Harley Hisner

Harley Parnell Hisner

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Hoagland High School
• Debut September 30, 1951
• Final Game September 30, 1951
• Born November 6, 1926 in Maples, IN USA
• Died March 20, 2015 in Fort Wayne, IN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Harley Hisner (pronounced "Highs-Ner") made his only major league appearance on the final day of the 1951 season when he got the start for the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees on September 30th. He pitched creditably for six innings in a 3-0 loss against a Bronx Bombers lineup featuring five future Hall of Famers: Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Johnny Mize and Phil Rizzuto. He gave up a single to DiMaggio, the last regular season base hit of his career, but struck out Mantle twice. Harley himself had a base hit in two at-bats. This would be Harley's only appearance in the Show.

The right-hander was signed as an amateur free agent by the Red Sox before the 1947 season. Hisner spent his first five seasons (1947-1951) in the minors with only one of those being a winning year when he went 11-3 with a 2.48 ERA for the Scranton Red Sox of the class A Eastern League in 1948, helping his team to the league title and the playoff championship.

"Parnell Hisner, San Jose right hander has one of the finest curve balls in the league." - From the Stockton Ports On Parade newsletter - September 9, 1947

After his short visit to Fenway Park in 1951, he showed up back in the minors again in 1952 having a 3-7 year with two clubs but came back strong in 1953 with his only other winning year and a 14-6 record with a 3.87 ERA for the Wichita Falls Spudders of the Big State League, also helping them to the league title and playoff championship. Hisner had spent seven years in the minors and when no calls came after his fine 1953 season, he called it a career with a minor league record of 53-60 and a 4.33 ERA while pitching 897 innings.

After baseball Hisner worked as a machinist for the Rea Magnet Wire Company in Fort Wayne, IN for over thirty years and then retired to Monroeville, Indiana. He died in 2015 at age 88.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Further Reading

• Richard Tellis: Once Around The Bases, Triumph Books, Chicago, IL, 1998, pp. 135-143.

Related Sites

• Harley Hisner at the SABR Bio Project