Solly Drake
Solomon Louis Drake (born October 23, 1930), is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies during the 1956 and 1959 baseball seasons, totaling 141 games played. Drake and his brother, Sammy, were the first African-American siblings to play in the big leagues.[1] Solly Drake was a switch hitter who threw right-handed, and was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, weighing 170 pounds (77 kg).
| Solly Drake | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: October 23, 1930 Little Rock, Arkansas | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| April 17, 1956, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 27, 1959, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .232 | ||
| Home runs | 2 | ||
| Runs scored | 41 | ||
| Teams | |||
Early life and career
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Drake is the oldest of three children. In 1948, he graduated from Dunbar High School (Little Rock, Arkansas). Later that year, Drake began his baseball career when he joined the Elmwood Giants of the Mandak League as a 17-year-old outfielder; he returned for two more seasons, in Manitoba. A .300 hitter with Elmwood in 1950, Drake was signed before the 1951 season by the Chicago Cubs, as an amateur free agent. He spent that year with the Cclass C Topeka Owls, a minor league Cubs affiliate.
The Korean War interrupted a nascent baseball career for two years with Drake spending 1951 through 1953, in the U.S. Army. Following his military service, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Physical Education, at Philander Smith College, and returned to minor league baseball in time for the 1954 season, with the Class A Des Moines Bruins. Drake, a switch-hitter, was expected to be the Cubs' centerfielder, in 1955, but suffered a broken leg and ankle during training camp that forced him to miss most of the season.
Major league career
In April 1956, at the age of 25, Drake made his major league debut, with the Cubs. That same year, he also played with the Portland Beavers, Montreal Royals, and the Triple-A (AAA) St. Paul Saints.
During the off-season, Drake played winter league in Cuba, from 1957-1959. Capping off an incredible 1957 winter ball season, he was named the 1957 Caribbean Series MVP, after leading Cuba’s Tigres de Marianao to the championship. In 1958, Drake led the International League in several offensive categories, earning him a return to the National League (NL), playing with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies, in 1959. Owing to the lingering effects of the earlier broken leg, he announced his retirement from professional baseball, following the 1961 season; however, Drake’s imprint on baseball history had been made.
Solly Drake’s younger brother, Sammy Drake, was also a big league player, who spent two MLB seasons with the Cubs and New York Mets. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum asserts that the Drake brothers, Solly and Sammy, were the first African-American siblings to play in the majors, in the 20th century.
Personal life
Drake is married to the former Isabelle Dunlap and is the father of three children. He served as Pastor of the Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California, from 1982 until June 2016.
References
- Swanton, Barry (2006). The ManDak League: haven for former Negro league ballplayers, 1950-1957. McFarland & Company. p. 97. ISBN 0-7864-2510-5. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet