Dick Littlefield

Richard Bernard Littlefield

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Cooley High School
• Debut July 7, 1950
• Final Game May 30, 1958
• Born March 18, 1926 in Detroit, MI USA
• Died November 20, 1997 in Detroit, MI USA

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Biographical Information

In the early 1980s Dick Littlefield was honored by a group of Philadelphia insurance executives who had formed a club that honored former major leaguers who were not in the Hall of Fame. Ironically, Philadelphia was one of the few big league cities that the lefthander never pitched for during his nine years in the majors. From 1950 to 1958 he wore the uniforms of nine different teams, due in part to his knack for walking too many hitters.

He started with the Boston Red Sox in 1950, was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1951, then to his hometown Detroit Tigers in 1952, the St. Louis Browns in 1952 and 1953, then to the Baltimore Orioles in 1954, after the Browns relocated, and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1954 to 1956, also the St. Louis Cardinals in 1956, and the New York Giants in 1956 as well, the Chicago Cubs in 1957 and finally the Milwaukee Braves in 1958. Between all those stops, he compiled a major league record of 33 wins and 54 losses with a 4.71 ERA.

Littlefield never had a winning season, but when he was 10-11 for Pittsburgh in 1954 he led the Pirates in victories. Following the 1956 season, Dick was the player traded by the New York Giants to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Jackie Robinson, who announced his retirement, cancelling the deal. Dick was then swapped to the Chicago Cubs the following spring.

Among those Dick included as teammates during his career were Ted Williams, Satchel Paige, Roberto Clemente, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn, all in baseball's Hall of Fame. Littlefield had a journeyman's minor league career, spending 12 seasons (1946-1962) with nine different clubs, while building a 91-69 record with a 3.55 ERA. Littlefield managed the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers for about half of the 1962 season.

He died November 20, 1997, at age 71 in Detroit, Michigan, where he had been a tool and die worker.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• Dick Littlefield at the SABR Bio Project

{{Category:1950 Debut]]