Herb Gorman

Herbert Allen Gorman (December 19, 1924 – April 5, 1953) was an American professional baseball player. He had only one Major League at bat in one game played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1952. The following season, he died at age 28 after he was stricken with a fatal heart attack while he was playing a minor league game.

Career

Born in San Francisco to Jewish parents, Gorman threw and batted left-handed. He stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg). His minor league career spanned eleven seasons, from 1943 until 1953, with 1944–45 missed during Gorman's military service in the United States Coast Guard during World War II.^[1] He began his career as a first baseman and he moved to the outfield in 1949. In Gorman's one MLB at bat, on April 19, 1952 at Wrigley Field, he pinch hit for Cardinals' pitcher Willard Schmidt, and grounded out to second base against Cubs' starter Turk Lown.^[2]

He was playing left field for the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League at the time of his death from a massive heart attack on April 5, 1953. According to accounts of Gorman's last game, he had hit two doubles in the game and left the contest when he complained of chest pain during the sixth inning.^[3]

Lefty O'Doul, Gorman's manager in San Diego, commented that Gorman "never complained, never caused trouble – he just wanted to play. I wanted to see how some rookies would do, so that's why he was making his first start. But I quickly saw that Gorman should play. A quiet fellow who just minded his own business. It's a terrible loss for his family and our team."^[4]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Baseball Almanac page