Dick Whitman
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | November 9, 1920 Woodburn, OR |
| Date and Place of Death: | February 12, 2003 Peoria, AZ |
| Baseball Experience: | Major League |
| Position: | Outfielder |
| Rank: | Master Sergeant |
| Military Unit: | 83rd Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Dick C. Whitman was born on November 9, 1920, in Woodburn, Oregon, 30
miles south of Portland. A star center fielder in high school, he also
played semi-pro baseball with the Silverton Red Sox, alongside future
big leaguers Johnny Pesky and Joe Erautt. Pesky, Erautt, and Whitman all
made the 1939 national semipro All-Star team.
From 1940 to 1942, Whitman continued to play baseball as a standout at
the University of Oregon, captaining the varsity team his senior year.
He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in June 1942, and assigned to the
Santa Barbara Saints of the Class C California League. After 21 games
Whitman was batting .425 with a .609 slugging percentage and he spent
the remainder of the season with the Durham Bulls of the Class B
Piedmont League, where he batted .273 in 64 games.
It was a promising start to his career but in November 1942, Whitman was
inducted for military service. He lost the next three years to the Army
and saw action at the Battle of the Bulge in Europe, where he served
with Company F, 330th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division, and was wounded
on January 8, 1945, in the vicinity of Bihain, Belgium, when a
shrapnel fragment pierced his back, came out through his shoulder and
grazed his head. Master Sergeant Whitman, who earned the Bronze Star,
Purple Heart and three battle stars, also suffered frostbite to his toes
during that time in the bitter cold, icy conditions. Nevertheless, by
June 1945, and with the war at an end, Whitman was pitching for his
battalion ball team in Germany.
Whitman was with the Dodgers in 1946, making his major league debut on
opening day April 16, against the Boston Braves. In 104 games he batted
.260 with 31 RBIs. He was assigned to the Montreal Royals of the Class
AAA International League in 1947 but played a further 60 games with the
Dodgers in 1948, and remained with the big league club in 1949,
appearing in one game of the World Series against the New York Yankees.
He was then sold to the Phillies for 1950, where he batted .250 in 75
games and played in three World Series games, before finding himself
back with the Dodgers’ organization for 1951.
Whitman never returned to the major leagues but continued to play in the
minors. He was with the St. Paul Saints of the Class AAA American
Association from 1951 to 1953, the Montreal Royals in 1953 and 1954, the
Pacific Coast League’s Portland Beavers in 1955, and served as
player-manager with the San Jose JoSox of the Class C California League
in 1956 and 1957.
Dick Whitman later worked as a manager for the San Jose Water Company
for 29 years. He passed away February 12, 2003, in Peoria, Arizona, aged
82.
Date Added December 18, 2017
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