Gene Woodling | |
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Outfielder | |
Born: Akron, Ohio, U.S. | August 16, 1922|
Died: June 2, 2001 Wadsworth, Ohio, U.S. | (aged 78)|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 23, 1943, for the Cleveland Indians | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 15, 1962, for the New York Mets | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .284 |
Home runs | 147 |
Runs batted in | 830 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Eugene Richard Woodling (August 16, 1922 – June 2, 2001) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder between 1943 and 1962, most prominently as a member of the New York Yankees dynasty that won five consecutive World Series championships between 1949 and 1953.[1]
Woodling was a left-handed batter known as a line drive hitter who hit over .300 five times during his 17-year career and, had a .318 batting average during his five World Series appearances.[2] He excelled defensively, leading American League outfielders in fielding or tied for the lead four times, and never made more than three errors in a season during his tenure with the Yankees.[1] Woodling also played for the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, and the New York Mets in their expansion year of 1962. His baseball career was interrupted by his military service in the United States Navy during the Second World War.[2] After his playing career, he served several major league teams as a coach and a scout.[1]