931 and,won the World Series in 1929 and 1930. He also played for the Cleveland Indians.
Michael Anthony Avilés[ah-vee-les'] is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals,Boston Red Sox,Cleveland Indians,Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins. Over the course of his career,Aviles has played every position except for pitcher and catcher.
Antonio Llamas Perezchica is a Mexican professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an infielder for the San Francisco Giants and Cleveland Indians from 1988–1992. He currently serves as the third base coach for the Houston Astros.
Robert Nathan Floyd is an American former Major League Baseball infielder. After his playing days ended,Floyd became a manager in Minor league baseball,and spent the next 30 years coaching. In 2001 and 2004,he was a major league coach with the New York Mets.
|