Donald Loren Gile (April 19, 1935 – March 5, 2021) was a

utility In economics, utility is a measure of a certain person's satisfaction from a certain state of the world. Over time, the term has been used with at least two meanings. * In a normative context, utility refers to a goal or objective that we wish ...

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 majori ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

who played for one full season and parts of three others between 1959 and 1962 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. Nicknamed "Bear" — he was listed at and — Gile batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more Fine motor skill, dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dext ...

. He was signed by Boston out of the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. While at Arizona, Gile competed in the 1954 College World Series. Over all or part of four MLB seasons, Gile hit .150 (18-for-120) with three

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and nine RBI in 58 games, including 12 runs, 2 doubles and 1 triple. Gile played 31 games at first base and committed 4 errors in 224 chances for a .982 fielding%. In 19 appearances as a catcher, he posted a perfect 1.000 F% in 39 chances. Gile played only one full year—1962—in the majors and went hitless in 34

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

through September 25. In the first game of a doubleheader on September 30, he collected his first

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

of the season. Then, in the nightcap, he collected his second hit of the campaign, a bottom-of-the-ninth, two-run walk-off home run, in his final MLB

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

, to give Boston a 3–1 victory over the Washington Senators. Gile played in minor league baseball in 1963 before leaving the game.

Personal life

Gile was born on April 19, 1935 in

Modesto Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the 19th-most populous city in California. Modesto is locate ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Gile died on March 5, 2021.

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1935 births 2021 deaths Allentown Red Sox players Arizona Wildcats baseball players Baseball players from Modesto, California Boston Red Sox players Greensboro Patriots players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball first basemen Memphis Chickasaws players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players San Jose JoSox players San Jose Red Sox players Seattle Rainiers players Tacoma Giants players {{US-baseball-first-baseman-stub

Personal life

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References

External links