Don Mincher
Don Mincher | |
---|---|
First baseman | |
Born: Huntsville, Alabama | June 24, 1938|
Died: March 4, 2012 | (aged 73)|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
debut | |
April 18, 1960, for the Washington Senators | |
Last appearance | |
October 4, 1972, for the Oakland Athletics | |
Career statistics | |
Batting average | .249 |
Home runs | 200 |
Runs batted in | 643 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Donald Ray Mincher (June 24, 1938 - March 4, 2012) was an American former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played from 1960-1972 for the original Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Seattle Pilots, Oakland Athletics, the new Washington Senators, Texas Rangers and again the Oakland Athletics, all of the American League.[1]
Career
During a 13-year baseball career, Mincher hit .249, 200 home runs, and 643 runs batted in. He was elected to the American League All-Star team twice (1967 and 1969).
Mincher served as the first president and general manager of the Huntsville Stars, the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland A's (1985–1998) and, later, the Milwaukee Brewers (1999–present).[2] He served in this role from 1985 until 2001. In 1994, Mincher and a group of local investors purchased the team from Larry Schmittou to keep baseball in Huntsville.
In 2000, Mincher was named Interim President of the Southern League, where the Stars play, when league president Arnold Fielkow left for an executive position with the New Orleans Saints the National Football League. Mincher resigned from his position with the Stars when his group sold the team to Miles Prentice in early 2001. This cleared the way for the Southern League to remove the interim tag and they made him league president beginning with the 2001 season. He has served as league president since then.[1]
Mincher was elected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Though he never played for the team, the Huntsville Stars retired his number 5 in an on-field ceremony on June 6, 2008.[2] In 2010 he was presented with the King of Baseball award given by Minor League Baseball.
Mincher died after a long illness on March 4, 2012. [3]
Records
On June 9, 1966, in the seventh inning of a game against the Kansas City Athletics, Mincher was one of five Twins players to hit home runs. The others were Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Rich Rollins and Versalles. These five home runs still stand as a Major League record for the most home runs batted in a single inning, and were hit off starter Catfish Hunter (three) and reliever Paul Lindblad (two).[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b Branch, John (October 7, 2010). "A Twin, a Ranger and, Most of All, a Senator". The New York Times. p. B14. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
- ^ a b "Stars Retire #5 in Honor of Mincher". Huntsville Stars. June 6, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
- ^ McCarter, Mark (March 4, 2012). "Don Mincher, long-time baseball figure, dies at 73". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
- ^ Retrosheet – Box score: Minnesota Twins 9, Kansas City Athletics 4. Game Played on Thursday, June 9, 1966 (N) at Metropolitan Stadium
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
- Retrosheet
- Huntsville Stars official website
- Southern League official website
- American League All-Stars
- Major League Baseball first basemen
- California Angels players
- Minnesota Twins players
- Oakland Athletics players
- Seattle Pilots players
- Texas Rangers players
- Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
- Washington Senators (1961–1971) players
- Minor league baseball players
- Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
- Davenport DavSox players
- Duluth-Superior White Sox players
- Charleston ChaSox players
- Charleston Senators players
- Baseball players from Alabama
- People from Huntsville, Alabama
- 1938 births
- 2012 deaths