Everett Lamar "Rocky" Bridges (August 7, 1927 – January 28, 2015) was a middle infielder and third baseman with an 11-year career in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1961. Bridges played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Redlegs and St. Louis Cardinals of the National League, and the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels of the American League.
James Harry Taylor (May 20, 1919 – November 5, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher who appeared in 90 games, 44 as a starter, in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1946–48) and Boston Red Sox (1950–52). The native of East Glenn, Indiana, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).
Taylor's professional career lasted from 1938 through 1955, with five seasons (1941–45) missed due to United States Army service in World War II and another two (1953–54) out of organized baseball in the semipro ranks. He spent the entire 1947 campaign on the Dodgers' big-league roster, winning ten of 15 decisions with 20 starting assignments and two shutouts. It was an eventful season for Brooklyn that saw Jackie Robinson break the baseball color line in the Major Leagues, manager Leo Durocher's season-long suspension for "conduct detrimental to baseball", and the Dodgers win their seventh overall National League pennant.
Taylor was the Dodgers' starting pitcher in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series on October 3 at Ebbets Field. Matched against the New York Yankees' Bill Bevens, Taylor failed to record an out, facing four batters in the first inning and allowing two singles, a base on balls, a fielder's choice (the batter reaching on an error) and an unearned run before being relieved by Hal Gregg, who got out of the inning without further scoring. Bevens, meanwhile, threw 82⁄3 innings of no-hit baseball. But the Yankee hurler allowed ten bases on balls, and his no-hitter and game were ruined by pinch hitter Cookie Lavagetto's ninth-inning double, scoring the decisive two runs and enabling the Dodgers to win, 3–2.
Taylor returned to the minor leagues during the 1948 season, and spent almost all of the following two years at Triple-A. But in September 1950, his contract was purchased by the Red Sox, who were chasing the Yankees and Detroit Tigers in the American League pennant race. After one game in relief, he threw two complete game victories, September 25 against the Philadelphia Athletics (a two-hit shutout) and October 1 against the Yankees. But Boston fell short in the standings, finishing in third place, four games behind the Yankees.
In his 90 MLB games, Taylor worked 3572⁄3 innings pitched, and allowed 344 hits and 201 bases on balls. He recorded 127 strikeouts, 16 complete games and four saves.
He posted a .161 batting average (20-for-124) in his career. He fielded his position well, recording a .990 fielding percentage with only one error in 105 total chances.
Stephen Stepanovich Rachunok (a.k.a. "The Mad Russian") (December 5, 1916 – May 11, 2002), was a professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
A native of Rittman, Ohio, Rachunok appeared in two games during the 1940 season, one as a starter, where he pitched a complete game. His Major League Baseball (MLB) debut came on September 17, 1940, where he pitched the top of the ninth inning, surrendering 1 walk while striking out 1 as the Dodgers were defeated 5–0 by the visiting St. Louis Cardinals at Ebbets Field. His only other MLB appearance came 9 days later in the second game of a doubleheader at Ebbets Field when facing the Boston Bees surrendering 5 runs (all earned), striking out 9, while walking 4, en route to a 5–4 loss.Rachunok died on May 11, 2002, in Corona, California.
Ronald Alvin Negray (February 26, 1930 – November 8, 2018) was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he appeared in 66 games in Major League Baseball over four seasons between 1952 and 1958 for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. The native of Akron, Ohio, was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 185 pounds (84 kg). He graduated from Garfield High School and attended Kent State University.
Ray Wilson Hathaway (October 13, 1916 – February 11, 2015) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who appeared in four games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945. The 28-year-old rookie right-hander stood 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and weighed 165 pounds (75 kg).
Hathaway was born in Greenville, Ohio in October 1916. He was one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II. He made his major league debut on April 20, 1945 in relief against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. In his one major league start, the Dodgers lost to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, 5–3, on May 28, 1945. Season and career totals for 4 games include a 0–1 record, 1 start, no complete games, 3 games finished, and an ERA of 4.00 in 9 innings pitched.
He had a lengthy career as a minor league baseball manager following his playing days. He was inducted in the South Atlantic League Hall of Fame. Hathaway was the uncle of former major league pitcher Dave Burba.
At the time of his death in February 2015, he had been the second oldest former major league player still alive. Ironically the only man he was behind in this distinction, Mike Sandlock, was a teammate and played in Hathaway's first major league game, and Hathaway's only career start batting 8th just ahead of Hathaway in that game. This means Ray was never the oldest living player from his major league debut, or even the oldest living player to bat in the same inning as he had batted. (Sandlock batted before him in both of Ray's major league at bats.) His nephew is former Giants pitcher Dave Burba.
Donald Ray Elston (April 6, 1929 – January 2, 1995) was an American relief pitcher who appeared in 450 games in Major League Baseball, all but one of them as a member of the Chicago Cubs (1953, 1957–1964). Elston batted and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 165 pounds (75 kg). He was born in Campbellstown, Ohio, and attended Camden High School. His 18-season professional baseball career began in the Cub farm system in 1948.
A hard thrower, Elston played for perennially weak Cubs teams over the course of his nine-year major league tenure. After a brief late-season trial with the 1953 Cubs, when he was treated rudely by the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals, he was sent back to the minor leagues for the next two campaigns. Chicago included him in a December 1955 trade with the defending world champion Brooklyn Dodgers that was headlined by veterans Randy Jackson, Don Hoak, Russ Meyer and Walt Moryn, but Elston remained in the minors for all of 1956. He made the Dodgers' 1957 early-season roster and worked in one game. throwing one inning of shutout relief on May 5 against the Milwaukee Braves. He was traded back to the Cubs 18 days later for pitchers Jackie Collum and Vito Valentinetti.
The Cubs first used him as a swingman: in 1957, after his re-acquisition, he began as a reliever, then, beginning June 30, he made 14 appearances as a starter through September 13. But on September 18, he moved back to the bullpen, where he would spend the rest of his career. Elston became one of the best relief pitchers in the National League. He led the league with 69 games pitched in 1958, setting a club mark. Then, in 1959, he tied teammate Bill Henry for the league lead in appearances, with 65. That season, Elston won a career-high ten games and was selected to the 1959 National League All-Star team. He came on in the ninth inning of the first of 1959's two All-Star tilts and earned a save to preserve a 5–4 victory over the American League at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, on July 7. His 14 saves in 1959, third in the league, also was a career high. He was one of the Senior Circuit's top five relief pitchers for five straight years in saves (1957–1961) and games pitched (1958–1962). He posted sub-3.00 earned run averages in 1958, 1962 and 1963.
In 450 career MLB games, Elston compiled a 49–54 won–lost record with a 3.69 ERA and 64 saves. In 7552⁄3 innings pitched, he allowed 702 hits and 327 bases on balls. He struck out 519. During his brief career as a starting pitcher, he registered two complete games.
Elston died in Arlington Heights, Illinois, at the age of 65.
James Charles Wasdell (May 15, 1914 – August 6, 1983) was an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for all or portions of 11 seasons between 1937 and 1947 for the Washington Senators, Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians. The Cleveland native threw and batted left-handed and was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 185 pounds (84 kg).
Wasdell helped the Dodgers win the 1941 National League pennant. Appearing in 94 games, including 46 as a starting outfielder, Wasdell batted .298 in 287 plate appearances, collecting 79 hits. In the World Series, he appeared in three games, with five at bats; his only hit was a double off Atley Donald of the New York Yankees in the fourth inning of Game 5, the Series' final contest. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to one.
In 11 MLB seasons, Wasdell played in 888 games and had 2,866 at bats, 339 runs, 782 hits, 109 doubles, 34 triples, 29 home runs, 341 runs batted in, 29 stolen bases, 243 walks, .273 batting average, .332 on-base percentage, .365 slugging percentage, 1,046 total bases and 39 sacrifice hits. Defensively, he recorded a .981 fielding percentage playing primarily at first base and at all three outfield positions. Including minor league service, Wasdell played for 15 seasons (1935–1950) in Organized Baseball.
He died in New Port Richey, Florida at the age of 69.
Joseph Franklin Vosmik (April 4, 1910 – January 27, 1962) was an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians (1930–36), St. Louis Browns (1937), Boston Red Sox (1938–39), Brooklyn Dodgers (1940–41) and Washington Senators (1944). He helped the Dodgers win the 1941 National League Pennant.
He was voted in the 1935 American League All-Star Team as a right fielder. He finished 3rd in voting for the 1935 AL MVP Award for leading the league in hits (216), doubles (47) and triples (20). He also played in 152 games and had 620 at-bats, 93 runs, 10 home runs, 110 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, 59 walks, a .348 batting average, a .408 on-base percentage, a .537 slugging percentage, 333 total bases, and 5 sacrifice hits. He was traded from the Browns to the Red Sox for Bobo Newsom, Red Kress and Buster Mills on December 3, 1937. He finished 21st in voting for the 1938 AL MVP Award for leading the league in hits (201), playing in 146 games, and having 621 at-bats, 121 runs, 37 doubles, 6 triples, 9 home runs, 86 RBIs, 59 walks, a .324 batting average, a .384 on-base percentage, a .446 slugging percentage, 277 total bases, and 7 sacrifice hits.
In 13 seasons, he played in 1,414 games and had 5,472 at-bats, 818 runs, 1,682 hits, 335 doubles, 92 triples, 65 home runs, 874 RBIs, 23 stolen bases, 514 walks, a .307 batting average, a .369 on-base percentage, a .438 slugging percentage, 2,396 total bases, and 78 sacrifice hits. His career fielding percentage was .979 playing at all three outfield positions.From 1947 to 1951, he was a manager in the minor league system of the Indians.
He died in his hometown at the age of 51.