Richie Hebner
| Richie Hebner | |||
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| Third baseman | |||
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Born: November 26, 1947 Norwood, Massachusetts |
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| MLB debut | |||
| September 23, 1968, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 3, 1985, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .276 | ||
| Home runs | 203 | ||
| Runs batted in | 890 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Richard Joseph Hebner (born November 26, 1947) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman and the current batting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons. Hebner was known for working as a gravedigger at a cemetery run by his father and brother, Dennis, during the offseason.
The left-handed batting Hebner threw right-handed, and was originally a shortstop when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round (15 overall) of the 1966 MLB draft. He was moved to third base in the minors, and batted .308 with twelve home runs and 84 runs batted in (RBI) over three seasons in the minors to receive a September call-up to the majors in 1968.
When Maury Wills was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft, it created a hole at third base that Hebner was expected to fill. Hebner got off to a torrid start to his rookie season, as he flirted with a .400 batting average through the middle of May. By season's end, he settled into a .301 average with eight home runs and 47 RBI.
Hebner put up similar numbers in 1970 (.290 average, 11 home runs, 46 RBIs), but crushed Chicago Cubs pitching (.333 average, 3 home runs, 13 RBI in 15 games) to help his team capture the National League East by five games over their division rival. Despite the fact that they were swept by Cincinnati's mighty "Big Red Machine" in the 1970 National League Championship Series, Hebner had a great series. He was four-for-six with two walks.
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