Willie Kirkland

Willie Kirkland
Outfielder
Born: February 17, 1934 (1934-02-17) Siluria, Alabama
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 15, 1958 for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance
September 26, 1966 for the Washington Senators
Career statistics
Batting average	.240
Home runs	148
Runs batted in	509
Teams
San Francisco Giants (1958-1960) Cleveland Indians (1961-1963) Baltimore Orioles (1964) Washington Senators (1964-1966) Hanshin Tigers (1968-1973)

Willie Charles Kirkland (born February 17, 1934 in Siluria, Alabama) is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants (1958–1960), Cleveland Indians (1961–1963), Baltimore Orioles (1964) and Washington Senators (1964–1966). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

In a nine-season career, Kirkland posted a .240 batting average with 148 home runs and 509 RBI in 1149 games played.

Following his major league career, Kirkland played six seasons in Japan (1968–1973) for the Hanshin Tigers.

Best seasons

• 1960: Collected double digits in doubles (21), triples (10), home runs (21) and stolen bases (12)
• 1961: Hit 27 home runs with 136 hits and 95 RBI in 146 games (all career-highs), including a three-homer game on July 9. This game was against the Yankees. Willie came up in the 9th with the game on the line and Cleveland manager Jimmy Dykes ordered him to bunt, which he successfully did.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Baseball Library