There is, at least from a Baseball Roundtable perspective, a certain satisfaction in coming across MLB events that, although seemingly unrelated at the time they occurred, later create lasting connections (and impressions).\u00a0 This blog post is about a pair of \u201chit-by-pitches\u201d that occurred fifty seasons apart, but brought the players together both in the record books and (57 years after the first HBP) in Marlins Park.<\/p>\n

FRED VAN DUSEN<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>It all started with a left-handed throwing and hitting outfielder named Fred Van Dusen.\u00a0 As a 16- and 17-year-old, Van Dusen showed promise \u2013 a steady and powerful bat, speed on the base paths and in the field, as well as a strong arm. The 6\u20193\u201d, 180-pound outfielder caught the attention of a number of scouts and, just 20 days after his 18^{th<\/sup> birthday, signed as a \u201cBonus Baby\u201d with the Philadelphia Phillies.<\/p>\n}

Less than a month after signing, Van Dusen got his first MLB plate appearance. It came in the second game of a September 11, 1955 double header versus the Braves (in Milwaukee). Van Dusen came to the plate as a pinch hitter \u2013 for pitcher Lynn Lovenguth \u2013 in the top of the ninth, with one out, one on and the Phillies trailing 9-1. (For those who like to know those things, the pitcher was Humberto Robinson.)<\/em>. As he stepped up to the dish, Van Dusen became the youngest player to appear in an MLB game in 1955.<\/strong><\/em><\/span> \u00a0But, there was more to come.<\/p>\n

Van Dusen quickly fell behind 0-2 \u2013 remember that count, it will come into play later. On his third pitch, Robinson hit the rookie on the knee with a sweeping curveball. As he was left stranded at first, Van Dusen could hardly have expected that he had just experienced his first \u2013 and fina<\/em>l \u2013 MLB plate appearance; and 2) that 57 years later that lone MLB plate appearance would be the catalyst for an appearance on the MLB Miami Marlins\u2019 mound. \u00a0More on that in a bit, let\u2019s get back to Van Dusen\u2019s professional career.<\/p>\n

His sophomore professional season\u00a0 saw Van Dusen playing for the Wilson Tobs of the Class B Carolina League, where he hit .252, with 11 home runs in 140 games. He went on to play five more minor league seasons, hitting .260, with 86 home runs.\u00a0 His best season was 1957, when he hit .310, with 25 long balls for the High Point \u2013 Thomasville Hi-Toms of the Carolina League; and was named the Carolina League\u2019s Player of the Year. Despite that strong season, Van Dusen started the next campaign with the Triple A Miami Marlins (remember that Marlins connection, it too will come into played) and he never appeared in another MLB game.<\/p>\n

Until 2005, Van Dusen was the only player who was hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance, in his only MLB game;\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>and who also never appeared in the field (in the majors) defensively<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/span> (Just more evidence of BBRT\u2019s contention that \u201cIn baseball we track everything.\u201d)<\/p>\n

ADAM GREENBERG<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>Then, in 2005, 24-year-old rookie Adam Greenberg (another promising southpaw outfielder), doubled the size of Van Dusen’s list (one MLB game, one MLB plate appearance, hit by pitch, never played in the field<\/em>) \u2013 and he stayed there until October 2, 2012.<\/p>\n

Greenberg made his MLB debut with the Cubs on July 9, 2005. \u00a0It came in the top of the ninth inning with the Cubs leading the Marlins 4-2. (Remember the Van Dusen minor league Miami Marlins connection? BBRT likes that kind of coincidence.) Greenberg was called on to hit for pitcher Will Ohman with one out and no one on base. The very first MLB pitch Greenberg ever saw came from Marlins\u2019 lefty Valerio De Los Santos. Remember that name, it also comes into play later.\u00a0 It was a 92-mph fastball that got away and hit Greenberg in the back of the head \u2013 resulting in a concussion that sent him directly to the hospital (rather than first base) and led to recurring positional vertigo, vision issues and headaches – and contributed to a very short MLB career.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m getting ahead of myself.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at how Greenberg got to that plate appearance.<\/p>\n

Greenberg was a star athlete at Guilford (Connecticut) High School \u2013 a four-year letterman in baseball, basketball and soccer \u2013 and team captain in both baseball and soccer. \u00a0He then went to the University of North Carolina, where he was named to the ACC All-Conference team in 2002 \u2013 after hitting .337, with 17 home runs and 35 stolen bases.<\/p>\n

The Cubs selected Greenberg in the ninth round of the 2002 MLB Draft and he began his professional career in the Cubs\u2019 system that year. He showed considerable promise.\u00a0 As a 21-year-old he hit a combined .286, with 17 stolen bases in 77 games at Class A (Lansing Lugnuts) and High A (Daytona Cubs). In 2003, he hit .299 with 26 steals at Daytona and, in 2004, he hit a combined .285, with six homers, 17 triples and 19 steals \u2013 while moving from High A (Daytona) to Double A (Western Tennessee Diamond Jaxx) to Triple A (Iowa Cubs).\u00a0 When he got the 2005 call up to the Cubs he was having a solid season at Western Tennessee.\u00a0 Then, of course, came the beaning – and the aftermath.<\/p>\n

Greenberg was released by the Cubs in in June of 2006 \u2013 after disappointing performance at Iowa and Western Tennessee He then bounced around the minors in Dodgers\u2019, Royals and Angels\u2019 systems, as well as with the (Independent) Atlantic League Bridgeport Bluefish \u2013 continuing to chase his maj league dream.<\/p>\n

Another Coincidence\/Connection<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Valerio De Los Santos \u2013 who hit Adam Greenberg with that fateful 2005 pitch \u2013 enjoyed a nine-season MLB career. His last MLB appearance was with Colorado in 2008. In 2011, De Los Santos (then 38-years-old) was playing his last professional season – with the Long Island Ducks of the (Independent) Atlantic League.\u00a0 Greenberg was playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish in the same league and found himself facing De Los Santos once again.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In an interview with the Shoreline Times, Greenberg said this of his second professional at bat versus De Los Santos,\u201dIt was a big deal. As much as I try to pretend it wasn\u2019t. It\u2019s been 5 \u00bd years and to face him again in a game that meant something \u2026 It brings things full circle.\u00a0 You have the what-if stuff \u2013 What if he threw that first pitch for a strike 5 \u00bd years ago? That\u2019s the fun stuff. The fact is, it happened.\u00a0 And that we\u2019re both still playing is awesome.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2012 \u2013 AND THINGS REALLY GOT INTERESTING<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In October of 2012 – perhaps responding to a national social media campaign aimed at getting Greenberg a major league at bat (rather than just a plate appearance) \u2013 the Miami Marlins signed Greenberg to a one-day major league contract. Keep in mind the Van Dusen connection.\u00a0 At this point in time, Van Dusen and Greenberg were the only two players in MLB history to be hit by a pitch in their only MLB plate appearance, in their only MLB game, without appearing in a defensive position on the field.<\/p>\n

Knowing that Greenberg\u2019s appearance\u00a0 in a Marlins’ game would once again make Van Dusen the sole holder of the \u201cone game, one plate appearance, hit-by-pitch and never appearing in the field\u201d record, the Marlins called on the then 75-yedar-old Van Dusen to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the contest. \u00a0\u00a0So, two events \u2013 somewhat similar, but 50 years apart \u2013 eventually brought Greenberg and Van Dusen together on the same day on the same major league diamond. BBRT likes that symmetry.<\/p>\n

One Game, One Plate Appearance, One Hit by Pitch<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There are three other players who qualify for the one game, one plate appearance, one hit by pitch club \u2013 but those three all played a defensive position in their single game.\u00a0 They are: The Giants\u2019 Ham Wade (September 9, 1907); Indians\u2019 Harvey Grubb (September 27, 1912); and Phillies\u2019 Cy Malis (August 17, 1934).\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Pitcher Charles \u201cVictory\u201d Faust of the 1911 Giants came close \u2013 with just one career plate appearance \u2013 hit-by-pitch, two stolen bases and one run scored.\u00a0 Faust, however, appeared in two games. His story, as the good luck charm of the 1911 Giants, is unique in the lore of baseball superstitions \u2013 and will get its own post here in the near future.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now to Greeberg’s 2012 at bat. He came up as a pinch hitter (for LF Bryan Petersen),\u00a0 leading off the bottom of the sixth, with the Marlins up 2-0. Greenberg was facing 20-game winner, and eventual 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner, knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.<\/p>\n

Greenberg\u2019s Walk up music was, appropriately, Aerosmith\u2019s \u201cDream On.\u201d\u00a0 He came to the plate accompanied by a standing ovation \u2013 and struck out on three pitches.\u00a0 (Remember, Van Dusen was hit by an 0-2 pitch? So, in the totality of Van Dusen’s and Greenberg\u2019s MLB careers, every major league pitch they ever saw that didn\u2019t hit one of them was a strike.<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Even after getting that elusive MLB at bat, Greenberg was not done.\u00a0 His heart was in the game and, in December of 2012, he signed with the Orioles as a minor-league free agent.\u00a0 He was, however, released by Baltimore in March of 2013. He still, however, felt the urge to be on the field and played 30 games back with the Bridgeport Bluefish in 2013.\u00a0 It was his final professional baseball season.<\/p>\n

Primary Resources:\u00a0 Baseball-Reference.com, Society for American Baseball Research.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT<\/h3>\n

Like\/Follow the Baseball Roundtable Facebook page here.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Member: Society for American Baseball Research; The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is, at least from a Baseball Roundtable perspective, a certain satisfaction in coming across MLB events that, although seemingly unrelated at the time they occurred, later create lasting connections (and impressions).\u00a0 This blog post is about a pair of \u201chit-by-pitches\u201d that occurred fifty seasons apart, but brought the players together both in the record […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n