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Lawrence Lee Elliot (born March 5, 1938) is an American former 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. 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 ...
, he appeared in 157 Major League games, all but 12 of them for the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
(; ). The native of
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, attended Herbert Hoover High School, alma mater of Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams; he threw and batted left-handed, stood tall and weighed . Elliot was signed by the
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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
as a 20-year-old out of San Diego City College, and spent four years in the Bucs'
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 ...
before making his Major League debut with Pittsburgh in . As a minor leaguer, Elliot had flashed home run power, hitting 16 homers in both 1958 and 1961, and 25 with the 1959 Wilson Tobs of the Class B Carolina League. Baseball Referencebr>(minors)
/ref> Per the baseball rules then in force, Major League clubs could keep 28 players on their rosters for the first 30 days of the regular season, before cutting down to the 25-man active roster used until September 1. Elliot received the first of his two early-season trials for Pittsburgh in April 1962, and appeared in eight games, including one as the club's starting
right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...
, and collecting three hits in ten at bats. In his eighth and final appearance, on May 3, he pinch hit for
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
Diomedes Olivo and hit a home run off eventual 24-game-winner Jack Sanford of the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
. He then was sent down to the Triple-A Columbus Jets, where he hit 23 more home runs, but batted only .235 in 134 games. He followed a similar pattern in , making the Pirates out of
spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
, appearing sparingly (four games as a pinch hitter), and then being sent to Columbus at the cutdown; that season, he hit 26 homers for the Jets. On December 16, 1963, the Pirates sold Elliot's contract to the Mets. Although Elliot spent part of 1964 with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, hitting eight homers in 42 games, he spent most of the campaign in the Majors, getting into 80 games and starting 55 contests in center field in relief of Jim Hickman. On August 11, he gained a measure of revenge against his old team when he doubled and homered, drove in two runs, and led the Mets to a 3–2 victory over the Pirates in a game shortened by rain. Elliot batted only .228 for the Mets, but hit nine homers in 256 at bats. He then played the entire season in the minor leagues, but the Mets took some of the sting out of the demotion by loaning Elliot to his hometown
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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
of the Pacific Coast League, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. He started 1966 with the Mets' Jacksonville Suns Triple-A club, batted a career-high .303 with 11 home runs in 73 games, and was recalled to New York in July. Elliot continued his hot hitting during his early appearances, with a three-hit game (and four RBI) against the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
on July 18 pushing his batting average to .348.1966 regular season batting log
in Retrosheet
But, although he started 53 games in corner outfield spots for the Mets through the end of season, his average eventually declined to .246. Elliot began with Jacksonville; then, on May 10, the Mets traded him to the
Kansas City Athletics The Kansas City Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1955 to 1967, having previously played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Philadelphia Athletics. After moving in 1967, the team became the ...
in what would be a significant trade for them, as they received in return
third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...
Ed Charles. Charles became a prominent member of the 1969 "Miracle Mets" and would be identified with the Mets for many years. Elliot played three full seasons (1967–1969) at the Triple-A level before retiring. In his 157 MLB games, Elliot had 103 hits, including 22 doubles, two triples and 15 home runs.


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliot, Larry 1938 births Living people Baseball players from San Diego Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Clinton Pirates players Columbus Jets players 20th-century American sportsmen Denver Bears players Iowa Oaks players Jacksonville Suns players Major League Baseball outfielders New York Mets players Pittsburgh Pirates players Salt Lake City Bees players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Savannah Pirates players Seattle Angels players Vancouver Mounties players Wilson Tobs players