Wade Hampton Lefler was a Major League Baseball player. He played in six games for two different major league teams in 1924, mostly as a pinch hitter. He also played in one game as a right fielder. He was the first player to make the major leagues after attending Duke University.[1]
After playing several years in the minor leagues, most recently for the Worcester Panthers in 1923, Lefler made his debut for the Boston Braves on April 16, 1924, the second game of the season for the Braves. His stint with the Braves lasted just a single plate appearance, in which he struck out while pinch hitting for pitcher Rube Marquard.[2] After the game, he returned to the Panthers, where he played most of the rest of 1924, batting .370 with 14 home runs.
Wade Lavender Lefler returned to the majors with the Washington Senators on September 18. He appeared four more times as a pinch hitter, once pinch hitting for Walter Johnson.[3] In those four opportunities, he hit safely three times, including two doubles. On September 30, he started his first game, playing right field and batting cleanup. In four at bats, he had two more hits, including another double.[4] This turned out to be Lefler's last appearance in the majors, leaving him with a career batting average of .556, and a career slugging average of .889.
After his brief major league career, Lefler played one more season in the minor leagues with the Memphis Chickasaws before retiring. He went on to become an attorney, serving as the city attorney for Newton, North Carolina. He died in 1981 at the age of 84.
Referencesedit
^List of players from Duke University from Baseball Reference
Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
April 11, 2024
wade, lefler, wade, hampton, lefler, major, league, baseball, player, played, games, different, major, league, teams, 1924, mostly, pinch, hitter, also, played, game, right, fielder, first, player, make, major, leagues, after, attending, duke, university, outf. Wade Hampton Lefler was a Major League Baseball player He played in six games for two different major league teams in 1924 mostly as a pinch hitter He also played in one game as a right fielder He was the first player to make the major leagues after attending Duke University 1 Wade LeflerOutfielderBorn 1896 06 05 June 5 1896Cooleemee North CarolinaDied March 6 1981 1981 03 06 aged 84 Hickory North CarolinaBatted LeftThrew RightMLB debutApril 16 1924 for the Boston BravesLast MLB appearanceSeptember 30 1924 for the Washington SenatorsMLB statisticsBatting average 556Slugging average 889Runs batted in4TeamsBoston Braves 1924 Washington Senators 1924 After playing several years in the minor leagues most recently for the Worcester Panthers in 1923 Lefler made his debut for the Boston Braves on April 16 1924 the second game of the season for the Braves His stint with the Braves lasted just a single plate appearance in which he struck out while pinch hitting for pitcher Rube Marquard 2 After the game he returned to the Panthers where he played most of the rest of 1924 batting 370 with 14 home runs Wade Lavender Lefler returned to the majors with the Washington Senators on September 18 He appeared four more times as a pinch hitter once pinch hitting for Walter Johnson 3 In those four opportunities he hit safely three times including two doubles On September 30 he started his first game playing right field and batting cleanup In four at bats he had two more hits including another double 4 This turned out to be Lefler s last appearance in the majors leaving him with a career batting average of 556 and a career slugging average of 889 After his brief major league career Lefler played one more season in the minor leagues with the Memphis Chickasaws before retiring He went on to become an attorney serving as the city attorney for Newton North Carolina He died in 1981 at the age of 84 References edit List of players from Duke University from Baseball Reference Retrosheet box score for Lefler s debut Retrosheet box score Lefler PHs for Johnson Retrosheet box score for Lefler s last gameSources editCareer statistics and player information from Baseball Reference or Baseball Reference Minors Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wade Lefler amp oldid 1188564999, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
