Larry Hisle
Larry Eugene Hisle (born May 5, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and hitting coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies (1968–71), Minnesota Twins (1973–77), and Milwaukee Brewers (1978–82).[1] A two-time All-Star, he was the 1977 American League (AL) RBI champion. As a coach, Hisle was a member of two World Series-winning teams for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Larry Hisle | |||
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Outfielder | |||
Born: Portsmouth, Ohio | May 5, 1947|||
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MLB debut | |||
April 10, 1968, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
May 6, 1982, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .273 | ||
Home runs | 166 | ||
Runs batted in | 674 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Playing career
In a 14-season career, Hisle posted a .273 batting average with 166 home runs and 674 RBI in 1197 games played. He led the American League in RBIs in 1977 with 119, which was 4 more than runner up Bobby Bonds. His best seasons were 1977 (.302 BA, 28 HR, 119 RBI) and 1978 (.290 BA, 34 HR, 115 RBI).[1]
He was traded along with John Cumberland by the Cardinals to the Twins for Wayne Granger on November 29, 1972.[2] In a spring training game for the Minnesota Twins on March 6, 1973, Hisle was MLB's first designated hitter; in five at bats, he hit two home runs (one of them a grand slam) and had seven RBIs.[3][4] A month later, Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees would become the first DH in a regular-season game.
A torn rotator cuff suffered in 1979 limited Hisle's playing time for the remainder of his career.
Post-playing career
Hisle was the hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays from 1992 through 1995,[5] helping them to World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. Under his coaching in 1993, Toronto players John Olerud, former Brewer teammate Paul Molitor, and Roberto Alomar finished 1-2-3 in the American League in batting average.
As of 2019, Hisle is employed with the Milwaukee Brewers as Manager of Youth Outreach,[6] and is the president of Major League Mentoring in Milwaukee.[7]
See also
References
- "Larry Hisle Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- "White Sox Acquire Henderson And Send Bradley to the Giants," The New York Times, Thursday, November 30, 1972. Retrieved March 10, 2020
- McCarthy, Larry (March 7, 1973). "Home Run Hisle Packs Pinch-Hit Punch". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 25, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- Nilsson, Jeff (April 17, 2014). "The History of Baseball's Designated Hitter Rule: Or, The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization?". The Saturday Evening Post. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- "Larry Hisle - BR Bullpen". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- "Front Office Directory | Milwaukee Brewers". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- "Hall of Fame March-April". newspapers.com. The Herald Times Reporter. April 7, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
Further reading
- D’Amato, Gary (November 8, 2011). "Ex-Brewer Hisle goes to bat for troubled youth". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- McCalvy, Adam (June 12, 2002). "Where have you gone, Larry Hisle?". MLB.com.
- Skelton, David E. "Larry Hisle". SABR.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Larry Hisle at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Achievements | ||
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Preceded by Tim Foli |
Hitting for the cycle June 4, 1976 |
Succeeded by Mike Phillips |