John Bateman (baseball)
| John Bateman | |||
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| Catcher | |||
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Born: July 21, 1940 Fort Sill, Oklahoma |
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Died: December 3, 1996 (aged 56) Sand Springs, Oklahoma |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 19, 1963, for the Houston Colt .45s | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 3, 1972, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .230 | ||
| Home runs | 81 | ||
| Runs batted in | 375 | ||
| Teams | |||
John Alvin Bateman (July 21, 1940 – December 3, 1996) was an American Major League Baseball catcher. Listed at 6' 3", 210 lb., he batted and threw right handed.
Born in Killeen, Texas, Bateman grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma. He signed with the expansion Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent in 1962. In 10 seasons he compiled a .230 lifetime batting average, and ended his career with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Bateman clubbed 22 home runs for the Modesto Colts in 1962, and made the Colt .45s out of spring training the following season as Jim Campbell's back-up behind the plate. Campbell, however, sputtered, and soon lost his starting job to Bateman. On May 17, 1963, Bateman caught the first ever no-hitter in Houston franchise history. Don Nottebart held the Philadelphia Phillies hitless in a 4–1 Astro win. For the season, Bateman batted .210 while leading his team with ten home runs and 59 runs batted in.
Bateman split time behind the plate with Jerry Grote in 1964. In 1965, the Colt .45s moved into their new domed stadium team owner Judge Roy Hofheinz dubbed the Astrodome (named in honor of Houston's importance to the country's space program). To match with the meaning of the name, the Colt .45s were renamed the Astros. His first season with his newly renamed club, Bateman batted only .197 with seven home runs backing up Ron Brand at catcher.
In 1966, Bateman won back the starting catcher job, and set a franchise record with sixteen home runs by a catcher, a record that still stands today.
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