Richie Ashburn: Hall of Fame Center Fielder
Richie Ashburn (March 19, 1927 – September 9, 1997) was an American professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He was a four-time All-Star center fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies and member of the 1950 National League pennant-winning team, the Whiz Kids, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.
Early Life and Education
Ashburn was born in Tilden, Nebraska, the younger of a pair of twins; his sister was named Donna. He began playing baseball in 1935 in the Tilden Midget Baseball League at age eight, initially as a catcher on his father’s advice. He played baseball and basketball for Tilden High School before advancing to American Legion Baseball with the Neligh Junior Legion team, continuing as a catcher.
At the 1944 American Legion Junior Baseball East/West All-Star game at the Polo Grounds, Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack observed his exceptional running speed and advised him to switch positions. Ashburn signed with the Cleveland Indians in 1943 at age 16, but Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis voided the contract because he was still in high school. A subsequent contract with the Chicago Cubs for their Nashville farm team was also nullified by Landis due to an illegal payment clause. After enrolling briefly at Norfolk Junior College, Ashburn signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Career and Achievements
Ashburn made his professional debut in 1945 with the Utica Blue Sox of the Eastern League at age eighteen. Manager Eddie Sawyer converted him to center fielder, and his teammates nicknamed him “Whitey” for his light blond hair. After leading the Blue Sox with a .312 batting average that season, he was drafted by the United States Army early in 1945 but finished the season as the team won the Eastern League pennant. He served in Alaska in 1946, returned to the Blue Sox in 1947, and posted a .362 batting average with 191 hits in 137 games, setting a league record. At Norfolk Junior College for his second semester, he met his future wife, Herberta Cox.
The Phillies purchased Ashburn’s contract on April 8, 1948. He made his major league debut on Opening Day 1948 as a 21-year-old rookie, initially playing left field before moving to center field. By June 5, he had a .380 batting average and a 23-game hitting streak. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1948 to 1962, finishing with a .308 career batting average and 5,803 career putouts, ranking third among center fielders in MLB history behind Willie Mays and Tris Speaker. He was a two-time National League batting champion and routinely led the league in putouts. His career concluded with the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets.
Notable Events and Milestones
When Ashburn was named the starting center fielder for the National League in the 1948 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, he became only the third rookie in MLB history to start in an All-Star Game, after Joe DiMaggio (1936) and Dick Wakefield (1943). He hit a single on the first pitch of the game and scored the first run. In 1950, in the last game of the regular season, Ashburn threw out Cal Abrams of the Brooklyn Dodgers at home plate to preserve a 1–1 tie and set up Dick Sisler’s pennant-clinching home run that sent the Phillies to the 1950 World Series. The following year at the All-Star Game at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, he made a brilliant leaping catch in the sixth inning to rob Vic Wertz of a near home run.
Awards and Honors
Ashburn was a four-time All-Star and two-time National League batting champion. In 1995, following a lengthy fan-led effort for his inclusion, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1997, he was inducted into The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame. He was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Additional Resources
From 1963 until his death in 1997, Ashburn served as a color commentator for Philadelphia Phillies television broadcasts and became one of the most beloved sports figures in Philadelphia sports history. Readers seeking more detailed information about his career statistics, broadcasting work, and legacy can find comprehensive biographical material through Wikipedia and other sports history archives.
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