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If you've ever listened to Bob Uecker, you've probably heard him allude to the fact that he wasn't a very good major league hitter. Never was that more apparent than 1967, when Uecker split the season between two teams and hit .150/.243/.218 in 80 games and led the NL in both passed balls and catcher errors. The last 62 of those games came for Atlanta, and when the Braves released him on this day it ended his major league career.
Despite being a career .200/.293/.287 hitter Uecker had played in nearly 300 major league games as a member of three teams. He was also a member of the 1964 World Champion Cardinals.
Of course, Uecker wouldn't be out of baseball long: After a brief stint as a scout Uecker stepped into the Brewer broadcast booth for the first time in 1971 and has been there ever since. He recently wrapped up his 42nd season on the radio.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 1998-2003 Brewer Valerio De Los Santos, who turns 40.
- Appleton Baseball Hall of Famer Greg Walker, who turns 53.
- 1971-74 Brewer Jerry Bell, who turns 65. We covered his birthday in this space last year.
- Seattle Pilot Jerry Stephenson, who would have turned 69.