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{{Short description|American baseball player (1924–2007)}}
{{inline|date=May 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Hal Jeffcoat
|name=Hal Jeffcoat
|image=Hal Jeffcoat 1953.jpg
|image=Hal Jeffcoat 1953.jpg
|caption=Jeffcoat in 1953.
|caption=Jeffcoat in 1953
|position=[[Outfielder]] / [[Pitcher]]
|position=[[Outfielder]] / [[Pitcher]]
|bats=Right
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date|1924|9|6}}
|birth_date={{Birth date|1924|9|6}}
|birth_place=[[Columbia, South Carolina]]
|birth_place=[[Columbia, South Carolina]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|2007|8|30|1924|9|6}}
|death_date={{death date and age|2007|8|30|1924|9|6}}
|death_place=[[Tampa, Florida]]
|death_place=[[Tampa, Florida]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 20
|debutdate=April 20
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|stat2label=[[Home runs]]
|stat2label=[[Home runs]]
|stat2value=24
|stat2value=24
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=188
|stat3value=188
|stat4label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat4label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
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*[[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{Baseball year|1959}})
*[[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{Baseball year|1959}})
|highlights=
|highlights=
*Had the NL's 2nd highest total in [[sacrifice hit]]s with 14 in {{Baseball year|1948}}.
*Threw a 6-hit [[Shutout#Baseball|shutout]] against the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] on June 9, 1957 with a career-high 9 [[strikeout]]s.
}}
}}


'''Harold Bentley Jeffcoat''' (September 6, 1924 – August 30, 2007) was an American [[professional baseball]] [[baseball player|player]] who forged a 12-season, 918-[[games played|game]] Major League Baseball career, first as an [[outfielder]] (1948–53) and then as a [[right-handed]] [[pitcher]] (1954–59) as a member of the [[Chicago Cubs]] (1948–55), [[Cincinnati Reds|Cincinnati Redlegs and Reds]] (1956–59), and [[St. Louis Cardinals]] (1959). Born in [[West Columbia, South Carolina]], he batted [[right-handed]] and was listed as 5 feet, 10<small>{{fraction|1|2}}</small> inches (1.8 meters) tall and {{convert|185|lb}}. He was the younger brother by 11 years of former major league pitcher [[George Jeffcoat]].
'''Harold Bentley Jeffcoat''' (September 6, 1924 – August 30, 2007) was an American [[professional baseball]] [[baseball player|player]] who forged a 12-season, 918-[[games played|game]] Major League Baseball career, first as an [[outfielder]] (1948–1953) and then as a [[right-handed]] [[pitcher]] (1954–1959) as a member of the [[Chicago Cubs]] (1948–1955), [[Cincinnati Reds|Cincinnati Redlegs and Reds]] (1956–1959), and [[St. Louis Cardinals]] (1959). Born in [[West Columbia, South Carolina]], he batted [[right-handed]] and was listed as 5 feet, 10<small>{{fraction|1|2}}</small> inches (1.8 meters) tall and {{convert|185|lb}}. He was the younger brother by 11 years of former major league pitcher [[George Jeffcoat]].

⚫
Jeffcoat served in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]]<ref>[http://baseballinwartime.com/those_who_served/those_who_served_atoz.htm Baseball in Wartime.com]</ref> before his baseball career began. A [[paratrooper]], he saw combat during the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]], where he was wounded; he was awarded a [[Purple Heart]] as a result.<ref>Sharp, Andrew, [https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/1ba121fd "Hal Jeffcoat"]. [[Society for American Baseball Research]].</ref> He entered professional baseball in 1946, and in his second year, he led the 1947 [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] [[Southern Association]] in [[hit (baseball)|base hits]] (218) and knocked in 118 [[runs batted in|runs]], despite striking only four [[home runs]] all season. His major league career began with the Cubs the following year.


⚫
Jeffcoat served in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]]<ref>[http://baseballinwartime.com/those_who_served/those_who_served_atoz.htm Baseball in Wartime.com]</ref> before his baseball career began. A [[paratrooper]], he saw combat during the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]], where he was wounded; he was awarded a [[Purple Heart]] as a result.<ref>[https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/1ba121fd Sharp, Andrew, ''Hal Jeffcoat.'' [[Society for American Baseball Research]] Biography Project]</ref>
__TOC__
==Career==
==Career==
As a hitter, in 1,963 [[at-bats]], Jeffcoat scored 249 [[run (baseball)|runs]] and collected 487 [[hit (baseball)|hits]], including 95 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], 18 [[triple (baseball)|triples]], 26 [[home runs]], 696 [[total bases]], 188 [[runs batted in]], 49 [[stolen base]]s and 114 [[bases on balls]] received. He [[batting average|batted]] .248, with a .291 [[on-base percentage]] and .355 [[slugging percentage]]. Jeffcoat also had 47 [[sacrifice hit]]s and two [[sacrifice fly|sacrifice flies.]] His best season as a position player came as a [[rookie]] in {{mlby|1948}}, when he appeared in 132 games and batted .279 with 132 hits.
As a hitter in the majors, in 1,963 [[at-bats]], Jeffcoat scored 249 [[run (baseball)|runs]] and collected 487 hits, including 95 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], 18 [[triple (baseball)|triples]], 26 home runs, 696 [[total bases]], 188 [[runs batted in]], 49 [[stolen base]]s and 114 [[bases on balls]] received. He [[batting average (baseball)|batted]] .248, with a .291 [[on-base percentage]] and .355 [[slugging percentage]]. Jeffcoat also had 47 [[sacrifice hit]]s and two [[sacrifice fly|sacrifice flies.]] His best season as a position player came as a [[rookie]] in {{mlby|1948}}, when he appeared in 132 games and batted .279 with 132 hits.


Jeffcoat converted from outfielder to pitcher in {{mlby|1954}} while playing for the Cubs. He worked in 43 [[games pitched]] that season, all but three in [[relief pitcher|relief]], and would log only four more games in the outfield for the remainder of his major league career. In his debut year on the mound, he won five of 11 [[decision (baseball)|decisions]] and earned seven [[save (baseball)|saves]], leading the club. In 104 [[innings pitched]], he posted a poor 5.19 [[earned run average]].
Jeffcoat converted from outfielder to pitcher in {{mlby|1954}} while playing for the Cubs. He worked in 43 [[games pitched]] that season, all but three in [[relief pitcher|relief]], and would log only four more games in the outfield for the remainder of his major league career. In his debut year on the mound, he won five of 11 [[decision (baseball)|decisions]] and earned seven [[save (baseball)|saves]], leading the club. In 104 [[innings pitched]], he posted a poor 5.19 [[earned run average]].


His most successful seasons as a pitcher came from 1955 through 1957. In {{mlby|1955}}, he lowered his ERA to 2.95, then won eight of ten decisions in {{mlby|1956}} and recorded ten [[complete game]]s as a [[starting pitcher]] in {{mlby|1957}}. Overall, in 245 MLB [[games pitched]], with 51 games started, he posted a [[win–loss record (pitching)|win–loss record]] of 39–37, with 13 complete games, one shutout (a 3–0 six-hitter against the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] at [[Ebbets Field]] on June 9)<ref>[https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1957/B06092BRO1957.htm [[Retrosheet]] box score: 1957-06-02(2)]</ref>, with 25 saves. In 697 innings pitched, he allowed 772 hits, 365 runs, 327 earned runs, 73 home runs and 257 walks, with 239 [[strikeout]]s, 22 hit batsmen, 13 wild pitches, 3,053 batters faced, 35 intentional walks and a 4.22 career earned run average. He is also remembered as the pitcher who [[beanball|beaned]] Brooklyn's Don Zimmer on June 23, 1956, fracturing Zimmer's cheekbone and ending his season.<ref>Associated Press. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EDEeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Vr8EAAAAIBAJ&dq=marred-by-beaning&pg=6471%2C3469158 "9th Inning Rally Wins for Brooks; Marred by Beaning"]. ''The Sarasota Herald-Tribune''. June 24, 1956. Retrieved 2017-11-20.</ref><ref>Heffron, Joe; Heffron, Jack (2014). [https://books.google.com/books?id=FCRUCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA221 ''The Local Boys: Hometown Players for the Cincinnati Reds'']. Birmingham, AL: Clerisy Press. p. 221. {{ISBN|978-1-57860-553-8}}. Retrieved 2017-11-20.</ref>
His most successful seasons as a pitcher came from 1955 through 1957. In {{mlby|1955}}, he lowered his ERA to 2.95, then won eight of ten decisions in {{mlby|1956}} and recorded ten [[complete game]]s as a [[starting pitcher]] in {{mlby|1957}}. Overall, in 245 MLB [[games pitched]], with 51 games started, he posted a [[win–loss record (pitching)|win–loss record]] of 39–37, with 13 complete games, one shutout (a 3–0 six-hitter against the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] at [[Ebbets Field]] on June 9, 1957),<ref>{{cite web |title=Cincinnati Reds 3, Brooklyn Dodgers 0 (2): Game Played on Sunday, June 9, 1957 (D) at Ebbets Field |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1957/B06092BRO1957.htm |publisher=[[Retrosheet]]}}</ref> with 25 saves. In 697 innings pitched, he allowed 772 hits, 365 runs, 327 earned runs, 73 home runs and 257 walks, with 239 [[strikeout]]s, 22 hit batsmen, 13 wild pitches, 3,053 batters faced, 35 intentional walks and a 4.22 career earned run average. He is also remembered as the pitcher who [[beanball|beaned]] Brooklyn's [[Don Zimmer]] on June 23, 1956, fracturing Zimmer's cheekbone and ending his season.<ref>Associated Press. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EDEeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Vr8EAAAAIBAJ&dq=marred-by-beaning&pg=6471%2C3469158 "9th Inning Rally Wins for Brooks; Marred by Beaning"]. ''The Sarasota Herald-Tribune''. June 24, 1956. Retrieved 2017-11-20.</ref><ref>Heffron, Joe; Heffron, Jack (2014). [https://books.google.com/books?id=FCRUCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA221 ''The Local Boys: Hometown Players for the Cincinnati Reds'']. Birmingham, AL: Clerisy Press. p. 221. {{ISBN|978-1-57860-553-8}}. Retrieved 2017-11-20.</ref>

==Personal life==
Jeffcoat married Valma Viola Ala, who he met while she served as a member of the [[Women's Army Corps|Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps]], in 1946. They had three sons together, including [[Harold George Jeffcoat]], who would go on to have a ten-year minor league career before having an academic career during which he served as the president of [[Texas Wesleyan University]] and [[Millikin University]].

Jeffcoat died in Tampa, Florida in 2007 after suffering a stroke.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vanderburg |first1=Bob |title=Hal Jeffcoat 1924-2007 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-08-31-0708310107-story.html |access-date=3 June 2022 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=31 August 2007 |language=en}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Baseballstats |mlb=116511 |espn= |br=j/jeffcha01 |fangraphs= |cube= |brm=jeffco001har }} or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/J/Pjeffh101.htm Retrosheet]
{{Baseballstats|mlb=116511|espn=23331|br=j/jeffcha01|fangraphs=1006377|brm=jeffco001har|retro=J/Pjeffh101}}
*[http://baseballinwartime.com/player_biographies/jeffcoat_hal.htm Biography at Baseball in Wartime.com]
*[http://baseballinwartime.com/player_biographies/jeffcoat_hal.htm Biography at Baseball in Wartime.com]
*[https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/1ba121fd Sharp, Andrew. ''Hal Jeffcoat.'' [[Society for American Baseball Research]] Biography Project]
*{{Find a Grave|21285145}}
*{{Find a Grave|21285145}}


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[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Baseball players from South Carolina]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Columbia, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Burials at Florida National Cemetery]]
[[Category:Burials at Florida National Cemetery]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
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[[Category:Seattle Rainiers players]]
[[Category:Seattle Rainiers players]]
[[Category:Shelby Cubs players]]
[[Category:Shelby Cubs players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Columbia, South Carolina]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:Paratroopers]]



{{US-baseball-outfielder-1920s-stub}}
{{US-baseball-pitcher-1920s-stub}}

Latest revision as of 13:34, 4 July 2024

Hal Jeffcoat
Jeffcoat in 1953
Outfielder / Pitcher
Born: (1924-09-06)September 6, 1924
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Died: August 30, 2007(2007-08-30) (aged 82)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 20, 1948, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
August 6, 1959, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Batting average.248
Home runs24
Runs batted in188
Win–loss record39–37
Earned run average4.22
Strikeouts239
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Harold Bentley Jeffcoat (September 6, 1924 – August 30, 2007) was an American professional baseball player who forged a 12-season, 918-game Major League Baseball career, first as an outfielder (1948–1953) and then as a right-handed pitcher (1954–1959) as a member of the Chicago Cubs (1948–1955), Cincinnati Redlegs and Reds (1956–1959), and St. Louis Cardinals (1959). Born in West Columbia, South Carolina, he batted right-handed and was listed as 5 feet, 101⁄2 inches (1.8 meters) tall and 185 pounds (84 kg). He was the younger brother by 11 years of former major league pitcher George Jeffcoat.

Jeffcoat served in the United States Army during World War II[1] before his baseball career began. A paratrooper, he saw combat during the Italian Campaign, where he was wounded; he was awarded a Purple Heart as a result.[2] He entered professional baseball in 1946, and in his second year, he led the 1947 Double-A Southern Association in base hits (218) and knocked in 118 runs, despite striking only four home runs all season. His major league career began with the Cubs the following year.

Career

[edit]

As a hitter in the majors, in 1,963 at-bats, Jeffcoat scored 249 runs and collected 487 hits, including 95 doubles, 18 triples, 26 home runs, 696 total bases, 188 runs batted in, 49 stolen bases and 114 bases on balls received. He batted .248, with a .291 on-base percentage and .355 slugging percentage. Jeffcoat also had 47 sacrifice hits and two sacrifice flies. His best season as a position player came as a rookie in 1948, when he appeared in 132 games and batted .279 with 132 hits.

Jeffcoat converted from outfielder to pitcher in 1954 while playing for the Cubs. He worked in 43 games pitched that season, all but three in relief, and would log only four more games in the outfield for the remainder of his major league career. In his debut year on the mound, he won five of 11 decisions and earned seven saves, leading the club. In 104 innings pitched, he posted a poor 5.19 earned run average.

His most successful seasons as a pitcher came from 1955 through 1957. In 1955, he lowered his ERA to 2.95, then won eight of ten decisions in 1956 and recorded ten complete games as a starting pitcher in 1957. Overall, in 245 MLB games pitched, with 51 games started, he posted a win–loss record of 39–37, with 13 complete games, one shutout (a 3–0 six-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field on June 9, 1957),[3] with 25 saves. In 697 innings pitched, he allowed 772 hits, 365 runs, 327 earned runs, 73 home runs and 257 walks, with 239 strikeouts, 22 hit batsmen, 13 wild pitches, 3,053 batters faced, 35 intentional walks and a 4.22 career earned run average. He is also remembered as the pitcher who beaned Brooklyn's Don Zimmer on June 23, 1956, fracturing Zimmer's cheekbone and ending his season.[4][5]

Personal life

[edit]

Jeffcoat married Valma Viola Ala, who he met while she served as a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps, in 1946. They had three sons together, including Harold George Jeffcoat, who would go on to have a ten-year minor league career before having an academic career during which he served as the president of Texas Wesleyan University and Millikin University.

Jeffcoat died in Tampa, Florida in 2007 after suffering a stroke.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Baseball in Wartime.com
  2. ^ Sharp, Andrew, "Hal Jeffcoat". Society for American Baseball Research.
  3. ^ "Cincinnati Reds 3, Brooklyn Dodgers 0 (2): Game Played on Sunday, June 9, 1957 (D) at Ebbets Field". Retrosheet.
  4. ^ Associated Press. "9th Inning Rally Wins for Brooks; Marred by Beaning". The Sarasota Herald-Tribune. June 24, 1956. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  5. ^ Heffron, Joe; Heffron, Jack (2014). The Local Boys: Hometown Players for the Cincinnati Reds. Birmingham, AL: Clerisy Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-1-57860-553-8. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  6. ^ Vanderburg, Bob (August 31, 2007). "Hal Jeffcoat 1924-2007". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
[edit]
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