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Don Demeter

October 14, 2023

Donald Lee Demeter[1] (June 25, 1935 – November 29, 2021) was an American professional baseball outfielder, third baseman, and first baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) over all or parts of 11 seasons for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians. He batted and threw right-handed and was listed as 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and 190 pounds (86 kg).[1]

Don Demeter
Demeter in 1966
Outfielder
Born: (1935-06-25)June 25, 1935
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died: November 29, 2021(2021-11-29) (aged 86)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 18, 1956, for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
August 28, 1967, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Batting average.265
Home runs163
Runs batted in563
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Demeter attended Capitol Hill High School, where he was one of 11 players signed by MLB teams. After a few years of minor league ball, he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956. After spending 1957 in the minor leagues, he played 43 games for the Dodgers (now in Los Angeles) in 1958, then became the regular center fielder for much of the 1959 season, helping the team defeat the Chicago White Sox in the 1959 World Series. A broken wrist limited him in 1960, and he was traded to the Phillies shortly after the start of the 1961 season. With Philadelphia, Demeter never failed to hit 20 home runs in a season, hitting a career-high 29 in 1962, a season in which he became the first Phillie in seven years to record 100 runs batted in (RBI) and finished ninth in the National League (NL) in hitting. September 1962 was the start of 266 consecutive errorless games for Demeter in the outfield, a Major League record that would stand for almost 30 years, until Darren Lewis broke the mark in 1994. In 1962 and 1963, he finished 12th and 21st in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting.

Before the 1964 season, Demeter was traded to the Tigers as part of a deal that sent future Hall of Famer Jim Bunning to Philadelphia. He batted .256 with 22 home runs his first year with the Tigers, then hit 16 home runs his next year, batting .278. In 1966, he lost playing time to Mickey Stanley and Jim Northrup, appearing in only 32 games before getting traded to the Boston Red Sox on June 14. He played center field regularly for Boston the rest of the year but lost the role to Reggie Smith in 1967 spring training. Demeter was traded midseason to the Cleveland Indians, where he batted .207. The Tigers almost reacquired him in late August, but the discovery of heart issues led to a void in his trade, and Demeter retired before the 1968 season.

Following his career, Demeter lived in Oklahoma City, where he started a swimming pool business, served as president of the Oklahoma City 89ers, and ran (unsuccessfully) for a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives as a Republican in 1976. In 2002, he started Grace Community Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, which he pastored for over 16 years. He is a member of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

Early life Edit

Demeter was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 25, 1935.[2] He was the third of four children of Lewis and Aileen Demeter.[3] His father was a painting contractor. The family lived in Oklahoma City until Demeter was about 10, when they moved to Denver. His parents divorced about a year after the move, and Demeter returned to Oklahoma City to live with his grandparents. After his mother remarried, he lived briefly in Keene, New Hampshire, before returning to Oklahoma City to live with a foster family.[2] His foster father, George Stevens, was a Sunday school superintendent at the Exchange Avenue Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.[4]

In fifth grade, Demeter became interested in baseball, as this was the first time his school had organized baseball teams.[2] "It never dawned on me that I wouldn’t play in the major leagues" he later recalled. "If I’d known the odds…”[2] In 1945, he played in the Oklahoma City Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) Junior League.[4] Players for this team received free passes to see the Oklahoma City Indians of the Class AA Texas League, and Demeter and his uncle Leland were often present at Texas League Park for the games. At one of these games, Don Hoak signed an autograph for him; the two would later be roommates while they both played for the Philadelphia Phillies.[2] He played basketball and football as well, but baseball was his favorite sport.

Demeter attended Capitol Hill High School, where, as a center fielder, he helped the baseball team win the state championship in both his junior (1952) and senior (1953) year.[4][2] In his senior year, his team won 59 games of 60.[5] He was the only member of the Capitol Hill High School starting varsity team that was never chosen to be on the Oklahoma City All-Star prep team, yet he would be the only one to experience success in Major League Baseball (MLB).[4] Besides playing for the school team, in the early 1950s Demeter played ball for the American Legion's Mosier's Tiremen of Oklahoma City.[6]

After graduation, the New York Yankees signed two Capitol Hill players, while the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Demeter and eight of his teammates.[5] This was partly due to the influence of John Pryor, the Capitol Hill coach as well as a scout for the Dodgers.[2] However, Bert Wells was the Dodger scout who signed him.[7] While each of his classmates received a $3,000 signing bonus, Demeter was given only $800.[5][3]

Minor league career Edit

After signing with the Dodgers, Demeter was assigned to the Minor League Class D Sooner State League Shawnee Hawks.[8] For his first season of professional baseball, he was paid a salary of $150 a month.[4] In 104 games for the Hawks, Demeter had a .223 batting average to go with nine home runs, six triples, and 42 runs batted in (RBI).[9][10] For the 1954 season, Demeter was promoted to the Class C California League Bakersfield Indians, where he hit .267 with 26 home runs and 89 RBI.[9][10] After the season, he complained, "I don't enjoy baseball. I'm not sure I should continue it", feeling that he could live a more useful life.[11] However, his passion for the game was reinvigorated after the 1954 World Series. "When I saw Alvin Dark tithed the church from his 1954 World Series share, I realized that baseball could have a very real meaning."[11]

In December 1954, Demeter decided to put in some extra playing time and experience by going to Venezuela and playing for Cabimas of the Venezuelan Occidental League.[12] Over 33 games, he hit .306 with 15 RBI, more than half of which came from two grand slams.[13][14]

He began the 1955 season with the Class A Pueblo Dodgers of the Western League. Demeter hit .262 with 5 home runs and 23 RBI in 39 games before being promoted to the Class AA Southern Association Mobile Bears. In 92 games at Mobile, he hit .251 with 11 home runs and 36 RBI.[9][10]

Rejoining Cabimas for winter league play in 1955–56,[15] Demeter batted .433 with seven home runs and 12 RBI in his first 60 at bats.[16] On January 21, 1956, he tied the Venezuelan record of 16 home runs in a season, hitting two in the game.[17] He finished the winter-ball season second in the league in batting average with a .369 mark and tied for first in home runs with 17, compiling 73 hits and 38 runs scored in 52 games.[18]

Back in the United States, Demeter was assigned to Texas League's Fort Worth Cats for the 1956 season. He hit home runs on four consecutive days from April 24 to 27, and six in his last seven games, a new league record.[19] On May 20, he had a five-hit day that included his 10th home run of the season in a 17–4 victory over San Antonio.[20] Demeter finished the year with 41 home runs and 128 RBI, both second only to minor league journeyman Ken Guettler, who had 143 RBI and shattered the Texas League record for home runs with 62.[21] Demeter also was very busy in center field for the Cats, leading the league in putouts with 442.[10] He was selected to the Texas League All-Star Team, receiving a scroll and a $100 check.[22] Fort Worth General Manager Spencer Harris said, "He's ahead of Duke Snider at a similar stage in Duke's development."[23]

After the minor league season, Demeter was a September call-up by the Dodgers.[2] He played his first major league game on September 18 against the St. Louis Cardinals, pinch-hitting in the bottom of the 3rd inning for pitcher Roger Craig. He struck out against Vinegar Bend Mizell, taking all three strikes looking.[24] The next day against the Cardinals, Demeter recorded his first major league hit and home run, driving a 2–1 pitch from Don Liddle into the left field stands to contribute to a 17–2 victory.[24] He finished the season with one hit in three at bats.[1]

Left off the Dodgers' 1956 World Series roster, Demeter did join the team for an exhibition tour in Japan following the season.[25] In the 18 game series, the Dodgers went 14–4 as he batted over .300 with five home runs, one behind Snider and Gil Hodges for the team lead.[26] During the tour, Dodgers Vice President Buzzie Bavasi claimed that the prospect looked ready for the majors.[27] National League (NL) president Warren Giles gave him very high praise, saying that he "should make the grade as a regular with the Dodgers next season. He played outstanding ball in Japan."[28] On November 2, Bavasi announced that he would be one of the prospects invited to an early tryout training camp at Vero Beach, Florida the next February.[29] Brooklyn President Walter O'Malley announced during the Japan tour his plans to move Snider over to left field to make room for Demeter in center.[30]

Before the 1957 season, Demeter was rated as one of the top eight rookie prospects in February in a poll of 12 major league organizations.[31] In a preseason exhibition rematch of the previous year's World Series, the Dodgers beat the Yankees 1–0 in 11 innings. In the game, Demeter hit a double, then later scored on a wild throw by Gil McDougald as he ran to third.[32] Overall, Demeter failed to impress during spring training.[33][34] Cut from major league camp by the Dodgers on March 31, he was optioned to the Class AAA St. Paul Saints of the American Association.[33][34]

Demeter started the season with St. Paul very strong, hitting .350 with 35 RBI and a league-leading 12 home runs through June 5.[35] On July 4, he helped his team overcome an 8–1 deficit by hitting three home runs to help the Saints beat the Minneapolis Millers 9–8.[36] Two days later, he was selected to the American Association All-Star team on July 6, 1957.[37] He was one of only four unanimous picks by the league's broadcasters and writers.[38]

On July 14, Demeter had to leave a game after severely pulling a tendon in his left hand.[39] He returned on August 2 to pinch hit a game-winning double in the 10th inning to beat Louisville 3–2.[40] However, the injury severely limited his play all the way to September.[41]

Demeter finished the season among the league leaders in several categories. He was third in the league with 28 home runs, fifth in on-base plus slugging (OPS) with a mark of .940, third in stolen bases with 13, and third in slugging percentage with a mark of .562.[42] Demeter recorded 86 RBI and a .309 batting average in 134 games.[9] He was not called up by the Dodgers at the end of the year partly because, by the time St. Paul was eliminated from the playoffs, Brooklyn had only five games remaining on their schedule.[2] Demeter was selected to the All-AAA team and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with the rest of the honorees on September 29.[43]

Los Angeles Dodgers Edit

 
Demeter in 1959

1958 season Edit

At the start of the 1958 season, The Sporting News listed Demeter as the "kid with greatest potential" and the "best bet for batting title" in the Dodgers' organization. The team had relocated to Los Angeles, California, following the 1957 campaign.[44] After serving a six-month term with the Army in San Antonio, Texas, Demeter was discharged on April 17, 1958 and left to immediately join the major league Dodgers in Los Angeles.[45] Playing time was scarce for him, as he only appeared in six games before being optioned back to St. Paul on May 9.[46] In 80 games with St. Paul, he hit .283 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI.[9]

Demeter was recalled by the Dodgers on July 30, when Randy Jackson's rights were sold to the Cleveland Indians for $20,000.[47][48] In the month of August, Demeter hit .148 with one home run and two RBI in 54 at bats. His numbers went up in mid-September, as he batted .263 with four home runs in his final 12 games.[49] He finished 1958 with a .189 batting average, five home runs, and eight RBI in 43 games for Los Angeles.[1]

1959 season Edit

On February 16, 1959, Demeter signed a new contract with the Dodgers for $8,500.[50][51] By that year, he was the only one of the Capitol Hill alumni signed after his senior year who was still in professional organized baseball in any capacity.[52] At the Dodgers camp in Vero Beach, Florida, he took the time to try to reinvent himself as a hitter. Previously, he had always tried for home runs, which resulted in 32 strikeouts in 106 at bats in 1958. Manager Walter Alston and new coach Pee Wee Reese worked with him on his swing. Believing Demeter was upper-cutting at the ball, Reese had him cut down on his swing. Alston had Demeter stand outside the batting cage and hit ground balls to the infielders while waiting for his turn in the cage. Demeter and Alston agreed that the simple exercise helped level off Demeter's swing.[3] While adapting his new batting style, Demeter pulled a muscle in his right leg on February 27.[53] It was not serious, and he returned to spring training play in less than a week. On March 12, he had a game-winning single with the bases loaded against the Cincinnati Reds in the 9th inning to give the Dodgers the 7–6 win.[54]

The Dodgers finally carried out their plan to make Demeter their center fielder, though they shifted Snider over to right field instead of left.[30] He did not play on Opening Day, as Snider played center and the left-handed hitting Ron Fairly got the start in right field against the right-handed pitching Bob Anderson of the Chicago Cubs.[55] The next day, Demeter was given his first start of the season with the temperature around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. He made the best early impression he could, hitting a home run and a single while driving in two runs as the Dodgers prevailed by a score of 5–3.[3] After pinch-hitting in the third game of the year, he hit back-to-back home runs in games four and five.[3] Snider's lingering knee problems helped cement Demeter's place as the team's starting center fielder.[3][56]

On April 21 against the San Francisco Giants, Demeter hit three home runs and had six RBI. In the third inning off Giants pitcher Dom Zanni, he hit the first ever inside-the-park home run at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The next inning saw another home run, this time to deep left off of Mike McCormick. He capped off the performance by hitting a game winning walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning off Al Worthington to win the game 9–7.[3] As of July 2009, only 22 players in the history of the majors since 1900 had three home runs in a single game during their rookie season. Demeter was the first Dodger and ninth overall to accomplish the feat, sharing the accomplishment with Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews and Mickey Cochrane.[57] The next morning, a photographer got Demeter out of bed at five o'clock in the morning to take photos for an afternoon Los Angeles newspaper.[3][52] In his first 15 games, he hit .345 with six home runs and 21 RBI.[56] Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer remarked, "Seldom have I seen a player come so far so fast. When I saw him for the first time late last season, he was just another journeyman. Now he's a real good-looking ball player."[3]

Demeter had another multiple home run game in an 11–0 win over the Phillies on June 11.[58] In May and June, he batted a combined .278 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI.[56] In July and August, he batted below .160 in both months and hit only two home runs.[56] Snider was moved back to center field on August 12, and Demeter was mainly used as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement for the rest of the year.[56][59] On August 18, he dropped an "easy" pop fly against the Milwaukee Braves in the bottom of the ninth inning.[60] Seeing that Bill Bruton was attempting to score, he fired the ball to home plate. "It was a perfect strike," Demeter described the throw. "But there was nobody there to catch it, because (Johnny) Roseboro was out at the mound congratulating (Don) Drysdale on the victory."[61] The Braves tied the game on his error, but the Dodgers later won 7-6 in 13 innings.[60] On the bus ride to the hotel, Demeter shook every one of his teammate's hands, showing his appreciation for "the team's win". At season's end, the Dodgers were tied with the Braves for the NL pennant, forcing the teams to play a tie-breaker series, which the Dodgers won in two games. Reflecting on what might have happened had they lost the series, Demeter said, "My error could have lost us the World Championship."[62]

In 139 games, Demeter hit 18 home runs and 70 RBI in 139 games.[1] He was hit by six pitches, tied with Richie Ashburn and Tony Taylor for the fourth-highest total in the NL. However, he finished seventh in the NL with 87 strikeouts.[63] Defensively, he had the fifth-highest fielding percentage among NL center fielders with a mark of .983.[64]

Demeter played in all six games of the 1959 World Series for the Dodgers. He replaced Snider late in the first two games, started the next three, and came off the bench once more in the decisive game six. In 12 at bats, he hit .250, scoring two runs as the Dodgers defeated the Chicago White Sox in six games for their first World Series championship in Los Angeles.[2][1] Following the example Dark had impressed him with five years earlier, Demeter tithed his World Series earnings to his church.[65]

Early in the offseason, there were talks of trading Demeter. Near the end of November, there was a six-player deal proposed between Los Angeles and the Washington Senators, involving Washington replacing Sandy Amorós with Demeter.[66] The Dodgers were reluctant to lose their 24-year-old hitter, offering outfielder Ron Fairly to the Senators instead. Washington continued to insist on Demeter until Los Angeles officially killed the deal on December 2.[67] The Dodgers had confidence in Don, believing that his offense was improving.[68]

1960 and early 1961 seasons Edit

Demeter signed a $14,000 one-year contract with Los Angeles on February 11, 1960.[51][69] Coming into training camp, team management was pleased that he had gained 12 pounds in the offseason, raising his total weight to 185 pounds.[70] In an intrasquad game on March 11 at Vero Beach, he hit a home run off eventual Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax.[71]

On April 12, Demeter had his first Opening Day start in the Major Leagues.[72] He started the majority of the team's games in center field until July 3, where he fractured his wrist on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates after colliding with Los Angeles shortstop Maury Wills. The injury prematurely ended his season.[73] In 64 games, he hit .274 with nine home runs and 29 RBI.[1]

In a November interview, Bavasi expressed his belief that the ballplayer would help the 1961 Dodgers hit more home runs. "If Don can show us the Demeter of early 1959, we won't have to look for added power. We'll have all we need."[74] It was announced on February 14, 1961, that Demeter had signed his new contract with the Dodgers for around $16,000.[75][76] However, the ballplayer would have stiff competition to regain his starting role in center field. Newcomer Willie Davis, coming off a huge season in the Pacific Coast League and last season's number one player of the year as named by The Sporting News, was considered a serious threat to take his job.[77] Davis won the role in spring training, and Demeter began the year as a reserve player.[78]

Philadelphia Phillies Edit

1961 season Edit

Before Opening Day in 1961, talks had already started between the Dodgers and the Phillies about a potential trade, in which the Phillies would send reliever Turk Farrell to Los Angeles for Demeter.[79] The trade became a reality on May 4, as Los Angeles sent Demeter and Charley Smith to Philadelphia for Farrell and Joe Koppe.[80] Phillies manager Gene Mauch was glad about the deal, announcing after the trade that Demeter would be a starter immediately. Mauch remarked, "There aren't many better center fielders around than he is, and you can put it in the book right now that he'll hit more than 20 home runs any year he plays a full season in our park."[81] Demeter would prove his manager correct, hitting 21, 29, and 22 home runs in his three seasons with Philadelphia.[1]

After batting .219 for the Phillies in May, Demeter hit .337 in June, with four home runs and 21 RBI.[82] In August 1961, the Phillies began experimenting with moving him to first base.[83] From August 15 through 25, he racked up six home runs and 13 RBI, including three consecutive games in which he hit a home run.[82] However, as the season dragged on, his nagging injuries caught up with him. Over the course of the year, he had to sit out for a week in May with a pulled groin muscle, several more days in June after a jammed middle finger on his right hand, and four times with a left knee injury, with the fourth occurrence shutting him down for the short remainder of the season.[83]

On September 12, Demeter faced his old team. With the Phillies at 50 games under .500 and the Dodgers trying to stay in contention for the NL Pennant, Demeter hit three home runs and drove in seven runs en route to a 19–10 win, hurting Los Angeles's pennant chances.[84] He finished the season with a .257 average to go along with 68 RBI and a 20 home runs.[1] Adding his totals from Los Angeles, he batted .251 with 21 home runs and 70 RBI.[1]

1962 season Edit

At the end of 1961, the Phillies had expected Demeter to be their Opening Day first baseman in 1962.[83] Plans changed in March when Andy Carey, who the team had traded for with the expectation that he would play third base, announced his retirement. This caused the Phillies to become interested in making Demeter the third baseman.[85] Mauch had high expectations, predicting that Demeter and Roy Sievers would be the two catalysts to help the team successfully improve upon its 47–107 record from 1961.[86] This marked the first season where Demeter knew he would have regular playing time for the Phillies no matter what, whether it be at third base or in the outfield. "We have to have Don's bat in the lineup somewhere", said his manager.[87]

On Opening Day, against the Reds, Demeter hit a home run and had three RBI to contribute to a 12–4 win.[88] He had three multiple home run games throughout the season.[89][90] On May 11, he had two hits and six RBI, including a third-inning grand slam against Dick Ellsworth, in a 12–2 win over the Cubs.[91] In August, he hit .398 with a .669 slugging percentage, eight home runs, and 31 RBI in 32 games.[89] On August 15 against the New York Mets, he attained a unique feat, hitting two home runs that day off two separate players named Bob Miller. In the third inning, he hit a homer against Bob Lane Miller, and in the ninth, he hit another against Bob Gerald Miller.[92] Demeter's stellar play down the stretch helped the Phillies win 30 of their final 44 games, giving them a final record of 81-80.[93]

The 1962 season was a breakout season for Demeter. He led his team in all triple crown categories and more. His home runs, RBI, and batting average were all top marks, as were his slugging percentage, OPS, and sacrifice flies.[94] He became the first Phillie to drive in over 100 runs since Del Ennis in 1955.[95] Against other NL players, he placed eighth in home runs with 29 (tied with Eddie Mathews and Joe Adcock), seventh in RBI with 107, ninth in batting average with a .307 mark, sixth in slugging percentage with a .520 mark, ninth in OPS with an .879 mark, 10th in at bats per home run with 19, second in times hit by a pitch with 10 (tied with Curt Flood, and first with 11 sacrifice flies (also a major league best). Demeter carried an offensive wins above replacement (WAR) mark of 5.4, seventh-best in the NL.[96][97] He finished 12th in the voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award.[1]

Defensively, his errors were way up from last season. In 1961, Demeter had only four errors.[1] Playing a new position in 1962, his 18 errors were fifth-worst in the NL, and his .937 fielding percentage in 105 games at third base was the worst in the NL for all players that played 60 or more games at the position.[98] Regular centerfielder Tony González suffered a back injury in mid-August that left him hospitalized for three weeks, forcing Demeter back into his old position in the outfield for the remainder of the season.[99][100] On September 1, he committed an error in a 7–6 loss to the Pirates; it would be a few years before he made another as an outfielder.[2][101] After season's end, Demeter played in an October 21 exhibition game for an NL squad managed by Cardinals manager Johnny Keane in an All-Star game sponsored by the Houston Professional Baseball Players Association against a team of American League (AL) All-Stars.[102]

1963 season Edit

In a move to potentially get Demeter playing left field on a regular basis, the Phillies acquired Hoak from Pittsburgh in November 1962.[103] However, Demeter began the season playing first base, as Sievers had a broken rib.[104][105] He started the season hitting .455 with four home runs and 12 RBI in an 11-game hit streak.[104] The Cardinals finally brought his streak to a close in the second game of a doubleheader on April 21, but he had two hits in his next game.[106]

On May 5, Demeter was involved in a dramatic play to end a game against the Houston Colt .45's. Phillies pinch hitter Wayne Graham hit a ground ball back toward Houston pitcher Hal Woodeshick, who threw the ball back to catcher John Bateman. Demeter attempted to run towards home plate from third base and collided with Bateman, knocking the ball loose and scoring the final run in a 6–5 win.[107] On May 17, he became one of the select few in MLB history to score a run in a game against a pitcher that ended up throwing a no-hitter. Don Nottebart of Houston held the Phillies hitless, but in the fifth inning, Demeter hit a ground ball past J. C. Hartman, resulting in what was recorded as a two-base error. Clay Dalrymple dropped a bunt to successfully move Demeter to third, and he later scored on a sacrifice fly from Hoak to tie the game at 1–1. Houston went on to win the game 4–1.[108] Demeter missed several games in May against the Colts after taking a pitch that hit his right hand on the middle and index fingers,[109] and two more in June when he jammed his right ankle while sliding back into first base against the Cardinals on June 12.[110] Beginning on the day of Nottebart's no-hitter, Demeter was platooned to third base. Hoak was not living up to expectations at third, hitting just .197 before being benched.[111]

In the last half of June, Demeter had six home runs over a period of nine games.[112] He had his second multi-homer outing of the year on June 19 at Cincinnati in a 6–5, 10-inning loss,[113] but had 10th-inning heroics of his own on June 25 at Pittsburgh when he launched a home run against Harvey Haddix.[112] Demeter suffered another minor injury on July 28 when Drysdale of the Dodgers hit him on his right forearm, resulting in several more missed games.[114]

Despite the injuries, Demeter finished the season as the team leader in RBI with 83, one ahead of Sievers. He was also second in home runs with 22, behind right fielder Johnny Callison's 26.[115] Demeter ranked sixth in the NL in at bats per home run with a mark of 23.4. His 10 intentional walks were tied with Ken Boyer for eighth in the league.[116] Despite committing seven errors at third base, Demeter was the only MLB outfielder to finish with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.[117] He tallied 63 runs scored, 20 doubles, and a .258 batting average, finishing 21st in the MVP balloting.[1]

After the 1963 season, the Phillies began entertaining trade offers on Demeter. Pittsburgh expressed interest, but Mauch said he'd only consider the offer if Bill Mazeroski or Roberto Clemente were involved in the deal.[118] On December 5, 1963, the Phillies traded Demeter and reliever Jack Hamilton to the Detroit Tigers for catcher Gus Triandos and eventual Hall of Famer Jim Bunning.[1]

In a 1965 interview, Demeter alleged that when the Phillies put him at third base, they would sometimes alter the dynamics of the infield. He said, "They used to let the grass grow for me whenever I played third base over in Philly. And whenever Cal McLish pitched, they'd be out there in the afternoon wetting down the grass in front of the plate." This was designed to make ground balls to the ballplayer roll slower.[119]

Detroit Tigers Edit

1964 season Edit

Tigers manager Charlie Dressen assigned Demeter to center field, moving previous starter Bruton to left. Commenting on the trade, Dressen remarked, "Demeter is a better all-around player than Rocky Colavito." Dressen's plan early on was to have Demeter bat third in the lineup against right-handed pitchers and fifth against lefties. The ballplayer was excited to perform alongside right fielder Al Kaline, saying, "I've always thought he was the greatest thing to put on a uniform."[120] In spring training, Demeter hit .364 in his first eight games as a Tiger,[121] including a bases-loaded three-RBI triple against the Cardinals on March 18.[122] In 27 spring training games, he recorded 12 RBI, second only to Norm Cash.[123]

Demeter injured his ankle in the first game of a doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins on April 19, hitting two foul balls off of it. After X-rays came back negative, he rejoined the team on April 22 against the Los Angeles Angels with a special guard for the ankle.[124][125] The setback resulted in a .138 batting average in his first seven games in the AL. However, on April 26, he hit his first home run as a Tiger off Jim Kaat.[126] On April 29, he hit a decisive home run in the top of the 10th inning against John Wyatt of the Kansas City Athletics, leading the Tigers to a 5–4 win.[127]

On May 23, against the Indians, Demeter went back to catch a long fly ball from Leon Wagner. As he tried to catch the ball, he hit his head on a padded metal bar on top of the outfield fence. The ball bounced off his glove and over the fence, resulting in a three-run home run for the Indians. Dressen remarked that he had seen the same incident occur with Bruton on a three-run home run by Tommie Reynolds at Kansas City on April 30.[128]

For the first two months of the season, Demeter recorded two home runs and 14 RBI in 37 games to go along with a batting average of .238.[129] On June 8 and 9, he hit a combined two home runs and recorded nine RBI in two games against the Twins. He homered again on June 13 against the Angels, and he delivered a game-winning double on June 14 to complete a sweep of the three-game series.[130] On July 14, Demeter hit a home run and drove in two runs, also making what was described as a "spectacular" diving catch that denied the Angels an opportunity to score the tying run in the ninth inning. He commented that the game was his best since joining the Tigers.[131]

On July 31, Demeter set an MLB record with 206 consecutive errorless games in the outfield, passing former Phillies teammate Tony González's mark of 205.[132] The streak began two seasons prior on September 3, 1962.[133] The player deemphasized the record, citing it as "deceptive." He remarked, "With the Phillies, I started quite a few games at third base and went to the outfield in the late innings." He claimed that he thought he made two errors throughout the 1964 season. "I lost one ball in the sun. Another one I didn't play very well in the wind. They were scored as hits. In my mind, they are errors."[132] At season's end, he had extended his streak to 228 games.[65]

From August 25 to 27, against the Boston Red Sox, Demeter had game-winning hits in all three games of a Tiger sweep.[134] In the September 7, 1964 issue of Sports Illustrated, he was named the Player of the Week for his clutch performances.[135]

Demeter finished the 1964 season with similar numbers to the prior season with the Phillies. He had 22 home runs and 80 RBI, batting .256. The ballplayer led all MLB outfielders with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.[1] He finished second on the Tigers in RBI to Cash's 83;[136] eight of these tied games for the Tigers, and 28 gave the Tigers the go ahead run.[137]

1965 and early 1966 seasons Edit

In January 1965, Demeter signed a new contract with the Tigers for the amount of $30,000.[137] He joined Dressen on an annual press-radio-television tour that went to Toledo and outstate Michigan in late January.[138] Demeter was cited by sportswriter Allen Lewis as the Tigers most clutch hitter,[135][139] but he still was unsatisfied with his power output. He trained in Oklahoma during the winter, chopping wood and gaining 12 pounds to raise his total weight to 202.[137] On February 5 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Demeter was given the Art Griggs Award, presented annually to Oklahomans with the most outstanding performance at the major league level. He remarked, "I would have to thank Mickey Mantle for moving out of the state, Allie Reynolds for retiring and Warren Spahn for just getting old."[140]

In spring training, Demeter had a two homer outing against the Washington Senators on April 2,[141] followed by another solo home run against the Reds on April 4.[142] He later admitted after his two-homer outing, in which he hit one over the left field wall and another over the right, that he wanted to try for a third home run over the wall in center field. However, he didn't get the chance as he was walked and subsequently pulled for a pinch runner. "It tears me up to walk when I'm swinging that good", Demeter said.[143]

Demeter was the Opening Day starter in center field on April 12, 1965, in Kansas City. Though hit by a pitch from Moe Drabowsky in the first inning, he finished the game with hits in all three of his at bats, including a triple. He scored two runs as well.[144] Although he began the year in the outfield, he started playing first base in May due to struggles by Cash.[145] Later that month, Demeter sat out several games with a minor case of whiplash sustained from a head-first slide into third base.[146]

Demeter played at first for almost every game for two months before returning to the outfield full time in July to resume his record errorless streak,[147] only for it to abruptly come to an end at 266 games on July 15 in improbable fashion against Kansas City. Charlie Finley, the Athletics owner, had some trained dogs serving on the grounds crew at Municipal Stadium, and one of these ran onto the field as Demeter fielded a ball hit to him. The dog and the throw arrived at shortstop at about the same time, Dick McAuliffe was unable to handle the ball, and Demeter was charged with the error.[148]

On August 12 against the Athletics, Demeter hit a grand slam and had seven RBI, tying a career high.[149][150] Against the Angels the next evening, in the fifth inning, a pitch from Dean Chance struck Demeter in the head. Carried off the field in a stretcher, Demeter was hospitalized overnight, and he would miss two games.[150][151] He suffered another injury against the Angels on August 27, damaging his left wrist while trying to make a diving catch on a line drive hit by Jimmy Piersall. After 12 X-rays, it was finally determined to be a sprain and not a broken wrist as originally diagnosed. It was the same wrist he broke in 1961 during his tenure with the Dodgers. Several key players were injured at the time, leading Demeter to remark, "I really feel sick for Charlie (Dressen). The poor guy gets his team where it can make a move and then injuries hit him."[152]

Injuries limited Demeter to 122 games, in which he had 16 home runs and 58 RBI.[1] His batting average improved over last season, jumping from .256 to .278, second to Kaline's .281 on the Tigers.[1][153] He was hit by six pitches on the year, tied with Pete Ward and Willie Horton for sixth in the AL.[154] As a pinch hitter, he batted .400, furthering his reputation as the most clutch hitter for the Tigers.[155]

Demeter was one of the last players to sign his contract for the 1966 season, receiving a raise to $33,000 in March.[156] Unlike years past, Demeter's spot as everyday starter in center field was not guaranteed. By March, it was already being predicted that Demeter was going to lose his position to a young Mickey Stanley, who was described by Baseball Digest as a defensive ace.[157] Demeter had trouble with a sore right shoulder during spring training, requiring a cortisone shot. Eventually, it was officially announced that he had lost his slot in center field to Stanley.[158]

After Stanley batted .143 in his first six games, Demeter began getting most of the starts in center field on April 19.[159][160] However, from April 25 through May 3, Demeter had an 0-for-23 slump, the worst of his career. It got to the point where Dressen told him to "not pick up a bat," benching him for six games.[159][161] A broken finger suffered by Stanley helped ensure Demeter's return to the lineup.[159][162] On May 17 against the Yankees, he broke a 2–2 tie with a two-run homer off New York pitcher Fritz Peterson.[163] Demeter remarked that the day was his wedding anniversary. "I've hit home runs six of the last seven years for her."[164] Later, against the Baltimore Orioles on May 21, Demeter started a six-run rally in the fourth inning with a three-run home run off pitcher John Miller to tie the game 4–4.[165] He again lost the starting job on May 4, as Kaline was shifted to center and Jim Northrup began getting the starts in right field.[159][166][167] In 32 games through June 14, Demeter batted .212 with five home runs and 12 RBI.[159]

Boston Red Sox Edit

On June 14, 1966, Demeter and Julio Navarro were traded by the Tigers to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Joe Christopher and pitcher Earl Wilson. The Red Sox had been attempting anywhere from several weeks to several months to obtain Demeter, offering a combination of catcher Bob Tillman and an infielder, but the Tigers continually rejected the offers. Boston manager Billy Herman had known Demeter ever since he was a coach for the Dodgers several years prior, and he had wanted Demeter for the Red Sox since becoming Boston's manager in September 1964. "He is a good hitter with power. I know he will take good advantage of our left field wall." Herman went on to say, "One of the things I like best about Demeter is that I can use him at five positions. He can play anywhere in the outfield, and he can play both first and third base. Don will shake up a few people on this club." Though he planned to put Demeter in center field, he was also considering using the player at third base, where Joe Foy had been struggling offensively. Herman also said he could use Demeter at first base should rookie George Scott need any sort of rest.[168]

Demeter went from a benchwarmer in Detroit to being an everyday starter once again in Boston. In his first game for the Sox on June 17, he hit a home run off Orioles pitcher Steve Barber to tie the game at 2–2, though Boston would go on to lose 5–3.[169] From his opening performance through the end of the month, he raised his batting average over 40 points by batting .348 with three home runs and eight RBI.[159] However, various ailments would diminish his playing time. In July, a foul tip hit him on the knee, costing him a few games.[170] Later that month, he had back problems that forced him to sit out intermittently.[171]

On August 3 at Minnesota, the Metropolitan Stadium scoreboard flashed a message as Demeter walked to the plate saying, "Demeter a Dad." His first daughter had been born that night in Newton-Wellesley Hospital earlier in the day. After the message flashed, the ballplayer launched the first pitch from Twins pitcher Dave Boswell into the left field bleachers for a home run. While Demeter ran around the bases, the organist played the theme, "Rock-a-bye Baby."[172]

Demeter returned to Detroit for a four-game series in early August. On August 6, he hit a home run off former teammate Denny McLain.[173] In seven games against his old team, he recorded two home runs, seven RBI, a .381 batting average and a .762 slugging percentage.[174]

In 73 games with the Red Sox, Demeter batted .292, the highest batting average of players with more than 10 at bats. His .478 slugging percentage was second to Tony Conigliaro, and his .783 OPS ranked just behind Conigliaro (.817) and Carl Yastrzemski (.799).[175] In the 23 games in which he batted fifth in the lineup, he posted a .372 batting average with four home runs, 14 RBI, and a .991 OPS.[174] For the overall season, he hit .268 with 14 home runs and 41 RBI, playing in 105 games.[1]

Coming into the 1967 season, Demeter again found himself faced with competition in center field. Rookie Reggie Smith looked to be the new starting center fielder, with Jose Tartabull to be his backup, leaving Demeter as the odd man out. Talks of trading Demeter surfaced in December, with The Sporting News theorizing that Boston might try to trade him back to Detroit to retrieve Wilson.[176] By the end of spring training, George Thomas had also passed him on the depth chart.[177] In the regular season, Demeter served as a reserve player, not getting a start until May 7, Boston's 20th game of the season.[178] He went 2-for-5 in the game with a double and a run scored, as well as two notedly hard line drive outs.[179] After Demeter's successful first start, manager Dick Williams told the Boston press that he would likely start in right field for Conigliaro, but come the night of May 8, Conigliaro was starting in right and Demeter was once again riding the bench, much to Demeter's reported chagrin.[180] He had only 43 at bats for Boston in 20 games through June 4, batting .279 with one home run.[1] On June 4, the Red Sox traded him and Tony Horton to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Gary Bell on June 4, 1967.[181]

Cleveland Indians Edit

With Cleveland, Demeter got several starts in centerfield, though he would play each outfield position as well as a game at first base.[178] Against Kansas City on June 19, with two men out in the bottom of the ninth and one man on base, he pinch-hit for pitcher Sonny Siebert, hitting a game-tying home run in an eventual 2–1 victory for Cleveland.[182] He missed several games towards the end of the month with a pulled leg muscle.[183]

On August 31, the Tigers announced that they had purchased Demeter's contract from Cleveland.[184] He was going to be their first baseman, but the deal was called off as it was found out that he had circulatory problems around the heart area.[185] Bothered by chest pains, he underwent several examinations. Doctors originally diagnosed him with a minor muscle strain, but an EKG on September 5 showed "changes which indicate a disturbance in his coronary artery circulation."[186] He did not play again after the transaction fell through.[178]

Demeter played in 51 games for Cleveland, batting .207 with five home runs and 12 RBI. For the 1967 season overall, he appeared in 71 games, hitting six home runs, driving in 16 runners, and batting .226.[1] In August, he batted .313 with six RBI and two home runs over 19 games. In his last appearance of the season, he was used as a pinch-hitter in an 8–7 victory over Kansas City on August 28.[178]

In early January 1968, Demeter was still listed on the Indians roster, but he was heavily considering retirement.[187] On February 29, he officially announced he was finished playing Major League Baseball. He had already reported for spring training in Tucson, Arizona and successfully passed a complete physical examination, but he decided to end his career anyway due to the potential for future heart trouble. Though he had not suffered damage to his heart, Demeter said, "The doctor added that there was the possibility that I'd be running down the line some day and have an attack."[188]

Demeter would play another game in 1971, however, when he participated in the first ever Old-Timer's Game hosted by the Dodgers. He started in center field for the 1960s Dodgers. The 1950s Dodgers won the game 1–0 in front of a crowd of 48,227.[189] In subsequent years, he appeared in other Old-Timer's Games for Los Angeles.[2]

Legacy and career statistics Edit

Demeter's errorless game streak would stand as a record for outfielders for almost 28 years, until on July 16, 1993, Darren Lewis would play in his 267th consecutive error-less game.[190] Following his career, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.[5] In 1999, he became part of the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame.[2] Writing for the Society for American Baseball Research in 2007, Jonathan Arnold said Demeter was "a very highly regarded player during his career, [though] he is largely a forgotten man now."[2]

Demeter holds the bizarre distinction of being the only major leaguer on record to field an apple. There was a game during his tenure with the Phillies where Demeter had missed several defensive plays at third base. The fans were upset and booing loudly, even prompting one overzealous fan to throw an apple onto the field. Demeter recalled, "I'd made two errors and here came an apple sailing out of the stands." He continued, "So I just picked it up, took a bite out of it and the booing stopped."[191]

In an 11-season career, Demeter posted a .265 batting average with 163 home runs and 563 RBI in 1109 games played.[1]

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG TB SH SF HBP FLD%
1,109 3,443 467 912 147 17 163 563 22 25 180 658 .265 .307 .459 1,582 33 32 42 .980

Personal life Edit

As a junior in high school in 1950, Demeter met his future wife, Betty Jo Madole, at the Exchange Avenue Baptist Church during a social event. They married on May 17, 1957 and had a son, Russell Don Demeter, on January 26, 1959.[3][192] They had another son, Todd, in 1962, and their daughter Jill was born during Demeter's time with the Red Sox in 1966.[2] Todd was a second round draft pick of the Yankees in 1979.[193] He played four seasons for the Yankees' farm system and two with Cardinals' minor league teams, but he never advanced past Class AA.[194] In 1996, Todd died of Hodgkin's Disease.[2] Two of Don's grandchildren, Cole and Caden Cleveland, were All-State ballplayers at Christian Heritage Academy in Del City, Oklahoma before playing National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 college baseball at Morehead State University in Kentucky.[5]

After winning the World Series with the Dodgers in 1959, Demeter returned home to Oklahoma City to spend the winter as a youth director at a Baptist church.[70][195] In the aftermath of his career-best 1962 season, Demeter toured on an exhibition team put together by Willie Mays, spoke at church functions across five states, and went on a church-sponsored tour of Japan along with Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson.[196][197] The tour was sponsored by the Texas Baptist Convention as part of its "New Life Campaign." "We are two Christians from the United States. We are here to present our witness for Christ," Demeter and Richardson described the purpose for their trip.[196] They gave Christian testimonies to locals and spoke to Japanese professional baseball players.[196]

Demeter did not drink, smoke, or curse during his baseball career. He also rejected endorsement deals for advertising alcohol and tobacco products.[198] Mizell, the pitcher who struck him out in his first at bat and a fellow Christian, later became a close friend of his.[65] Demeter was also friends with Washington Senators catcher Mike Brumley, his neighbor in Oklahoma City. Brumley accompanied Demeter to church appearances several nights a week throughout Oklahoma and Texas throughout the years, and the two gave a series of church meetings in Alaska in 1966.[137] Demeter was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.[2]

Once his baseball career was over, Demeter returned home to Oklahoma to start a swimming pool business.[5] In 1973, he became president of the minor league Oklahoma City 89ers.[199] He entered a political race in 1976 as a Republican, losing a bid for a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.[200][201] In September 2002, Demeter started Grace Community Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist church in Oklahoma City. He served as the church's pastor for slightly more than 16 years and remained on staff as its pastor emeritus. Tom Sturdivant, former pitcher for the Yankees, was one of the members.[2][202][203][204]

Demeter died on November 29, 2021, at the age of 86.[205][206][207]

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External links Edit

  • Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
  • Don Demeter at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
  • Grace Community Baptist Church (Oklahoma City) – church founded by Demeter

October 14, 2023
demeter, donald, demeter, june, 1935, november, 2021, american, professional, baseball, outfielder, third, baseman, first, baseman, played, major, league, baseball, over, parts, seasons, brooklyn, angeles, dodgers, philadelphia, phillies, detroit, tigers, bost. Donald Lee Demeter 1 June 25 1935 November 29 2021 was an American professional baseball outfielder third baseman and first baseman who played in Major League Baseball MLB over all or parts of 11 seasons for the Brooklyn Los Angeles Dodgers Philadelphia Phillies Detroit Tigers Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians He batted and threw right handed and was listed as 6 feet 4 inches 1 93 m tall and 190 pounds 86 kg 1 Don DemeterDemeter in 1966OutfielderBorn 1935 06 25 June 25 1935Oklahoma City Oklahoma U S Died November 29 2021 2021 11 29 aged 86 Oklahoma City Oklahoma U S Batted RightThrew RightMLB debutSeptember 18 1956 for the Brooklyn DodgersLast MLB appearanceAugust 28 1967 for the Cleveland IndiansMLB statisticsBatting average 265Home runs163Runs batted in563TeamsBrooklyn Los Angeles Dodgers 1956 1958 1961 Philadelphia Phillies 1961 1963 Detroit Tigers 1964 1966 Boston Red Sox 1966 1967 Cleveland Indians 1967 Career highlights and awardsWorld Series champion 1959 Born and raised in Oklahoma City Oklahoma Demeter attended Capitol Hill High School where he was one of 11 players signed by MLB teams After a few years of minor league ball he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956 After spending 1957 in the minor leagues he played 43 games for the Dodgers now in Los Angeles in 1958 then became the regular center fielder for much of the 1959 season helping the team defeat the Chicago White Sox in the 1959 World Series A broken wrist limited him in 1960 and he was traded to the Phillies shortly after the start of the 1961 season With Philadelphia Demeter never failed to hit 20 home runs in a season hitting a career high 29 in 1962 a season in which he became the first Phillie in seven years to record 100 runs batted in RBI and finished ninth in the National League NL in hitting September 1962 was the start of 266 consecutive errorless games for Demeter in the outfield a Major League record that would stand for almost 30 years until Darren Lewis broke the mark in 1994 In 1962 and 1963 he finished 12th and 21st in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting Before the 1964 season Demeter was traded to the Tigers as part of a deal that sent future Hall of Famer Jim Bunning to Philadelphia He batted 256 with 22 home runs his first year with the Tigers then hit 16 home runs his next year batting 278 In 1966 he lost playing time to Mickey Stanley and Jim Northrup appearing in only 32 games before getting traded to the Boston Red Sox on June 14 He played center field regularly for Boston the rest of the year but lost the role to Reggie Smith in 1967 spring training Demeter was traded midseason to the Cleveland Indians where he batted 207 The Tigers almost reacquired him in late August but the discovery of heart issues led to a void in his trade and Demeter retired before the 1968 season Following his career Demeter lived in Oklahoma City where he started a swimming pool business served as president of the Oklahoma City 89ers and ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives as a Republican in 1976 In 2002 he started Grace Community Baptist Church in Oklahoma City which he pastored for over 16 years He is a member of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Contents 1 Early life 2 Minor league career 3 Los Angeles Dodgers 3 1 1958 season 3 2 1959 season 3 3 1960 and early 1961 seasons 4 Philadelphia Phillies 4 1 1961 season 4 2 1962 season 4 3 1963 season 5 Detroit Tigers 5 1 1964 season 5 2 1965 and early 1966 seasons 6 Boston Red Sox 7 Cleveland Indians 8 Legacy and career statistics 9 Personal life 10 References 11 External linksEarly life EditDemeter was born in Oklahoma City Oklahoma on June 25 1935 2 He was the third of four children of Lewis and Aileen Demeter 3 His father was a painting contractor The family lived in Oklahoma City until Demeter was about 10 when they moved to Denver His parents divorced about a year after the move and Demeter returned to Oklahoma City to live with his grandparents After his mother remarried he lived briefly in Keene New Hampshire before returning to Oklahoma City to live with a foster family 2 His foster father George Stevens was a Sunday school superintendent at the Exchange Avenue Baptist Church in Oklahoma City 4 In fifth grade Demeter became interested in baseball as this was the first time his school had organized baseball teams 2 It never dawned on me that I wouldn t play in the major leagues he later recalled If I d known the odds 2 In 1945 he played in the Oklahoma City Young Men s Christian Association YMCA Junior League 4 Players for this team received free passes to see the Oklahoma City Indians of the Class AA Texas League and Demeter and his uncle Leland were often present at Texas League Park for the games At one of these games Don Hoak signed an autograph for him the two would later be roommates while they both played for the Philadelphia Phillies 2 He played basketball and football as well but baseball was his favorite sport Demeter attended Capitol Hill High School where as a center fielder he helped the baseball team win the state championship in both his junior 1952 and senior 1953 year 4 2 In his senior year his team won 59 games of 60 5 He was the only member of the Capitol Hill High School starting varsity team that was never chosen to be on the Oklahoma City All Star prep team yet he would be the only one to experience success in Major League Baseball MLB 4 Besides playing for the school team in the early 1950s Demeter played ball for the American Legion s Mosier s Tiremen of Oklahoma City 6 After graduation the New York Yankees signed two Capitol Hill players while the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Demeter and eight of his teammates 5 This was partly due to the influence of John Pryor the Capitol Hill coach as well as a scout for the Dodgers 2 However Bert Wells was the Dodger scout who signed him 7 While each of his classmates received a 3 000 signing bonus Demeter was given only 800 5 3 Minor league career EditAfter signing with the Dodgers Demeter was assigned to the Minor League Class D Sooner State League Shawnee Hawks 8 For his first season of professional baseball he was paid a salary of 150 a month 4 In 104 games for the Hawks Demeter had a 223 batting average to go with nine home runs six triples and 42 runs batted in RBI 9 10 For the 1954 season Demeter was promoted to the Class C California League Bakersfield Indians where he hit 267 with 26 home runs and 89 RBI 9 10 After the season he complained I don t enjoy baseball I m not sure I should continue it feeling that he could live a more useful life 11 However his passion for the game was reinvigorated after the 1954 World Series When I saw Alvin Dark tithed the church from his 1954 World Series share I realized that baseball could have a very real meaning 11 In December 1954 Demeter decided to put in some extra playing time and experience by going to Venezuela and playing for Cabimas of the Venezuelan Occidental League 12 Over 33 games he hit 306 with 15 RBI more than half of which came from two grand slams 13 14 He began the 1955 season with the Class A Pueblo Dodgers of the Western League Demeter hit 262 with 5 home runs and 23 RBI in 39 games before being promoted to the Class AA Southern Association Mobile Bears In 92 games at Mobile he hit 251 with 11 home runs and 36 RBI 9 10 Rejoining Cabimas for winter league play in 1955 56 15 Demeter batted 433 with seven home runs and 12 RBI in his first 60 at bats 16 On January 21 1956 he tied the Venezuelan record of 16 home runs in a season hitting two in the game 17 He finished the winter ball season second in the league in batting average with a 369 mark and tied for first in home runs with 17 compiling 73 hits and 38 runs scored in 52 games 18 Back in the United States Demeter was assigned to Texas League s Fort Worth Cats for the 1956 season He hit home runs on four consecutive days from April 24 to 27 and six in his last seven games a new league record 19 On May 20 he had a five hit day that included his 10th home run of the season in a 17 4 victory over San Antonio 20 Demeter finished the year with 41 home runs and 128 RBI both second only to minor league journeyman Ken Guettler who had 143 RBI and shattered the Texas League record for home runs with 62 21 Demeter also was very busy in center field for the Cats leading the league in putouts with 442 10 He was selected to the Texas League All Star Team receiving a scroll and a 100 check 22 Fort Worth General Manager Spencer Harris said He s ahead of Duke Snider at a similar stage in Duke s development 23 After the minor league season Demeter was a September call up by the Dodgers 2 He played his first major league game on September 18 against the St Louis Cardinals pinch hitting in the bottom of the 3rd inning for pitcher Roger Craig He struck out against Vinegar Bend Mizell taking all three strikes looking 24 The next day against the Cardinals Demeter recorded his first major league hit and home run driving a 2 1 pitch from Don Liddle into the left field stands to contribute to a 17 2 victory 24 He finished the season with one hit in three at bats 1 Left off the Dodgers 1956 World Series roster Demeter did join the team for an exhibition tour in Japan following the season 25 In the 18 game series the Dodgers went 14 4 as he batted over 300 with five home runs one behind Snider and Gil Hodges for the team lead 26 During the tour Dodgers Vice President Buzzie Bavasi claimed that the prospect looked ready for the majors 27 National League NL president Warren Giles gave him very high praise saying that he should make the grade as a regular with the Dodgers next season He played outstanding ball in Japan 28 On November 2 Bavasi announced that he would be one of the prospects invited to an early tryout training camp at Vero Beach Florida the next February 29 Brooklyn President Walter O Malley announced during the Japan tour his plans to move Snider over to left field to make room for Demeter in center 30 Before the 1957 season Demeter was rated as one of the top eight rookie prospects in February in a poll of 12 major league organizations 31 In a preseason exhibition rematch of the previous year s World Series the Dodgers beat the Yankees 1 0 in 11 innings In the game Demeter hit a double then later scored on a wild throw by Gil McDougald as he ran to third 32 Overall Demeter failed to impress during spring training 33 34 Cut from major league camp by the Dodgers on March 31 he was optioned to the Class AAA St Paul Saints of the American Association 33 34 Demeter started the season with St Paul very strong hitting 350 with 35 RBI and a league leading 12 home runs through June 5 35 On July 4 he helped his team overcome an 8 1 deficit by hitting three home runs to help the Saints beat the Minneapolis Millers 9 8 36 Two days later he was selected to the American Association All Star team on July 6 1957 37 He was one of only four unanimous picks by the league s broadcasters and writers 38 On July 14 Demeter had to leave a game after severely pulling a tendon in his left hand 39 He returned on August 2 to pinch hit a game winning double in the 10th inning to beat Louisville 3 2 40 However the injury severely limited his play all the way to September 41 Demeter finished the season among the league leaders in several categories He was third in the league with 28 home runs fifth in on base plus slugging OPS with a mark of 940 third in stolen bases with 13 and third in slugging percentage with a mark of 562 42 Demeter recorded 86 RBI and a 309 batting average in 134 games 9 He was not called up by the Dodgers at the end of the year partly because by the time St Paul was eliminated from the playoffs Brooklyn had only five games remaining on their schedule 2 Demeter was selected to the All AAA team and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with the rest of the honorees on September 29 43 Los Angeles Dodgers Edit nbsp Demeter in 19591958 season Edit At the start of the 1958 season The Sporting News listed Demeter as the kid with greatest potential and the best bet for batting title in the Dodgers organization The team had relocated to Los Angeles California following the 1957 campaign 44 After serving a six month term with the Army in San Antonio Texas Demeter was discharged on April 17 1958 and left to immediately join the major league Dodgers in Los Angeles 45 Playing time was scarce for him as he only appeared in six games before being optioned back to St Paul on May 9 46 In 80 games with St Paul he hit 283 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI 9 Demeter was recalled by the Dodgers on July 30 when Randy Jackson s rights were sold to the Cleveland Indians for 20 000 47 48 In the month of August Demeter hit 148 with one home run and two RBI in 54 at bats His numbers went up in mid September as he batted 263 with four home runs in his final 12 games 49 He finished 1958 with a 189 batting average five home runs and eight RBI in 43 games for Los Angeles 1 1959 season Edit On February 16 1959 Demeter signed a new contract with the Dodgers for 8 500 50 51 By that year he was the only one of the Capitol Hill alumni signed after his senior year who was still in professional organized baseball in any capacity 52 At the Dodgers camp in Vero Beach Florida he took the time to try to reinvent himself as a hitter Previously he had always tried for home runs which resulted in 32 strikeouts in 106 at bats in 1958 Manager Walter Alston and new coach Pee Wee Reese worked with him on his swing Believing Demeter was upper cutting at the ball Reese had him cut down on his swing Alston had Demeter stand outside the batting cage and hit ground balls to the infielders while waiting for his turn in the cage Demeter and Alston agreed that the simple exercise helped level off Demeter s swing 3 While adapting his new batting style Demeter pulled a muscle in his right leg on February 27 53 It was not serious and he returned to spring training play in less than a week On March 12 he had a game winning single with the bases loaded against the Cincinnati Reds in the 9th inning to give the Dodgers the 7 6 win 54 The Dodgers finally carried out their plan to make Demeter their center fielder though they shifted Snider over to right field instead of left 30 He did not play on Opening Day as Snider played center and the left handed hitting Ron Fairly got the start in right field against the right handed pitching Bob Anderson of the Chicago Cubs 55 The next day Demeter was given his first start of the season with the temperature around 40 degrees Fahrenheit He made the best early impression he could hitting a home run and a single while driving in two runs as the Dodgers prevailed by a score of 5 3 3 After pinch hitting in the third game of the year he hit back to back home runs in games four and five 3 Snider s lingering knee problems helped cement Demeter s place as the team s starting center fielder 3 56 On April 21 against the San Francisco Giants Demeter hit three home runs and had six RBI In the third inning off Giants pitcher Dom Zanni he hit the first ever inside the park home run at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The next inning saw another home run this time to deep left off of Mike McCormick He capped off the performance by hitting a game winning walk off two run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning off Al Worthington to win the game 9 7 3 As of July 2009 only 22 players in the history of the majors since 1900 had three home runs in a single game during their rookie season Demeter was the first Dodger and ninth overall to accomplish the feat sharing the accomplishment with Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews and Mickey Cochrane 57 The next morning a photographer got Demeter out of bed at five o clock in the morning to take photos for an afternoon Los Angeles newspaper 3 52 In his first 15 games he hit 345 with six home runs and 21 RBI 56 Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer remarked Seldom have I seen a player come so far so fast When I saw him for the first time late last season he was just another journeyman Now he s a real good looking ball player 3 Demeter had another multiple home run game in an 11 0 win over the Phillies on June 11 58 In May and June he batted a combined 278 with 10 home runs and 34 RBI 56 In July and August he batted below 160 in both months and hit only two home runs 56 Snider was moved back to center field on August 12 and Demeter was mainly used as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement for the rest of the year 56 59 On August 18 he dropped an easy pop fly against the Milwaukee Braves in the bottom of the ninth inning 60 Seeing that Bill Bruton was attempting to score he fired the ball to home plate It was a perfect strike Demeter described the throw But there was nobody there to catch it because Johnny Roseboro was out at the mound congratulating Don Drysdale on the victory 61 The Braves tied the game on his error but the Dodgers later won 7 6 in 13 innings 60 On the bus ride to the hotel Demeter shook every one of his teammate s hands showing his appreciation for the team s win At season s end the Dodgers were tied with the Braves for the NL pennant forcing the teams to play a tie breaker series which the Dodgers won in two games Reflecting on what might have happened had they lost the series Demeter said My error could have lost us the World Championship 62 In 139 games Demeter hit 18 home runs and 70 RBI in 139 games 1 He was hit by six pitches tied with Richie Ashburn and Tony Taylor for the fourth highest total in the NL However he finished seventh in the NL with 87 strikeouts 63 Defensively he had the fifth highest fielding percentage among NL center fielders with a mark of 983 64 Demeter played in all six games of the 1959 World Series for the Dodgers He replaced Snider late in the first two games started the next three and came off the bench once more in the decisive game six In 12 at bats he hit 250 scoring two runs as the Dodgers defeated the Chicago White Sox in six games for their first World Series championship in Los Angeles 2 1 Following the example Dark had impressed him with five years earlier Demeter tithed his World Series earnings to his church 65 Early in the offseason there were talks of trading Demeter Near the end of November there was a six player deal proposed between Los Angeles and the Washington Senators involving Washington replacing Sandy Amoros with Demeter 66 The Dodgers were reluctant to lose their 24 year old hitter offering outfielder Ron Fairly to the Senators instead Washington continued to insist on Demeter until Los Angeles officially killed the deal on December 2 67 The Dodgers had confidence in Don believing that his offense was improving 68 1960 and early 1961 seasons Edit Demeter signed a 14 000 one year contract with Los Angeles on February 11 1960 51 69 Coming into training camp team management was pleased that he had gained 12 pounds in the offseason raising his total weight to 185 pounds 70 In an intrasquad game on March 11 at Vero Beach he hit a home run off eventual Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax 71 On April 12 Demeter had his first Opening Day start in the Major Leagues 72 He started the majority of the team s games in center field until July 3 where he fractured his wrist on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates after colliding with Los Angeles shortstop Maury Wills The injury prematurely ended his season 73 In 64 games he hit 274 with nine home runs and 29 RBI 1 In a November interview Bavasi expressed his belief that the ballplayer would help the 1961 Dodgers hit more home runs If Don can show us the Demeter of early 1959 we won t have to look for added power We ll have all we need 74 It was announced on February 14 1961 that Demeter had signed his new contract with the Dodgers for around 16 000 75 76 However the ballplayer would have stiff competition to regain his starting role in center field Newcomer Willie Davis coming off a huge season in the Pacific Coast League and last season s number one player of the year as named by The Sporting News was considered a serious threat to take his job 77 Davis won the role in spring training and Demeter began the year as a reserve player 78 Philadelphia Phillies Edit1961 season Edit Before Opening Day in 1961 talks had already started between the Dodgers and the Phillies about a potential trade in which the Phillies would send reliever Turk Farrell to Los Angeles for Demeter 79 The trade became a reality on May 4 as Los Angeles sent Demeter and Charley Smith to Philadelphia for Farrell and Joe Koppe 80 Phillies manager Gene Mauch was glad about the deal announcing after the trade that Demeter would be a starter immediately Mauch remarked There aren t many better center fielders around than he is and you can put it in the book right now that he ll hit more than 20 home runs any year he plays a full season in our park 81 Demeter would prove his manager correct hitting 21 29 and 22 home runs in his three seasons with Philadelphia 1 After batting 219 for the Phillies in May Demeter hit 337 in June with four home runs and 21 RBI 82 In August 1961 the Phillies began experimenting with moving him to first base 83 From August 15 through 25 he racked up six home runs and 13 RBI including three consecutive games in which he hit a home run 82 However as the season dragged on his nagging injuries caught up with him Over the course of the year he had to sit out for a week in May with a pulled groin muscle several more days in June after a jammed middle finger on his right hand and four times with a left knee injury with the fourth occurrence shutting him down for the short remainder of the season 83 On September 12 Demeter faced his old team With the Phillies at 50 games under 500 and the Dodgers trying to stay in contention for the NL Pennant Demeter hit three home runs and drove in seven runs en route to a 19 10 win hurting Los Angeles s pennant chances 84 He finished the season with a 257 average to go along with 68 RBI and a 20 home runs 1 Adding his totals from Los Angeles he batted 251 with 21 home runs and 70 RBI 1 1962 season Edit At the end of 1961 the Phillies had expected Demeter to be their Opening Day first baseman in 1962 83 Plans changed in March when Andy Carey who the team had traded for with the expectation that he would play third base announced his retirement This caused the Phillies to become interested in making Demeter the third baseman 85 Mauch had high expectations predicting that Demeter and Roy Sievers would be the two catalysts to help the team successfully improve upon its 47 107 record from 1961 86 This marked the first season where Demeter knew he would have regular playing time for the Phillies no matter what whether it be at third base or in the outfield We have to have Don s bat in the lineup somewhere said his manager 87 On Opening Day against the Reds Demeter hit a home run and had three RBI to contribute to a 12 4 win 88 He had three multiple home run games throughout the season 89 90 On May 11 he had two hits and six RBI including a third inning grand slam against Dick Ellsworth in a 12 2 win over the Cubs 91 In August he hit 398 with a 669 slugging percentage eight home runs and 31 RBI in 32 games 89 On August 15 against the New York Mets he attained a unique feat hitting two home runs that day off two separate players named Bob Miller In the third inning he hit a homer against Bob Lane Miller and in the ninth he hit another against Bob Gerald Miller 92 Demeter s stellar play down the stretch helped the Phillies win 30 of their final 44 games giving them a final record of 81 80 93 The 1962 season was a breakout season for Demeter He led his team in all triple crown categories and more His home runs RBI and batting average were all top marks as were his slugging percentage OPS and sacrifice flies 94 He became the first Phillie to drive in over 100 runs since Del Ennis in 1955 95 Against other NL players he placed eighth in home runs with 29 tied with Eddie Mathews and Joe Adcock seventh in RBI with 107 ninth in batting average with a 307 mark sixth in slugging percentage with a 520 mark ninth in OPS with an 879 mark 10th in at bats per home run with 19 second in times hit by a pitch with 10 tied with Curt Flood and first with 11 sacrifice flies also a major league best Demeter carried an offensive wins above replacement WAR mark of 5 4 seventh best in the NL 96 97 He finished 12th in the voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award 1 Defensively his errors were way up from last season In 1961 Demeter had only four errors 1 Playing a new position in 1962 his 18 errors were fifth worst in the NL and his 937 fielding percentage in 105 games at third base was the worst in the NL for all players that played 60 or more games at the position 98 Regular centerfielder Tony Gonzalez suffered a back injury in mid August that left him hospitalized for three weeks forcing Demeter back into his old position in the outfield for the remainder of the season 99 100 On September 1 he committed an error in a 7 6 loss to the Pirates it would be a few years before he made another as an outfielder 2 101 After season s end Demeter played in an October 21 exhibition game for an NL squad managed by Cardinals manager Johnny Keane in an All Star game sponsored by the Houston Professional Baseball Players Association against a team of American League AL All Stars 102 1963 season Edit In a move to potentially get Demeter playing left field on a regular basis the Phillies acquired Hoak from Pittsburgh in November 1962 103 However Demeter began the season playing first base as Sievers had a broken rib 104 105 He started the season hitting 455 with four home runs and 12 RBI in an 11 game hit streak 104 The Cardinals finally brought his streak to a close in the second game of a doubleheader on April 21 but he had two hits in his next game 106 On May 5 Demeter was involved in a dramatic play to end a game against the Houston Colt 45 s Phillies pinch hitter Wayne Graham hit a ground ball back toward Houston pitcher Hal Woodeshick who threw the ball back to catcher John Bateman Demeter attempted to run towards home plate from third base and collided with Bateman knocking the ball loose and scoring the final run in a 6 5 win 107 On May 17 he became one of the select few in MLB history to score a run in a game against a pitcher that ended up throwing a no hitter Don Nottebart of Houston held the Phillies hitless but in the fifth inning Demeter hit a ground ball past J C Hartman resulting in what was recorded as a two base error Clay Dalrymple dropped a bunt to successfully move Demeter to third and he later scored on a sacrifice fly from Hoak to tie the game at 1 1 Houston went on to win the game 4 1 108 Demeter missed several games in May against the Colts after taking a pitch that hit his right hand on the middle and index fingers 109 and two more in June when he jammed his right ankle while sliding back into first base against the Cardinals on June 12 110 Beginning on the day of Nottebart s no hitter Demeter was platooned to third base Hoak was not living up to expectations at third hitting just 197 before being benched 111 In the last half of June Demeter had six home runs over a period of nine games 112 He had his second multi homer outing of the year on June 19 at Cincinnati in a 6 5 10 inning loss 113 but had 10th inning heroics of his own on June 25 at Pittsburgh when he launched a home run against Harvey Haddix 112 Demeter suffered another minor injury on July 28 when Drysdale of the Dodgers hit him on his right forearm resulting in several more missed games 114 Despite the injuries Demeter finished the season as the team leader in RBI with 83 one ahead of Sievers He was also second in home runs with 22 behind right fielder Johnny Callison s 26 115 Demeter ranked sixth in the NL in at bats per home run with a mark of 23 4 His 10 intentional walks were tied with Ken Boyer for eighth in the league 116 Despite committing seven errors at third base Demeter was the only MLB outfielder to finish with a perfect 1 000 fielding percentage 117 He tallied 63 runs scored 20 doubles and a 258 batting average finishing 21st in the MVP balloting 1 After the 1963 season the Phillies began entertaining trade offers on Demeter Pittsburgh expressed interest but Mauch said he d only consider the offer if Bill Mazeroski or Roberto Clemente were involved in the deal 118 On December 5 1963 the Phillies traded Demeter and reliever Jack Hamilton to the Detroit Tigers for catcher Gus Triandos and eventual Hall of Famer Jim Bunning 1 In a 1965 interview Demeter alleged that when the Phillies put him at third base they would sometimes alter the dynamics of the infield He said They used to let the grass grow for me whenever I played third base over in Philly And whenever Cal McLish pitched they d be out there in the afternoon wetting down the grass in front of the plate This was designed to make ground balls to the ballplayer roll slower 119 Detroit Tigers Edit1964 season Edit Tigers manager Charlie Dressen assigned Demeter to center field moving previous starter Bruton to left Commenting on the trade Dressen remarked Demeter is a better all around player than Rocky Colavito Dressen s plan early on was to have Demeter bat third in the lineup against right handed pitchers and fifth against lefties The ballplayer was excited to perform alongside right fielder Al Kaline saying I ve always thought he was the greatest thing to put on a uniform 120 In spring training Demeter hit 364 in his first eight games as a Tiger 121 including a bases loaded three RBI triple against the Cardinals on March 18 122 In 27 spring training games he recorded 12 RBI second only to Norm Cash 123 Demeter injured his ankle in the first game of a doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins on April 19 hitting two foul balls off of it After X rays came back negative he rejoined the team on April 22 against the Los Angeles Angels with a special guard for the ankle 124 125 The setback resulted in a 138 batting average in his first seven games in the AL However on April 26 he hit his first home run as a Tiger off Jim Kaat 126 On April 29 he hit a decisive home run in the top of the 10th inning against John Wyatt of the Kansas City Athletics leading the Tigers to a 5 4 win 127 On May 23 against the Indians Demeter went back to catch a long fly ball from Leon Wagner As he tried to catch the ball he hit his head on a padded metal bar on top of the outfield fence The ball bounced off his glove and over the fence resulting in a three run home run for the Indians Dressen remarked that he had seen the same incident occur with Bruton on a three run home run by Tommie Reynolds at Kansas City on April 30 128 For the first two months of the season Demeter recorded two home runs and 14 RBI in 37 games to go along with a batting average of 238 129 On June 8 and 9 he hit a combined two home runs and recorded nine RBI in two games against the Twins He homered again on June 13 against the Angels and he delivered a game winning double on June 14 to complete a sweep of the three game series 130 On July 14 Demeter hit a home run and drove in two runs also making what was described as a spectacular diving catch that denied the Angels an opportunity to score the tying run in the ninth inning He commented that the game was his best since joining the Tigers 131 On July 31 Demeter set an MLB record with 206 consecutive errorless games in the outfield passing former Phillies teammate Tony Gonzalez s mark of 205 132 The streak began two seasons prior on September 3 1962 133 The player deemphasized the record citing it as deceptive He remarked With the Phillies I started quite a few games at third base and went to the outfield in the late innings He claimed that he thought he made two errors throughout the 1964 season I lost one ball in the sun Another one I didn t play very well in the wind They were scored as hits In my mind they are errors 132 At season s end he had extended his streak to 228 games 65 From August 25 to 27 against the Boston Red Sox Demeter had game winning hits in all three games of a Tiger sweep 134 In the September 7 1964 issue of Sports Illustrated he was named the Player of the Week for his clutch performances 135 Demeter finished the 1964 season with similar numbers to the prior season with the Phillies He had 22 home runs and 80 RBI batting 256 The ballplayer led all MLB outfielders with a perfect 1 000 fielding percentage 1 He finished second on the Tigers in RBI to Cash s 83 136 eight of these tied games for the Tigers and 28 gave the Tigers the go ahead run 137 1965 and early 1966 seasons Edit In January 1965 Demeter signed a new contract with the Tigers for the amount of 30 000 137 He joined Dressen on an annual press radio television tour that went to Toledo and outstate Michigan in late January 138 Demeter was cited by sportswriter Allen Lewis as the Tigers most clutch hitter 135 139 but he still was unsatisfied with his power output He trained in Oklahoma during the winter chopping wood and gaining 12 pounds to raise his total weight to 202 137 On February 5 in Tulsa Oklahoma Demeter was given the Art Griggs Award presented annually to Oklahomans with the most outstanding performance at the major league level He remarked I would have to thank Mickey Mantle for moving out of the state Allie Reynolds for retiring and Warren Spahn for just getting old 140 In spring training Demeter had a two homer outing against the Washington Senators on April 2 141 followed by another solo home run against the Reds on April 4 142 He later admitted after his two homer outing in which he hit one over the left field wall and another over the right that he wanted to try for a third home run over the wall in center field However he didn t get the chance as he was walked and subsequently pulled for a pinch runner It tears me up to walk when I m swinging that good Demeter said 143 Demeter was the Opening Day starter in center field on April 12 1965 in Kansas City Though hit by a pitch from Moe Drabowsky in the first inning he finished the game with hits in all three of his at bats including a triple He scored two runs as well 144 Although he began the year in the outfield he started playing first base in May due to struggles by Cash 145 Later that month Demeter sat out several games with a minor case of whiplash sustained from a head first slide into third base 146 Demeter played at first for almost every game for two months before returning to the outfield full time in July to resume his record errorless streak 147 only for it to abruptly come to an end at 266 games on July 15 in improbable fashion against Kansas City Charlie Finley the Athletics owner had some trained dogs serving on the grounds crew at Municipal Stadium and one of these ran onto the field as Demeter fielded a ball hit to him The dog and the throw arrived at shortstop at about the same time Dick McAuliffe was unable to handle the ball and Demeter was charged with the error 148 On August 12 against the Athletics Demeter hit a grand slam and had seven RBI tying a career high 149 150 Against the Angels the next evening in the fifth inning a pitch from Dean Chance struck Demeter in the head Carried off the field in a stretcher Demeter was hospitalized overnight and he would miss two games 150 151 He suffered another injury against the Angels on August 27 damaging his left wrist while trying to make a diving catch on a line drive hit by Jimmy Piersall After 12 X rays it was finally determined to be a sprain and not a broken wrist as originally diagnosed It was the same wrist he broke in 1961 during his tenure with the Dodgers Several key players were injured at the time leading Demeter to remark I really feel sick for Charlie Dressen The poor guy gets his team where it can make a move and then injuries hit him 152 Injuries limited Demeter to 122 games in which he had 16 home runs and 58 RBI 1 His batting average improved over last season jumping from 256 to 278 second to Kaline s 281 on the Tigers 1 153 He was hit by six pitches on the year tied with Pete Ward and Willie Horton for sixth in the AL 154 As a pinch hitter he batted 400 furthering his reputation as the most clutch hitter for the Tigers 155 Demeter was one of the last players to sign his contract for the 1966 season receiving a raise to 33 000 in March 156 Unlike years past Demeter s spot as everyday starter in center field was not guaranteed By March it was already being predicted that Demeter was going to lose his position to a young Mickey Stanley who was described by Baseball Digest as a defensive ace 157 Demeter had trouble with a sore right shoulder during spring training requiring a cortisone shot Eventually it was officially announced that he had lost his slot in center field to Stanley 158 After Stanley batted 143 in his first six games Demeter began getting most of the starts in center field on April 19 159 160 However from April 25 through May 3 Demeter had an 0 for 23 slump the worst of his career It got to the point where Dressen told him to not pick up a bat benching him for six games 159 161 A broken finger suffered by Stanley helped ensure Demeter s return to the lineup 159 162 On May 17 against the Yankees he broke a 2 2 tie with a two run homer off New York pitcher Fritz Peterson 163 Demeter remarked that the day was his wedding anniversary I ve hit home runs six of the last seven years for her 164 Later against the Baltimore Orioles on May 21 Demeter started a six run rally in the fourth inning with a three run home run off pitcher John Miller to tie the game 4 4 165 He again lost the starting job on May 4 as Kaline was shifted to center and Jim Northrup began getting the starts in right field 159 166 167 In 32 games through June 14 Demeter batted 212 with five home runs and 12 RBI 159 Boston Red Sox EditOn June 14 1966 Demeter and Julio Navarro were traded by the Tigers to the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Joe Christopher and pitcher Earl Wilson The Red Sox had been attempting anywhere from several weeks to several months to obtain Demeter offering a combination of catcher Bob Tillman and an infielder but the Tigers continually rejected the offers Boston manager Billy Herman had known Demeter ever since he was a coach for the Dodgers several years prior and he had wanted Demeter for the Red Sox since becoming Boston s manager in September 1964 He is a good hitter with power I know he will take good advantage of our left field wall Herman went on to say One of the things I like best about Demeter is that I can use him at five positions He can play anywhere in the outfield and he can play both first and third base Don will shake up a few people on this club Though he planned to put Demeter in center field he was also considering using the player at third base where Joe Foy had been struggling offensively Herman also said he could use Demeter at first base should rookie George Scott need any sort of rest 168 Demeter went from a benchwarmer in Detroit to being an everyday starter once again in Boston In his first game for the Sox on June 17 he hit a home run off Orioles pitcher Steve Barber to tie the game at 2 2 though Boston would go on to lose 5 3 169 From his opening performance through the end of the month he raised his batting average over 40 points by batting 348 with three home runs and eight RBI 159 However various ailments would diminish his playing time In July a foul tip hit him on the knee costing him a few games 170 Later that month he had back problems that forced him to sit out intermittently 171 On August 3 at Minnesota the Metropolitan Stadium scoreboard flashed a message as Demeter walked to the plate saying Demeter a Dad His first daughter had been born that night in Newton Wellesley Hospital earlier in the day After the message flashed the ballplayer launched the first pitch from Twins pitcher Dave Boswell into the left field bleachers for a home run While Demeter ran around the bases the organist played the theme Rock a bye Baby 172 Demeter returned to Detroit for a four game series in early August On August 6 he hit a home run off former teammate Denny McLain 173 In seven games against his old team he recorded two home runs seven RBI a 381 batting average and a 762 slugging percentage 174 In 73 games with the Red Sox Demeter batted 292 the highest batting average of players with more than 10 at bats His 478 slugging percentage was second to Tony Conigliaro and his 783 OPS ranked just behind Conigliaro 817 and Carl Yastrzemski 799 175 In the 23 games in which he batted fifth in the lineup he posted a 372 batting average with four home runs 14 RBI and a 991 OPS 174 For the overall season he hit 268 with 14 home runs and 41 RBI playing in 105 games 1 Coming into the 1967 season Demeter again found himself faced with competition in center field Rookie Reggie Smith looked to be the new starting center fielder with Jose Tartabull to be his backup leaving Demeter as the odd man out Talks of trading Demeter surfaced in December with The Sporting News theorizing that Boston might try to trade him back to Detroit to retrieve Wilson 176 By the end of spring training George Thomas had also passed him on the depth chart 177 In the regular season Demeter served as a reserve player not getting a start until May 7 Boston s 20th game of the season 178 He went 2 for 5 in the game with a double and a run scored as well as two notedly hard line drive outs 179 After Demeter s successful first start manager Dick Williams told the Boston press that he would likely start in right field for Conigliaro but come the night of May 8 Conigliaro was starting in right and Demeter was once again riding the bench much to Demeter s reported chagrin 180 He had only 43 at bats for Boston in 20 games through June 4 batting 279 with one home run 1 On June 4 the Red Sox traded him and Tony Horton to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Gary Bell on June 4 1967 181 Cleveland Indians EditWith Cleveland Demeter got several starts in centerfield though he would play each outfield position as well as a game at first base 178 Against Kansas City on June 19 with two men out in the bottom of the ninth and one man on base he pinch hit for pitcher Sonny Siebert hitting a game tying home run in an eventual 2 1 victory for Cleveland 182 He missed several games towards the end of the month with a pulled leg muscle 183 On August 31 the Tigers announced that they had purchased Demeter s contract from Cleveland 184 He was going to be their first baseman but the deal was called off as it was found out that he had circulatory problems around the heart area 185 Bothered by chest pains he underwent several examinations Doctors originally diagnosed him with a minor muscle strain but an EKG on September 5 showed changes which indicate a disturbance in his coronary artery circulation 186 He did not play again after the transaction fell through 178 Demeter played in 51 games for Cleveland batting 207 with five home runs and 12 RBI For the 1967 season overall he appeared in 71 games hitting six home runs driving in 16 runners and batting 226 1 In August he batted 313 with six RBI and two home runs over 19 games In his last appearance of the season he was used as a pinch hitter in an 8 7 victory over Kansas City on August 28 178 In early January 1968 Demeter was still listed on the Indians roster but he was heavily considering retirement 187 On February 29 he officially announced he was finished playing Major League Baseball He had already reported for spring training in Tucson Arizona and successfully passed a complete physical examination but he decided to end his career anyway due to the potential for future heart trouble Though he had not suffered damage to his heart Demeter said The doctor added that there was the possibility that I d be running down the line some day and have an attack 188 Demeter would play another game in 1971 however when he participated in the first ever Old Timer s Game hosted by the Dodgers He started in center field for the 1960s Dodgers The 1950s Dodgers won the game 1 0 in front of a crowd of 48 227 189 In subsequent years he appeared in other Old Timer s Games for Los Angeles 2 Legacy and career statistics EditDemeter s errorless game streak would stand as a record for outfielders for almost 28 years until on July 16 1993 Darren Lewis would play in his 267th consecutive error less game 190 Following his career he was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame 5 In 1999 he became part of the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame 2 Writing for the Society for American Baseball Research in 2007 Jonathan Arnold said Demeter was a very highly regarded player during his career though he is largely a forgotten man now 2 Demeter holds the bizarre distinction of being the only major leaguer on record to field an apple There was a game during his tenure with the Phillies where Demeter had missed several defensive plays at third base The fans were upset and booing loudly even prompting one overzealous fan to throw an apple onto the field Demeter recalled I d made two errors and here came an apple sailing out of the stands He continued So I just picked it up took a bite out of it and the booing stopped 191 In an 11 season career Demeter posted a 265 batting average with 163 home runs and 563 RBI in 1109 games played 1 G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG TB SH SF HBP FLD 1 109 3 443 467 912 147 17 163 563 22 25 180 658 265 307 459 1 582 33 32 42 980Personal life EditAs a junior in high school in 1950 Demeter met his future wife Betty Jo Madole at the Exchange Avenue Baptist Church during a social event They married on May 17 1957 and had a son Russell Don Demeter on January 26 1959 3 192 They had another son Todd in 1962 and their daughter Jill was born during Demeter s time with the Red Sox in 1966 2 Todd was a second round draft pick of the Yankees in 1979 193 He played four seasons for the Yankees farm system and two with Cardinals minor league teams but he never advanced past Class AA 194 In 1996 Todd died of Hodgkin s Disease 2 Two of Don s grandchildren Cole and Caden Cleveland were All State ballplayers at Christian Heritage Academy in Del City Oklahoma before playing National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA Division 1 college baseball at Morehead State University in Kentucky 5 After winning the World Series with the Dodgers in 1959 Demeter returned home to Oklahoma City to spend the winter as a youth director at a Baptist church 70 195 In the aftermath of his career best 1962 season Demeter toured on an exhibition team put together by Willie Mays spoke at church functions across five states and went on a church sponsored tour of Japan along with Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson 196 197 The tour was sponsored by the Texas Baptist Convention as part of its New Life Campaign We are two Christians from the United States We are here to present our witness for Christ Demeter and Richardson described the purpose for their trip 196 They gave Christian testimonies to locals and spoke to Japanese professional baseball players 196 Demeter did not drink smoke or curse during his baseball career He also rejected endorsement deals for advertising alcohol and tobacco products 198 Mizell the pitcher who struck him out in his first at bat and a fellow Christian later became a close friend of his 65 Demeter was also friends with Washington Senators catcher Mike Brumley his neighbor in Oklahoma City Brumley accompanied Demeter to church appearances several nights a week throughout Oklahoma and Texas throughout the years and the two gave a series of church meetings in Alaska in 1966 137 Demeter was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes 2 Once his baseball career was over Demeter returned home to Oklahoma to start a swimming pool business 5 In 1973 he became president of the minor league Oklahoma City 89ers 199 He entered a political race in 1976 as a Republican losing a bid for a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives 200 201 In September 2002 Demeter started Grace Community Baptist Church a Southern Baptist church in Oklahoma City He served as the church s pastor for slightly more than 16 years and remained on staff as its pastor emeritus Tom Sturdivant former pitcher for the Yankees was one of the members 2 202 203 204 Demeter died on November 29 2021 at the age of 86 205 206 207 References Edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Don Demeter Stats Baseball Reference Retrieved November 5 2020 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Arnold Jonathan Don Demeter SABR Retrieved November 4 2020 a b c d e f g h i j Williams Edgar July 1959 The Man Who Made Snider Move Over Baseball Digest Lakeside Publishing Company 18 6 19 24 a b c d e Hefley James C 1964 Play Ball True Stories of Faith in Action Grand Rapids Michigan Zondervan Publishing House p 48 a b c d e f Carlson Jenni August 3 2010 Don Demeter is one of a kind The Oklahoman Retrieved September 7 2011 Adams Franklyn J July 15 1953 Gain Shown in Numbers Every Year The Sporting News p 59 Obituaries Bert N Wells The Sporting News January 26 1980 p 59 Welles Margery Miller June 12 1959 This Is a Big Year for Don Demeter Christian Science Monitor p 23 a b c d e Don Demeter Minor Leagues Statistics amp History Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 a b c d 1961 Topps Baseball card 23 Don Demeter a b Falls Joe January 4 1964 Demeter Guided by a Strong Religious Faith The Sporting News p 15 Whaite Franklin E December 8 1954 Hemsley Bryand and Streza Named Occidental Managers The Sporting News p 26 Dickson Olaf E March 2 1955 Occidental Loop Hitters Paced by Jim Frey s 370 The Sporting News p 28 Dickson Olaf E February 2 1955 Schroll Red Sox Rookie Stars in Occidental Loop The Sporting News p 23 Major Leaguers By the Dozen Sign For Winter Play The Sporting News October 12 1955 p 29 Dickson Olaf E December 14 1955 Gavilanes Tripped in Occidental Race The Sporting News p 24 Dickson Olaf E February 1 1956 Dodgers Demeter Ties Mark The Sporting News p 24 Dickson Olaf E February 15 1956 Kress Champions Stage Revolt as Occidental Ends The Sporting News p 34 Rives Bill May 9 1956 Don Demeter On Homer Spree The Sporting News p 29 Eskew Charles May 30 1956 Austin Fans Back New Club at Gate The Sporting News p 33 1956 Texas League Batting Leaders Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Rives Bill September 5 1956 Dallas Puts Three on All Loop Team The Sporting News p 34 McGowen Roscoe October 17 1956 Can Dodgers Wait Until Next Year on Ageless Old Pros The Sporting News p 13 a b McGowen Roscoe September 26 1956 Newk Big Strutter in Pitching Also Helps Out With the Hitting The Sporting News p 4 Japanese Score 5 to 4 Win Over Dodgers Fan 16 Ludington Daily News Associated Press October 19 1956 p 6 McDonald Jack November 28 1956 Gentile s 471 Paced Hitters on Tour Craig Led Hurlers The Sporting News p 9 McGowen Roscoe October 24 1956 Buzzie Talks of Trading and 750 000 in Rookies The Sporting News p 10 Giles Praises the Japanese The Milwaukee Journal Associated Press November 8 1956 p 2 McGowen Roscoe November 14 1956 Dodgers Will Invite Prized Prospects for Early Tryouts The Sporting News p 4 a b Rookie May Move Duke From Center to Left St Petersburg Times Associated Press November 29 1956 p 19 Kachline Clifford February 27 1957 Yank Dodger Yearlings Tabbed as Standouts of 56 Minor Crop The Sporting News p 3 McGowen Roscoe April 3 1957 Podres Greets Bombers as His Long Lost Cousins The Sporting News p 9 a b Gentile Sent to IL Royals St Petersburg Times Associated Press April 1 1957 p 25 a b Daniel Dan April 10 1957 Many Standout Kids in Parade Back to Minors The Sporting News p 32 A A Averages The Sporting News Howe News Bureau July 17 1957 p 40 Haraway Frank July 17 1957 American Association The Sporting News p 42 Gentile Sent to IL Royals The Baltimore Sun Associated Press July 7 1957 p 5D Haraway Frank July 17 1957 Four Unanimous All Star Selections The Sporting News p 37 Haraway Frank July 24 1957 American Association The Sporting News p 30 Haraway Frank August 14 1957 American Association St Paul The Sporting News p 36 Haraway Frank September 4 1957 Gate Decline Slight 1 500 000 Forecast The Sporting News p 34 1957 American Association Batting Leaders Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Haraway Frank September 4 1957 Minors No 1 All Star Team Saluted on TV The Sporting News p 34 Kahan Oscar April 16 1958 Six Rookies Rated Spring Surprises The Sporting News p 15 National League The Sporting News April 23 1958 p 22 Dodgers Farm Quartet Including Ron Negray The Modesto Bee May 10 1958 p 14 Knot Hole Will See Giants The Milwaukee Journal July 31 1958 p 17 Finch Frank August 13 1958 Dodgers Neither Fliers Nor Flops Merely Plodders The Sporting News p 9 Don Demeter 1958 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Cleveland Manager Wants To Trade With Yankees The Bulletin United Press International February 17 1959 p 2 a b Hunter Bob March 2 1960 Dodgers Payroll Up 20 Per Cent Totals 468 Gees The Sporting News p 12 a b Slugging Demeter Newest Darling of Dodgers The Sporting News May 6 1959 p 7 Old Song Can Beat N Y Lopez The Milwaukee Sentinel United Press International February 28 1959 p 4 2 Drysdale Example of Campy Value The Deseret News United Press International March 12 1959 p B5 Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs Box Score April 11 1959 Baseball Reference Retrieved November 5 2020 a b c d e Don Demeter 1959 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 5 2020 Kuenster Bob July 2009 Rookies Who Hit Three Homers In One Game Baseball Digest Lakeside Publishing Company 68 5 37 Dodgers Wallop Phillies The Montreal Gazette United Press International June 12 1959 p 31 Duke Snider 1959 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 5 2020 a b Dodgers Beat Braves In 13th Inning Beaver Valley Times United Press International August 19 1959 p 29 Parker Gary R 2002 Win or Go Home Sudden Death Baseball McFarland p 116 ISBN 0 7864 1096 5 Hefley p 52 1959 NL Batting Leaders Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 1959 NL Fielding Leaders Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 a b c Hefley p 50 Reichler Joe December 1 1959 Orioles Deal with Giants The Owosso Argus Press Associated Press p 8 Washington Holds Out For Don Demeter The Free Lance Star Associated Press December 3 1959 p 8 Park Charlie January 1959 Why the Dodgers Collapsed Baseball Digest Lakeside Publishing Company 17 10 59 66 Don Demeter Signs Contract Los Angeles Times Associated Press February 12 1960 p C2 a b Hunter Bob March 9 1960 Demeter Fills Out Frame Tacks on 12 More Pounds The Sporting News p 6 Zimmer Clouts Grand Slammer Spokane Daily Chronicle Associated Press March 11 1960 p 16 Wilks Ed April 13 1960 National League opens with four games today Ellensburg Daily Record Associated Press p 4 Demeter Lost For Rest of Year The Milwaukee Sentinel Associated Press August 30 1960 p 4 2 Hunter Bob November 16 1960 Alston May Junk Dodger Platoons Go for Set Lineup The Sporting News p 14 Skowron Continues Holdout Johnson Wins Yankee Praise Reading Eagle United Press International February 15 1961 p 42 Hunter Bob February 1 1961 Fast Stepping Kids Figure to Skyrocket Future L A Budget The Sporting News p 16 Daniel Dan February 22 1961 Yanks Cards Top Tour Lures Says St Pete Survey The Sporting News p 9 Becker Bill April 9 1961 Dodgers Rated Best of Three Entities on West Coast Coast Forecast a First a 3rd and an Also Ran The New York Times p S1 Young Dick April 5 1961 Young Ideas The Sporting News p 20 Dodgers Trade Demeter Sith To Phils for Farrell and Koppe The New York Times United Press International May 5 1961 p 32 Lewis Allen May 17 1961 Phils Speed Up Youth Plan With Demeter Smith The Sporting News p 18 a b Don Demeter 1961 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 5 2020 a b c Lewis Allen October 4 1961 Injury Hex Works Overtime Kayoes Phil Slugger Demeter The Sporting News p 38 Richman Milton September 13 1961 Ex Dodger Don Demeter Poison To Chances Of Old The Dispatch p 12 Burnes Bob March 21 1962 Big Timers Scramble to Fill Key Berths The Sporting News p 8 Finch Frank February 21 1962 Lack of Sock Star Doomed 61 Phils Mauch Declares The Sporting News p 26 Lewis Allen March 21 1962 Amaro Helps Ease Phillies Infield Woes The Sporting News p 26 Phils Wallop Cincinnati 12 4 In Opener Hartford Courant Associated Press April 10 1962 p 21 a b Don Demeter 1962 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Philadelphia at Chicago D The Sporting News May 23 1962 p 23 Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs Box Score May 11 1962 Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Mackin Bob 2004 The Unofficial Guide to Baseball s Most Unusual Records Greystone Books p 63 ISBN 1 55365 038 7 Down Fred October 24 1962 Managerial Honors To Gene Mauch The Times News United Press International p 10 1962 Philadelphia Phillies Statistics Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Reiss Steven A 2006 Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Clubs Volume 1 Greenwood Publishing Group p 272 ISBN 0 313 32991 5 1962 NL Batting Leaders Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 1962 MLB Batting Leaders Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 1962 NL Third Base Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 National Nuggets The Sporting News October 13 1962 p 26 Lewis Allen October 6 1962 Hats Off The Sporting News p 41 Don Demeter 1962 Fielding Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 6 2020 Kahan Oscar October 6 1962 Benefit All Star Game Set for October 21 at Houston The Sporting News p 41 Pittsburgh Sends Hoak To Phils For Savage Daytona Beach Morning Journal Associated Press November 29 1962 p 25 a b Don Demeter 1963 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 6 2020 Wolf Gregory H Roy Sievers SABR Retrieved November 6 2020 Kahan Oscar May 4 1963 Benefit All Star Game Set for October 21 at Houston The Sporting News p 22 Phils Defeat Houston 6 5 On Late Rally Pittsburgh Post Gazette Associated Press May 6 1963 p 26 Houston s Nottebart Hurls No Hitter Against Phillies Lawrence Journal World Associated Press May 18 1963 p 8 Lewis Allen May 18 1963 Curver Culp Adds New Glitter to Tarnished Bonus Beaut Rep The Sporting News p 16 Lewis Allen June 29 1963 Relief Artist Duren Aids Weary Quaker Staff as Ace Starter The Sporting News p 20 Lewis Allen June 1 1963 Handy Guy Demeter Clears Up Quakers Crisis at Hot Corner The Sporting News p 20 a b Lewis Allen July 6 1963 Demeter Homer Circus Peps Up Phil Road Show The Sporting News p 21 Phils Collect on Demeter s Homer in 10th Los Angeles Times Associated Press June 26 1962 p C7 Lewis Allen August 10 1963 Phils Predict Fast Finish Despite Loss of Mahaffey The Sporting News p 17 1963 Philadelphia Phillies Statistics Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 1963 NL Batting Leaders Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 1963 MLB Fielding Leaders Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Biederman Les October 26 1963 Corsairs Must Bait Hook With Hurlers to Get Swap Nibble The Sporting News p 20 Falls Joe October 1965 Tilt a Foul Line Signal From Center But Cheat Never Baseball Digest Lakeside Publishing Company 24 9 43 44 Spoelstra Watson December 14 1963 Demeter Will Roam Center Give Tigers Big Boost Dressen The Sporting News p 23 Spoelstra Watson April 4 1964 Tigers Turn Up bat Volume Behind Hot Hitting Horton The Sporting News p 23 Tigers Cardinals The Sporting News April 4 1964 p 39 Spoelstra Watson April 25 1964 Regan Heeds Dressen Tip Finds It Pays The Sporting News p 20 Spoelstra Watson May 2 1964 Wickersham Wins Tiger Starter s Job The Sporting News p 22 Kennedy Bernie May 2 1964 Wickersham Keeps His Mastery Over Twins The Owosso Argus Press Associated Press p 13 Spoelstra Watson May 9 1964 Sherry s Bubbly Bull Pen Work Leaves Bengals Smacking Lips The Sporting News p 12 Spoelstra Watson May 16 1964 I m Lucky Hitter Says Bill Freehan Tiger Swat Terror The Sporting News p 6 Spoelstra Watson June 6 1964 Tigers Smack Lips At Tasty Dish Work Of Kaline Freehan The Sporting News p 10 Don Demeter 1964 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 6 2020 Spoelstra Watson June 27 1964 Dynamiter Demeter Ignites Fuse Under Tigers Tail The Sporting News p 15 Don Demeter plays best to nip Angels The Bulletin Bend United Press International July 15 1964 p 11 a b Spoelstra Watson August 15 1964 Modest Demeter Sizes Up His Fielding Record as Deceptive The Sporting News p 27 Record String by Demeter 228 Games Without Error The Sporting News December 19 1964 p 23 Claflin Larry September 12 1964 Demeter s Hits Sink Bosox Three Successive Games The Sporting News p 17 a b Carry Peter September 7 1964 Player Of The Week Sports Illustrated Vol 21 no 10 p 124 1964 Detroit Tigers Statistics Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 a b c d Spoelstra Watson January 30 1965 Demeter Chopping Wood for Stronger Home Run Stroke The Sporting News p 8 Spoelstra Watson January 16 1965 Grieving Horton Renews Pledge To Reach Goal The Sporting News p 10 Lewis Allen April 1965 Why the White Sox and Reds Will Win Baseball Digest Lakeside Publishing Company 24 3 19 53 Ferguson John February 20 1965 Rickey Speech Stirs Listeners At Tulsa Dinner The Sporting News p 16 Tigers Senators The Sporting News April 17 1965 p 53 Reds 7 Tigers 3 Hartford Courant Associated Press April 5 1965 p 18 Spoelstra Watson April 17 1965 Fierce Bengals That Depends on Kaline s Big Bat The Sporting News p 22 Tigers Beat Athletics The News and Courier Associated Press April 13 1965 p 3 B Spoelstra Watson May 22 1965 There s Tiger in Motor City Tank With Big D at Gateway The Sporting News p 22 Spoelstra Watson June 5 1965 Bengal Mac Getting Hits That Count The Sporting News p 13 Don Demeter 1965 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 6 2020 Middlemas Larry January 8 1966 Try Topping Whoopers by Uncrowned Kings The Sporting News p 15 Demeter Destroys Athletics Pittsburgh Post Gazette Associated Press August 13 1965 p 23 a b Spoelstra Watson August 28 1965 Gates Pushes Open Tiger Victory Door With Swat Splurge The Sporting News p 16 Major Flashes The Sporting News August 28 1965 p 29 Spoelstra Watson September 11 1965 Demeter Apologizes For Spell on Bench With Arm in a Cast The Sporting News p 18 1965 Detroit Tigers Statistics Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 1965 AL Batting Leaders Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Spoelstra Watson November 6 1965 Medics Okay Rugged Drills For Freehan The Sporting News p 12 Spoelstra Watson March 12 1966 Freehan Follows Easy Does It Plan to Become Tiger at Dish The Sporting News p 11 Lewis Allen April 1966 How the Big League Teams Shape Up for 1966 Baseball Digest Lakeside Publishing Company 25 3 23 49 Spoelstra Watson March 26 1966 Dressen Hands Garden Post to Stanley Until The Sporting News p 22 a b c d e f Don Demeter 1966 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 6 2020 Mickey Stanley 1966 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 6 2020 Spoelstra Watson May 21 1966 Weather s Cold But Denny s Hot As Firecracker The Sporting News p 12 Nechal Jerry Mickey Stanley SABR Retrieved November 6 2020 McLain Tigers Spank Yanks St Petersburg Times Associated Press May 18 1966 p 3 C Spoelstra Watson June 25 1966 Dash of Sherry Swelling The Roar in Tigers Denny The Sporting News p 10 Big Inning Reading Eagle Associated Press May 22 1966 p 65 Jim Northrup 1966 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 6 2020 Al Kaline 1966 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 6 2020 Claflin Larry June 25 1966 Red Sox Gleeful Over Landing Hurler Sheldon Demeter s Bat The Sporting News p 16 Baltimore at Boston N The Sporting News July 2 1966 p 28 Claflin Larry July 16 1966 Does Wyatt Doctor Ball He s a Tonic For Hub s Bull Pen The Sporting News p 37 Claflin Larry July 23 1966 Brandon Slaps a Quality Brand on Hub s Surprising Hill Staff The Sporting News p 28 Claflin Larry August 20 1966 Scoreboard Flashes Demeter a Dad Don Celebrates by Clouting Homer The Sporting News p 16 Boston at Detroit D The Sporting News August 20 1966 p 23 a b Don Demeter 1966 Batting Splits Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 1966 Boston Red Sox Statistics Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Claflin Larry December 3 1966 Red Sox Take Stock Place Closed Sign On Trading Counter The Sporting News p 54 Claflin Larry April 8 1967 Let George Do It It s Bosox Byword The Sporting News p 30 a b c d Don Demeter 1967 Batting Gamelogs Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Claflin Larry May 20 1967 Wyatt s Diet Slims Down Bosox Foes Digging In at Plate The Sporting News p 6 Claflin Larry May 27 1967 Ah Happy Days Bosox Pilot Hears Beefs Plus Barbs The Sporting News p 9 Tribe Seeks Pitcher Toledo Blade Associated Press June 5 1967 p 19 Adcock Calls Shots Right And Tribe Wins Twin Bill The Sporting News July 1 1967 p 26 Schneider Russel July 8 1967 Brown Nets Lush Profits in Adcock Confidence Game The Sporting News p 17 Tigers Buy Don Demeter The Montreal Gazette Associated Press September 1 1967 p 36 Falls Joe October 7 1967 You Wouldn t Believe Bengals Misfortunes The Sporting News p 2 Don Demeter Has Ailment Spartanburg Herald Journal Associated Press September 6 1967 p 12 Schneider Russell January 13 1968 Scheinblum Piniella Tribe Hope They re Ready The Sporting News p 38 Schneider Russell March 16 1968 Demeter Passes Physical Elects To Quit Baseball The Sporting News p 31 Hunter Bob June 26 1971 Ex Dodger Stalwarts Return to Fan Cheers The Sporting News p 14 Johanson Matt 2007 Game of My Life San Francisco Giants Sports Publishing LLC p 229 ISBN 978 1 59670 177 9 Falls Joe February 1975 The Phillies Call Him Dog Baseball Digest Lakeside Publishing Company 34 2 23 Watkins Clarence 2010 Baseball in Birmingham Arcadia Publishing p 77 ISBN 978 0 7385 6686 3 McMane Fred June 6 1979 Michigan star of draft Beaver County Times United Press International p C 1 Todd Demeter Minor Leagues Statistics amp History Baseball Reference Retrieved November 7 2020 Spoelstra Watson January 1 1966 New Bengal Tracewski Slated To Back Up Keystoner Lumpe The Sporting News p 12 a b c Hefley p 53 Merchant Larry March 23 1963 Doggone You Wouldn t Believe Things That Happen to Demeter The Sporting News p 17 Hefley p 51 Burke Bob 2003 Baseball in Oklahoma City Arcadia Publishing p 73 ISBN 0 7385 3189 8 Greene Bob October 31 1976 Ex Sports Stars Invade Political World Enmasse The Register Danville Virginia Associated Press p 7 D Former Major Leaguers 500 in Political Arena The Sporting News November 20 1976 p 47 Godfrey Ed August 18 2018 The Collected Wisdom of Don Demeter The Oklahoman Retrieved November 7 2020 Our Story Grace Community Baptist Church Archived from the original on November 7 2020 Retrieved November 7 2020 Leadership Grace Community Baptist Church Archived from the original on November 7 2020 Retrieved November 7 2020 Godfrey Ed November 30 2021 Don Demeter former Brooklyn Dodger and Oklahoma City native dies at age 86 The Oklahoman Retrieved December 4 2021 Goldstein Richard December 1 2021 Don Demeter a Dodger Star of the Future Who Wasn t Dies at 86 The New York Times Retrieved December 4 2021 Langill Mark December 1 2021 Remembering Don Demeter dodgers mlblogs com Medium Retrieved December 4 2021 External links EditCareer statistics and player information from MLB or ESPN or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or Baseball Reference Minors or Retrosheet Don Demeter at SABR Baseball BioProject Grace Community Baptist Church Oklahoma City church founded by Demeter Portals nbsp Biography nbsp Baseball Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Don Demeter amp oldid 1168182687, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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