Gene Oliver
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Eugene George Oliver (born March 22, 1935 in Moline, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball catcher/first baseman and right-handed batter who played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959, 1961-63), Milwaukee & Atlanta Braves (1963-67), Philadelphia Phillies (1967), Boston Red Sox (1968) and Chicago Cubs (1968-69).
Oliver was a regular catcher for St. Louis and Philadelphia, but mostly of his career he served as a back-up. Oliver had a strong arm and was good blocking the plate. As a batter, he had some power and decent speed for a catcher.
In 1965, Oliver reached a high-career mark of 21 home runs with the Braves, enabled the team to set a National League record with six 20-HR hitters in one season. The others were Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Mack Jones, Joe Torre and Felipe Alou. The same season, Torre, Mathews, Aaron, and Oliver hit 10th-inning home runs, in a Braves victory over Chicago Cubs. It sets the major-league record for most home runs in an extra-inning game.
The Philies and Braves switched catchers in 1967, with Bob Uecker going to Atlanta. After the trade, Oliver suffered a severe knee injury that shortened his career.
In his 1o-seasons career Oliver batted .246, with 93 home runs, 320 RBI, 268 runs, 111 doubles, five triples, and 24 stolen bases in 786 games.
External link
- Complete career statistics at Baseball Reference (http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/olivege01.shtml)