George Michael "Catfish" Metkovich (October 8, 1920 — May 17, 1995) was an American

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 c ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the major ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

for 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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

(1943–46),

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) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

(1947),

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

(1949),

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

(1951–53),

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

(1953) and Milwaukee Braves (1954). Born in Angels Camp, California, to

Croatian Croatian may refer to: * Croatia *Croatian language *Croatian people *Croatians (demonym) See also * * * Croatan (disambiguation) * Croatia (disambiguation) * Croatoan (disambiguation) * Hrvatski (disambiguation) * Hrvatsko (disambiguation) * S ...

parents, Metkovich earned his nickname when he stepped on a

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

during a fishing trip and cut his foot; the injury and ensuing infection caused him to miss several games. Metkovich stood 6'1" (185 cm) tall, weighed 185 pounds (84 kg), and batted and threw left-handed. He helped the Red Sox win the 1946

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

pennant as the team's semi-regular right fielder. He appeared as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter 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, American ...

twice in the 1946 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. After flying out against Red Munger in Game 4, Metkovich's pinch double off Murry Dickson in the eighth inning of Game 7 helped the Red Sox come back from a 3–1 deficit. He scored the tying run on a double by Dom DiMaggio. But in the bottom of the same inning, the Cardinals broke the 3–3 tie on Enos Slaughter's " mad dash" to win the game and the world championship. Metkovich's early career was spent in the

, but his career peak came in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

of the early 1950s. He finished 38th in voting for the 1952 National League Most Valuable Player, playing in 125 games and batting .271 with 101 hits, 7 home runs, and 41 RBIs. In his 10 MLB seasons he played in 1055 games, batting .261 with 934 hits, 47 home runs, and 373 RBIs. Metkovich's playing career spanned 19 years (1939–57). He managed the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Bas ...

from May 16, 1957, through July 23, 1960, posting three winning records. He also briefly scouted for the expansion Washington Senators in the early 1960s. Metkovich appeared in several Hollywood movies between 1949 and 1952. In "'' Three Little Words'' (1950)", he performed in several slapstick comedy scenes with Red Skelton. He died in Costa Mesa, California, at the age of 74. In 2013, Metkovich was inducted posthumously in the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Metkovich, Catfish 1920 births 1995 deaths American people of Croatian descent Baseball players from California Boston Red Sox players Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Indians players Evansville Bees players Fulton Tigers players Hartford Bees players Henderson Oilers players Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball outfielders Milwaukee Braves players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Pacific Coast League MVP award winners Pittsburgh Pirates players San Diego Padres (minor league) players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Vancouver Mounties players Washington Senators (1961–1971) scouts John C. Fremont High School alumni