Tim Cullen

Timothy Leo Cullen

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• School Santa Clara University
• High School Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo)
• Debut August 8, 1966
• Final Game October 1, 1972
• Born February 16, 1942 in San Francisco, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Infielder Tim Cullen played seven years in the majors, mostly with the Washington Senators.

Born in San Francisco, CA, he went to both high school and college not far from his birthplace. He was a high school teammate of Jim Fregosi and Gary Hughes (scout). He then was at Santa Clara University at the same time as John Boccabella, Nelson Briles and Ernie Fazio, among others.

Tim spent 1964 to 1966 in the high minors with the Seattle Rainiers and Hawaii Islanders. At Seattle he was a teammate of Jim Lonborg, Rico Petrocelli and Earl Averill, Jr.. At Hawaii he was a teammate of Dick Allen's brother, Hank Allen.

Cullen came up in August 1966 with the Senators and then got over 400 at-bats for Senators' manager Gil Hodges in 1967. On August 18, 1967, Tim hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 9th to win a game for the Senators against the Kansas City Athletics. In February 1968 he was traded to the Chicago White Sox but then was traded back to the Senators in early August 1968, this time to play under manager Jim Lemon.

Under manager Ted Williams from 1969 to 1971, Tim was at first a frequently-used back-up infielder and then a regular.

He finished out his major league career as a back-up on the Oakland Athletics in 1972, after starting the season with the Iowa Oaks, and his last appearance was in post-season play that year with the A's: he went 0 for 1 in the 1972 ALCS against the Detroit Tigers but did not play in the 1972 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. He retired after the season.

After retirement, he became a securities salesman. As of 2002, he was vice president of special projects for the Fresno Grizzlies.

Notable Achievements

• 1967 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• Won a World Series with the Oakland Athletics in 1972 (he did not play in the World Series)

Further Reading

• Thomas Boswell: "All of Us Bear the Marks of the Lash", in How Life Imitates the World Series, Penguin Books, New York, NY, 1982, pp. 110-111.
• J.G. Preston: "Tim Cullen", in Chip Greene, ed.: Mustaches and Mayhem, Charlie O's Three-Time Champions: The Oakland Athletics 1972-74, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2015, pp. 164-170. ISBN 978-1-943816-07-1

Related Sites

• Tim Cullen at the SABR Bio Project