Gail Harris (baseball)

Gail Harris
Gail Harris
	First baseman
	Born: October 15, 1931; Abingdon, Virginia
	Died: November 14, 2012 (aged 81); Gainesville, Virginia
	Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
	June 3, 1955, for the New York Giants
Last MLB appearance
	May 30, 1960, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.240
Home runs	51
Runs batted in	190
	Stats at Baseball Reference
	Managerial record at Baseball Reference
Teams
	New York Giants (1955–1957); Detroit Tigers (1958–1960);

Boyd Gail Harris, Jr. (October 15, 1931 – November 14, 2012) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played with the New York Giants and Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1955 to 1960. In 1958, Harris hit a career high 20 home runs with the Tigers.

Early years

Harris was born in Abingdon, Virginia, and was an athletic standout at now-defunct William King High School in Abingdon. He was drafted as an amateur free agent in 1950, and called up to the majors in the summer of 1955.

Major leagues

Harris hit .232 in 79 games as a rookie, connecting for 12 home runs and driving in 36 runs under manager Leo Durocher.

Harris struggled in 1956, but rebounded with a solid season in 1957. Late that season, Harris hit the last homer by a New York Giants player;^[1] the team relocated to San Francisco the following season. Harris also had a new destination, as he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in the off-season.

Harris enjoyed some success in the Motor City. Getting the chance to play on a regular basis, Harris flourished in the summer of 1958 for the Tigers. He smashed 20 home runs, collected 83 RBIs and finished with a .273 batting average.

Harris’ batting average dipped in 1959, as he hit .221 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs.

Harris played his last game in the majors on May 3, 1960.

Retirement

Following Harris' baseball career, he worked in insurance sales.^[1] Harris lived in Manassas, Virginia, and his son, Mark, played in the minors briefly and was a minor league instructor for the Kansas City Royals organization. Mark Harris was the hitting coach for the Washington Nationals' AA affiliate, the Harrisburg Senators, and was hitting coach for the 2014 Futures Game.

Death

Harris died on November 14, 2012.

References

^ ^a ^b Gail Harris dies in Virginia at 81

External links

Article on Gail Harris at Tricities.com

Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics

[Gail_Harris_dies_in_Virginia_at_81-1] Gail Harris dies in Virginia at 81

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