Charlie O'Rourke (baseball)
James Patrick O'Rourke, identified as both Charlie and Jim (born June 22, 1937, at Walla Walla, Washington), is a retired American professional baseball player. An outfielder by trade, O'Rourke played two games of Major League Baseball as a pinch hitter for the 1959 St. Louis Cardinals. He threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg).
| Charlie O'Rourke | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Pinch hitter | |||
| Born: June 22, 1937 Walla Walla, Washington | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| June 16, 1959, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| June 16, 1959, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Games played | 2 | ||
| At bats | 2 | ||
| Hits | 0 | ||
| Teams | |||
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O'Rourke signed with the Cardinals in June 1959 for a $60,000 bonus[1] and began his professional career on June 16, 1959, in a Major League uniform. He appeared in both ends of a twi-night doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium. In the opener, he batted for Cardinal shortstop Alex Grammas in the seventh inning; in the nightcap, also in the seventh, he hit for Redbird starting pitcher Ernie Broglio. In each case, O'Rourke bounced out to Phillie shortstop Joe Koppe.[2] O'Rourke did not play in another Major League game. After his debut, he was sent to the minor leagues for more experience, but struggled as a hitter and retired after the 1962 season.[3]