Jim Delsing

James Henry Delsing

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Rudolph High School
• Debut April 21, 1948
• Final Game September 30, 1960
• Born November 13, 1925 in Rudolph, WI USA
• Died May 4, 2006 in Chesterfield, MO USA

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Biographical Information

Despite a non-illustrious career,Jim Delsing was a good-fielding outfielder whose main claim to fame was being the pinch-runner for midget Eddie Gaedel in a 1951 St. Louis Browns game. His other career highlight was being replaced as the Detroit Tigers' centerfielder in 1954 by future Hall of Famer Al Kaline.

Before launching his major league career, Delsing missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons due to military service. Playing ten seasons in the majors for six different teams, he had his best year with the bat in 1953 when he hit .288 with 11 home runs for the Tigers. Delsing spent 1956-1959 in the minors before resurfacing for a brief tenure with the Kansas City Athletics in 1960.

Delsing's offspring have quite an athletic legacy of their own. His son, Jay, was a professional golfer playing on the PGA tour starting in the mid-1980s, and his grandson, Taylor Twellman, was the MVP of Major League Soccer in 2005.

Related Sites

• Jim Delsing at the SABR Bio Project
• American Association Almanac interview