Carl James Linhart (born Karol Linhart, December 14, 1929 – January 4, 2022) was a professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player who appeared in three Major League games played as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter (PH) is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, A ...

and pinch runner for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

during the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

season. He was born in Zborov,

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. Linhart is one of three MLB players (along with John Stedronsky and Elmer Valo) born in the former Czechoslovakia or its pre-1918 territories. Linhart grew up in

Granite City, Illinois Granite City is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States, within the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. The population was 27,549 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the third-largest city in the Metro East and S ...

, and played eight

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

seasons (1948–1949; 1951–1956) as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

, mostly in the Tigers'

farm system In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

. In his only Major Leaguer service, with the last-place 1952 Tigers, Linhart pinch hit for Hal Newhouser on August 2 against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

, and grounded into a double play against Ralph Brickner. Almost six weeks later, on September 11, 1952, he pinch ran for Matt Batts in another game against the Red Sox at Briggs Stadium. Then, in his final big league appearance eight days later at Municipal Stadium, Linhart pinch hit for pitcher Hal White and made an

out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

second base In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the infield, between second and first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must ...

against Early Wynn of the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. Linhart died on January 4, 2022, at the age of 92.

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1929 births 2022 deaths Albany Senators players Austin Senators players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Charleston Senators players Czechoslovak baseball players Czechoslovak emigrants to the United States Detroit Tigers players Durham Bulls players Flint Arrows players Lafayette Bulls players Little Rock Travelers players Sportspeople from Granite City, Illinois Baseball players from Madison County, Illinois People from Bardejov District Syracuse Chiefs players Wilkes-Barre Barons (baseball) players Williamsport Tigers players Sportspeople from the Prešov Region {{Europe-baseball-bio-stub