Vincent William Shupe (September 5,1921 –April 5,1962) was a professional baseball first baseman who played for the 1945 Boston Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg),he batted and threw left-handed.
Shupe's minor league career spanned 1939 to 1950;he did not play professionally for two seasons (1942–1943) during World War II. [1] He appeared in 1153 minor league games,playing for seven different teams,including four seasons in the Pacific Coast League. [1] Primarily a first baseman,he also made nine appearances as a pitcher early in his career,and five appearances in the outfield late in his career. [1]
Shupe is one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II. His first major league experience was on July 7,1945, [2] for the Boston Braves against the Pittsburgh Pirates. [3] He played first base regularly for the Braves through the end of the season, [4] taking over from Joe Mack,whose last game had been on July 4. [5] Baseball records list Shupe as appearing in a game earlier in the season,against the Brooklyn Dodgers on June 17; [4] however,that was a suspended game,and he only played in the completion of the game,when it was resumed on August 4. [6] Shupe played in 78 major league games,registering a .269 batting average (76-for-283),15 RBIs,and no home runs. [2] Defensively,he made eight errors in 703 total chances for a .989 fielding percentage. [2]
Shupe was a native of East Canton,Ohio. [2] At one time,he dated actress Jean Peters. [7] After his professional baseball career,he worked as a petroleum salesman. [8] Shupe died at the age of 40 in Canton,Ohio. [2]