Zebulon Vance Eaton (February 2, 1920 – December 17, 1989), nicknamed "Red", was an American right-handed pitcher. He played professional baseball for 11 seasons between 1939 and 1956, including two seasons in Major League Baseball with 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 of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in 1944 and 1945.

Early years

Eaton was born in 1920 in Cooleemee, North Carolina.

Professional baseball player

Eaton began his professional baseball career in 1939 playing for the Cooleemee Cools in the North Carolina State League. He then spent the 1941 season with the Beaumont Exporters in the Texas League. After the United States entered World War II, Eaton enlisted in the Army; he played for an Army baseball team at Camp Wolters. He received a medical discharge in December 1943. Upon being discharged from the Army, Eaton signed with the

. He played in six games for the Tigers in 1944 with no decisions and a 5.74 earned run average (ERA). In 1945, he played in 17 games and had a record of 4–2 with an improved ERA of 4.05. Eaton also contributed as a hitter in 1945, with two home runs, 10 RBIs, and a double in 32 at-bats. On July 15, 1945, he hit a 450-foot home run with the bases loaded against the New York Yankees. He hit a second home run on August 8, a 400-foot blow to left-center field against the Boston Red Sox. Eaton's last major league appearance came as a pinch hitter in Game 1 of the

1945 World Series The 1945 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1945 season. The 42nd edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion Chicago Cubs. T ...

. He pinch-hit for pitcher Al Benton and struck out. Eaton continued to play in the minor leagues for several years, including stints with the Buffalo Bisons of the

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

(1944, 1946, 1949, 1956), the

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

of the Southern Association (1947), Shreveport Sports of the Texas League (1950), the

Greenwood Tigers Green wood is unseasoned wood. Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to: People * Greenwood (surname) Settlements Australia * Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region * Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth ...

of the Tri-State League (1951), and the Gastonia Rockets of the Tri-State League (1952).

Later years

Eaton died in 1989 in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was buried at Elmlawn Cemetery in the town of Tonawanda, New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Zeb 1920 births 1989 deaths Detroit Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from North Carolina Beaumont Exporters players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Birmingham Barons players Shreveport Sports players Greenwood Tigers players Gastonia Rockets players People from Cooleemee, North Carolina United States Army personnel of World War II Cooleemee Cools players Cooleemee Weavers players Martinsville Manufacturers players Savannah Indians players