Doug Camilli

Doug Camilli
Camilli with the Spokane Indians in 1961
Catcher
Born: (1936-09-22) September 22, 1936 (age 88)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 25, 1960, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
September 14, 1969, for the Washington Senators
MLB statistics
Batting average.199
Home runs18
Runs batted in80
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Douglas Joseph Camilli (born September 22, 1936) is an American former catcher and coach who played in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1967 and in 1969 for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Senators. Camilli threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg) during his active career.[1]

The son of All-Star slugger and first baseman Dolph Camilli and his first wife Ruth, he was born in Philadelphia during his father's tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies, one of seven children. Camilli graduated from Santa Rosa High School and attended Stanford University before signing in 1957 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, for whom his father won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1941.[2]

He made his major league debut on September 25, 1960, against the San Francisco Giants. He pinch-hit for catcher John Roseboro in the 2nd inning and caught the remainder of the game, recording his first career hit against future Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal.[3]

In 1962, his first full season in the Majors, Camilli appeared in 45 games played, backing up Roseboro and Norm Sherry, and batting a career-high .284 with four home runs and 22 runs batted in.[1] He won a World Series ring as a member of the 1963 Dodgers, but did not appear in that year's Fall Classic, a four-game sweep over the New York Yankees.[4]

Camilli caught the third of Sandy Koufax's four career no-hitters on June 4, 1964. Koufax faced the minimum 27 batters. He allowed only one baserunner, just missing out on a perfect game, and struck out 12 while beating the Phillies, 3–0, at Connie Mack Stadium.[5] On November 30, 1964, Camilli's contract was sold to the Washington Senators.[6]

His active playing career effectively ended in September 1967 and he went on to serve as a bullpen coach for the Senators (1968–69). He was briefly reactivated during the September 1969 roster expansion and appeared in his final game as a catcher on September 14 against the Detroit Tigers. Appearing in 313 games over all or parts of nine seasons, Camilli collected 153 hits, including 18 home runs and 22 doubles, and recorded a .984 fielding percentage and 40% caught stealing percentage.[1]

Camilli went on to join the Boston Red Sox (1970–73) as a full-time bullpen coach, and later became a manager, coach, and roving catching instructor in the Red Sox farm system until 1992.[7]

  1. ^ a b c "Doug Camilli Career Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. ^ "Dolph Camilli (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research. Camilli and his wife had five sons, all of whom played baseball to some degree. Dolph Jr and Bruce Camilli even signed bonus deals for the Yankees, both on the same day. There were two daughters as well, both of whom were involved in athletics. The only child to make it in big-league ball, however, was Doug, a catcher, born at the end of the 1936 season.
  3. ^ "San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers Box Score: September 25, 1960". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. ^ "1963 World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-0)". Baseball-Reference.com.
  5. ^ Aaron, Marc Z. "June 4, 1964: Sandy Koufax 'puts everything together' in third career no-hitter". Society for American Baseball Research.
  6. ^ "Doug Camilli Trades and Transactions". Baseball Almanac.
  7. ^ "Dolph Camilli (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research. Doug spent nine years in the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Senators in the 1960's, then worked as a bullpen coach for the Red Sox for four years and went on to work as a manager, coach, and roving instructor.