Lefty O'Doul
Lefty O'Doul was born on March 4, 1897. See ranking, bio blurb, and everyone else born that day.
About Lefty O'Doul
Francis Joseph "Lefty" O'Doul (March 4, 1897 – December 7, 1969) was an American professional baseball player and manager. Though he spent eleven seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies, he is best known for his career in the Pacific Coast League, where he was a star player and a successful manager. His .349 career batting average is the sixth highest in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born in San Francisco, California, O'Doul began his professional career as a left-handed pitcher with the minor-league San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. He served in the United States Navy from 1917-1919. His final duty station was Mare Island, and according to his obituary in the San Francisco Examiner, he separated from the Navy as a Seaman First Class (E-3). He had some major-league success with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox from 1919 to 1923 as a relief pitcher. After developing a sore arm which forced him to give up pitching, he returned to the Pacific Coast League and transitioned into becoming a power-hitting outfielder. He returned to the majors in 1928, playing for the New York Giants. With the Philadelphia Phillies and the Brooklyn Robins, he won two batting titles. Traded back to the Giants in 1933, O'Doul became a World Series champion. After his career ended, O'Doul returned to the Pacific Coast League, managing the San Francisco Seals from 1935 to 1951, as well as other Pacific Coast teams. What is considered by many to be his greatest contributions to baseball were the exhibition tours he undertook to Japan during which he helped with the training of Japanese baseball players both before and after World War II, contributed to the popularity and success of professional baseball in Japan. For his efforts, O'Doul became the second American elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame after Wally Yonamine. O'Doul and Joe DiMaggio went to Japan with their wives. Long after his death in 1969, O'Doul remains one of the most popular figures in his hometown of San Francisco. He was elected to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Lefty O'Doul Bridge, connecting the China Basin and Mission Bay neighborhoods, was named in his honor. The gate entrance of Oracle Park adjacent to the bridge was named the "Lefty O'Doul Gate" by the San Francisco Giants.