Hal Jeffcoat
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.
| Hal Jeffcoat | |
|---|---|
Jeffcoat in 1953 | |
| Outfielder / Pitcher | |
| Born: September 6, 1924 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: August 30, 2007 (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 runs | 24 |
| Runs batted in | 188 |
| Win–loss record | 39–37 |
| Earned run average | 4.22 |
| Strikeouts | 239 |
| Teams | |
| |
Jeffcoat served in the United States Army during World War II 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. 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.