Ken Harrelson | |||
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First baseman / Right fielder | |||
Born: Woodruff, South Carolina |
September 4, 1941 |||
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MLB debut | |||
June 9, 1963, for the Kansas City Athletics | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
June 20, 1971, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .239 | ||
Home runs | 131 | ||
Runs batted in | 421 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Kenneth Smith Harrelson (born September 4, 1941), nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, and also nicknamed "Yox" because of his facial expressions, is a former All-Star first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball. He currently serves as a television broadcast announcer for the Chicago White Sox.
Harrelson was born in Woodruff, South Carolina, and his family moved to Savannah, Georgia, when he was in fifth grade. As a child Harrelson was interested in basketball and he hoped to pursue a basketball scholarship from the University of Kentucky. His parents divorced when he was eight.
He played golf, baseball, football and basketball at Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia.
Throwing and batting right-handed, Harrelson played for four teams: the Kansas City Athletics (1963–66, 1967), Washington Senators (1966–67), Boston Red Sox (1967–69), and Cleveland Indians (1969–71). In his nine-season career, Harrelson was a .239 hitter with 131 home runs and 421 RBI in 900 games.
His time with the Athletics ended abruptly in 1967 when Harrelson angrily denounced team owner Charlie Finley following the dismissal of manager Alvin Dark. Saying that Finley was "a menace to baseball", Harrelson was released and ended up signing a lucrative deal with the Boston Red Sox, who were in contention to win their first pennant since 1946.