$\"P-38$ Photo by San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives<\/a> <\/small><\/p><\/div>\n
In 1943, Shepard interrupted his baseball pursuits to enlist in the U.S. Army, where his natural athleticism helped him earn a commission as a P-38 Lightning fighter pilot. Stationed out of England, Shepard flew more than thirty combat missions. On May 21, 1944, a critical air attack on an airfield near Hamburg, Germany was in the works and, although he was not scheduled to take part, Shepard volunteered for the mission (which would prove to be 34^{th<\/sup> and final combat flight). On the return from the attack, Shepard\u2019s plane was shot down and he was injured and captured.\u00a0 His wounds required the amputation of his right leg below the knee.<\/p>\n}
While he was a Prisoner of War, a fellow prisoner (a Canadian medic) cobbled together an artificial lower leg for Shepard (out of scrap metal, wood and leather) and Shepard actually pitched in Stalag cricket matches using the makeshift prosthesis. After eight months as a P.O.W., Shepard was released as part of a prisoner exchange. Shortly after his return,\u00a0 Shepard he began practicing with a local semipro team \u2013 noting that he was lucky his prosthesis was on his right leg, since (as a southpaw) it was his landing leg rather than his push-off limb.<\/p>\n
\n
Bert Shepard\u2019s World War II heroism earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Air Medal and Purple Heart.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Then came a lucky coincidence. Shepard, while being fitted for a new leg at Walter Reed Hospital, was fortunate enough to be visited by Undersecretary of War Robert Patterson \u2013 who just happened to be a baseball fan and friend of Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith. In his conversation with Patterson, Shepard mentioned his desire (and commitment), despite his injuries, to once again play professional baseball. Patterson relayed Shepard\u2019s comments to Griffith, who brought the decorated veteran in for a tryout and signed him to serve as a coach and batting practice pitcher – and to take the mound in the occasional exhibition games (where Shepard acquitted himself well).\u00a0 After an effective four-inning outing against the Dodgers in a July 1945 exhibition (raising funds for the War Relief effort), Shepard was added to the Senators’ active roster. Another step toward his major-league dream.<\/p>\n
Bert Shepard made many visits to veterans hospitals, made a training film for amputees and was an inspiration for injured veterans \u2013 which may be exactly what Undersecretary of War Robert Patterson and Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith had in mind.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
While Shepard was on the Senators\u2019 active roster, the team was involved in a tight pennants race (the club would finish 1 \u00bd games behind the AL Champion Tigers) and manager Ossie Bluege was reluctant to use him in critical situations.<\/p>\n
Then, on August 4, 1945, the opportunity to bring the war hero to the mound surfaced. It came with the Red Sox leading the Senators 14-2, with a runner on second and two outs in the top of the fourth. The Senators were in the second game of a double header, had already played twin bills on August, 1, 2, and 3 and were slated for another double dip on August 5.\u00a0 The pitching staff was beleaguered and Shepard would prove to be just what the doctors ordered.<\/p>\n
He came into a game\u00a0 in which the BoSox bats were sizzling. They had already scored 12 runs (seven hits, six walks) in the inning, had a runner on second and clean-up hitter George \u201cCatfish\u201d Metkovich at the plate.\u00a0 Shepard looked comfortable on the mound and pitched as well as he ever had (maybe even better). He struck out Metkovich to end the inning \u2013 and went on to finish the game \u2013 giving up just one run over 5 1\/3 frames.<\/p>\n
$\"Shepard\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n
It was to be Shepard\u2019s sole MLB appearance \u2013 but it was a good one, ending in a career 1.69 ERA for the only one-legged pitcher in baseball history.\u00a0 Shepard was released by the Senators on September 30, 1945, but retained his passion for the game.<\/p>\n
In 1946, with major league players now returning from military service, Shepard did not make the Senators’ active roster, but was signed as a coach. Shepard\u2019s competitive fires were still burning however, and he\u00a0 asked to be sent down to the minors, where he could prove himself on the field. His control issues continued and his situation was complicated by additional surgery (to remove more of his leg) after the season. Shepard signed with the St. Louis Browns for 1947, but was released after a stint with the Elmira club of the Eastern League. Additional surgeries followed, but Shepard continued to play the game he loved – taking the minor-league mound as late as 1955, pitching in semi-pro leagues and managing in the minor leagues in 1949, 1952 and 1954.<\/p>\n
After finally hanging up his baseball spikes, Shepard\u2019s competitive spirit continued and he took up golf \u2013 winning the United States Amputee Gold Championship in 1968 and 1971\/<\/p>\n
Shepard passed away in 2008, at age 87.<\/p>\n
Primary Resources:\u00a0 Baseball-Reference.com; Bert Shepard Society for American Baseball Research biography, b<\/em>y Terry Bohn;\u00a0Shot Down in the Prime \u00a0of Life: Bert Shepard, Who Pitched One Major League \u00a0Game With One leg, Searched \u00a0for years to Find Out Who Saved His Life, \u00a0<\/em>by Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times, October 6, 1995; Valor \u00a0of Many Stripes, <\/em>by Scott Baron, 2019. McFarland and Company; Bert Shepard, 87, Who Pitched in Majors After War Amputation Dies, b<\/em>y Richard Goldstein New York Times, June 20, 2008.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
—- PAST JOHN PACIOREK AWARD HONOREES (with links) —-<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
2014 \u2013 Brian Scott Dallimore<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
In his first start (not his first game) for the 2004 Giants, Dallimore had two singles, a Grand Slam (his first MLB hit and only MLB home run), a walk and a hit by pitch.\u00a0 For the full JPA take on Dallimore\u2019s 27- game MLB career, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
2015 \u2013 Roy Gleason<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Gleason played in just eight MLB games, had a double in his only MLB at bat \u2013 but also earned a World Series ring (1963) and a Purple Heart. Ultimately, he was the only ballplayer with MLB experience to serve on the front lines in Vietnam. For the full JPA take on Gleason, click here<\/a>. Note: Gleason\u2019s life is detailed in the book \u201cLost in the Sun \u2013 Roy Gleason\u2019s Odyssey from the Outfield to the Battlefield.\u201d<\/p>\n
2016 \u2013 John Allen Miller<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Miller played just 32 MLB games (during the 1966 and 1969), taking the field (at 1B\/LF\/3B\/2B) for the Yankees and Dodgers. Miller collected ten hits in 61 MLB at bats (.164 average) and hit just two home runs \u2013 but he made those long balls count.\u00a0 Miller made his MLB debut with the Yankees on September 11, 1966 and hit a two-run homer in his first big league at bat \u2013 making him (surprisingly) the first Yankee ever to homer in his first MLB at bat. (Little did Miller know he would not get another home run or RBI until the final at bat of his MLB career.)\u00a0 Miller\u2019s final at bat came as a Dodger (September 23, 1969) and he stroked a solo home run.\u00a0 That narrow \u201cbody of work\u201d made Miller one of just two players in MLB history to homer in their first and final official appearances in a major league batter\u2019s box. For more on Miller, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n
2017 – Chris Saenz<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
RHP Chris Saenz\u2019 big day came on April 24, 2004 \u2013 when he was called up from Double A Huntsville (where he was 1-1, 3.86) to make a spot start against the Saint Louis Cardinals, whose powerful lineup included the likes of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and Reggie Sanders.\u00a0\u00a0 The rookie went six innings, giving up just two hits, three walks and no runs, while fanning seven. There was some speculation (primarily among sportswriters and fans) that Saenz\u2019 performance might earn him another start or two, but two days after his debut, he was on his way back to Huntsville.\u00a0 Unfortunately, his minor league season included a September elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery and he never returned to the majors. Statistics before 1900 can be sketchy, but baseball-reference.com shows that Saenz is the only pitcher to complete a one-game MLB career of at least five innings pitched, without giving up a single run (earned or unearned). For more details on this JPA honoree, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
2018 – Keith McDonald<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Keith McDonald’s MLB career (Cardinals 2000-2001) covered just eight games and 11 plate appearances (nine at bats) and three hits – but he made them count.\u00a0 All of McDonald’s safeties were home runs – making him the only MLB player with more than one career hit who can look back on major league career in which his every hit was a home run.\u00a0 McDonald is also one of only two players \u2013 and the only National Leaguer \u2013 to homer in his first two major league plate appearances.\u00a0 For the full story, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
2019 – Harley Hisner<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Harley Hisner’s MLB tenure encompassed the day of September 30, 1951. That\u2019s when the 24-year-old righty faced the New York Yankees \u2013 and a lineup that included five future Hall of Famers: Mickey Mantle in RF; Joe DiMaggio in CF; Phil Rizzuto at SS; Johnny Mize at 1B; and Yogi Berra behind the plate. In is very first MLB inning, Hisner faced five batters, four of them future Hall of Famers, and gave up two singles and no runs.\u00a0 His place in history? One of those singles was Joe DiMaggio\u2019s last MLB safety. He faced Mickey Mantle four times in the game \u2013 walking him once, fanning him twice and getting him to hit into a double play.\u00a0 Hisner’s final career stat was 0-1, 4.50, with six innings pitched, seven hits, three earned runs, four walks and three strikeouts.\u00a0For more on Harley Hisner and his ongoing involvement in and love of the game (he went on to earn the Northeast Indiana Baseball Association Colin Lister Award for “dedication to the game of baseball and its historic legacy,” click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–—-INSPIRATION FOR THE JPA—–<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
$\"PaciorekYOung\"$ <\/a>John Paciorek – signed out of Saint Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck, Michigan (where he had starred in football, basketball and baseball) – appeared in his first major league game on the final day of the 1963 season (September 29) at the age of 18.\u00a0 The 6\u2019 1\u201d, 200-pound outfielder had spent the 1963 season with Class A Modesto Colts. The Colts\u2019 parent club, the Houston Colt .45s (that was the current Astros\u2019 franchise name back then), was suffering through a difficult season. The team was 65-96 going into that final game.\u00a0 Looking to the future, Houston had, in fact, fielded an all-rookie lineup (average age 19) on September 27. Youth was still being served two days later when John Paciorek started his first MLB game. The results were surprising \u2013 and worthy of recognition.<\/p>\n
$\"pACIOREK\"$ <\/a>Playing right field and batting seventh in a 13-4 win over the NY Mets, Paciorek ended up with three hits and two walks in five plate appearances, with four runs scored and three runs batted in.\u00a0 Perhaps equally surprising is that it was not only Paciorek\u2019s first major league appearance, it was to be his only MLB appearance.\u00a0 Back pain the following spring, followed by surgery (he played 49 minor league games in 1964 and missed all of the 1965 season), put an end to his MLB playing days. (Paciorek did play in four more minor league seasons.)\u00a0 Still, you will find John Paciorek in the Baseball Encyclopedia and his is arguably the greatest one-game MLB career ever.\u00a0 Among one-gamers, he holds the record for times on base and runs scored, and shares the record for batting average, on base percentage and RBIs.<\/p>\n
$\"Books\"$ <\/a>Paciorek, by the way, went on to become a high school teacher and multi-sport coach and is the author of four books (Plato and Socrates \u2013 Baseball\u2019s Wisest Fans; The Principles of Baseball: And All There Is To Know About Hitting; and If I Knew Then What I Know Now.\u00a0 You also can enjoy Paciorek’s prose (and expertise) directly at his blog \u201cPaciorek\u2019s Principles of Perfect Practice\u201d by clicking here. You can find out even more about Paciorek in Steven Wagner\u2019s 2015 book \u201cPerfect: The Rise and Fall of John Paciorek, Baseball\u2019s Greatest One-Game Wonder.\u201d\u00a0 (See the review of “Perfect” by clicking here.)<\/p>\n
$\"If$ <\/a><\/p>\n
A final note. John Paciorek’s insight into the national pastime should come as no surprise. Paciorek comes from a true \u201cbaseball family.\u201d\u00a0 He was the first born of eight siblings and was followed to the big leagues by younger brothers Jim and Tom Paciorek.\u00a0 (Like John, Jim\u2019s MLB career was short \u2013 48 games for the Brewers in 1987. Brother Tom, however, achieved a .282 average over an 18-season MLB career.<\/p>\n
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$\"100\"$ <\/a>Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs.\u00a0 To see the full list, click\u00a0 here.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
I tweet (on X) baseball @DavidBaseballRT<\/h3>\n
Follow\/Like Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook Page\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0 More baseball commentary; blog post notifications; PRIZES.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In 2014, Baseball Roundtable launched the John Paciorek Award (JPA). The JPA recognizes players who have had short, often very short, major league careers, but whose accomplishments, nonetheless, deserve recognition.\u00a0 Past winners have included a player whose every MLB hit (three in nine career at bats) was a home run;\u00a0 a player who had only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11,9],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n