Donald Loren Gile (April 19, 1935 – March 5, 2021) was a utility first baseman/catcher in Major League Baseball who played for one full season and parts of three others between 1959 and 1962 for the Boston Red Sox. Nicknamed "Bear" — he was listed at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) and 220 pounds (100 kg) — Gile batted and threw right-handed. He was signed by Boston out of the University of Arizona. While at Arizona, Gile competed in the 1954 College World Series.
| Don Gile | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman / Catcher | |
| Born: April 19, 1935 Modesto, California, U.S. | |
| Died: March 5, 2021 (aged 85) Stillwater, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 25, 1959, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1962, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .150 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 9 |
| Teams | |
Over all or part of four MLB seasons, Gile hit .150 (18-for-120) with three home runs and nine RBI in 58 games, including 12 runs, 2 doubles and 1 triple. Gile played 31 games at first base and committed 4 errors in 224 chances for a .982 fielding%. In 19 appearances as a catcher, he posted a perfect 1.000 F% in 39 chances.
Gile played only one full year—1962—in the majors and went hitless in 34 at bats through September 25. In the first game of a doubleheader on September 30, he collected his first safety of the season. Then, in the nightcap, he collected his second hit of the campaign, a bottom-of-the-ninth, two-run walk-off home run, in his final MLB at-bat, to give Boston a 3–1 victory over the Washington Senators.[1]
Gile played in minor league baseball in 1963 before leaving the game.
Personal life
Gile was born on April 19, 1935 in Modesto, California.[2] Gile died on March 5, 2021.[3]
See also
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet