Arthur Lawrence Schallock (April 25, 1924 – March 6, 2025) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles from 1951 to 1955. From 2022 until his death, Schallock was the oldest living former MLB player.

Early life

Art Schallock was born in 1924 in Mill Valley, California, the fourth child and second son of Arthur, a telephone/telegraph lineman, and Alice Schallock. His older siblings were: Melvin (1911–1973), Alice (1913–1998), and Julia (1916–2006). Melvin was murdered in 1973.[1] Schallock attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley.[2] He played baseball, golf, and tennis at Tamalpais, and also played semi-professional baseball during the summers.[3]

Schallock was drafted in 1943 and served in the United States Navy (1943–1946) during World War II as a radio operator on the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea, which was later renamed the USS Anzio (CVE-57).[4] He was present at the Battle of Makin, where USS Liscome Bay was sunk.[5] After leaving the Navy, he attended Marin Junior College where he "made a name" for himself in baseball and was subsequently signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946.[2]

Professional baseball career

Schallock spent the 1947 season with the Class-A Pueblo Dodgers. He pitched for the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1948. He then pitched for the Hollywood Stars of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL) in 1949 to 1951.[6]

On July 12, 1951, the Dodgers traded Schallock to the New York Yankees for Eddie Malone, Bob Landeck, and cash considerations.[7] He made his major league debut on July 16, with the Yankees optioning Mickey Mantle to Triple-A to make room on the roster.[8] After getting off to a 9–3 start with the Kansas City Blues in 1953, Schallock was called up by the Yankees on July 6 when Ewell Blackwell retired.[2] He pitched in Game 4 of the 1953 World Series for two innings, allowing one run.[6]

On May 11, 1955, the Baltimore Orioles selected Schallock from the Yankees off of waivers.[2] During spring training in 1956, the Orioles sold Schallock's contract to the Seattle Rainiers of the PCL.[2] He retired in 1957.[9] Schallock appeared in 58 major league games, including 14 as a starting pitcher, and allowed 199 hits and 91 bases on balls in 170+1⁄3 innings pitched, with 77 strikeouts.[6]

Personal life and death

After retiring from baseball, Schallock worked as a sporting goods salesman and in public relations for real estate companies.[10]

Schallock and his wife, Dona Bernard, were married for 76 years until her death in April 2023. They had two children and five grandchildren. He resided in Sonoma, California.[11]

Following the death of George Elder on July 7, 2022, Schallock became the oldest living former major league baseball player. Schallock turned 100 in April 2024,[11] and died at an assisted living community in Sonoma on March 6, 2025.[12][13][14]

References

  1. ^ "Couple, Son Shot Dead in California". The Des Moines Register. March 17, 1973. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Art Schallock (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
  3. ^ Johnson, Daniel (April 22, 2024). "Oldest living former major leaguer to celebrate 100th birthday in Sonoma". Sonoma Index-Tribune.
  4. ^ Bedingfield, Gary. "Baseball in Wartime: Art Schallock". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
  5. ^ "Art Schallock, oldest living ex-major leaguer, dies at 100". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 8, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Art Schallock Career Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  7. ^ "Oldest living MLB player turns 100, vividly recalls facing Dodgers in 1953 World Series". Los Angeles Times. April 26, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  8. ^ "He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer, Art Schallock, is turning 100". AP News. April 25, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  9. ^ "Pitcher Art Schallock Retires From Baseball". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. March 6, 1957. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  10. ^ Cichalski, Dan (March 8, 2025). "Art Schallock, oldest living AL/NL player and 3-time World Series champ, dies at 100". MLB.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Brown, Daniel (April 19, 2024). "Oldest MLB player turns 100: Roomed with Yogi Berra, stymied Ted Williams". The Athletic.
  12. ^ McCauley, Janie. "Former pitcher Schallock, who once replaced Mickey Mantle on the Yankees' roster, has died". Associated Press. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  13. ^ Brown, Daniel (March 8, 2025). "Oldest living ex-MLB player dies at 100". The Athletic. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  14. ^ Machlin, Tzvi (March 8, 2025). "MLB's Oldest Living Ex-Player, World Series Winner Dies At 100". The Spun.
Records
Preceded by Oldest recognized verified living baseball player
July 7, 2022 – March 6, 2025 		Succeeded by
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Schallock
No tags for this post.