Smoky Burgess

Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess (February 6, 1927 - September 15, 1991) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who later in his career became known for his ability as a pinch hitter. In his playing days, he stood 5'8" (173 cm), weighed 188 pounds (85 kg), batted lefthanded and threw righthanded.

Born in Caroleen, North Carolina, Burgess was signed as an amateur free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 1944 and broke into the majors in 1949.

By the time he had retired from baseball in 1967, Burgess had played for the Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox. He played in five All-Star games and set the then-record of 145 career pinch-hits. Along with Curt Simmons, he was the last player to formally retire who had played in the major leagues in the 1940s (not counting Minnie Miñoso, who un-retired twice).

Burgess won a World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960, batting .333 in five series games.

Other career statistics include a .295 career batting average with 126 home runs, 673 RBI and a .362 on base percentage. He accumulated 1318 career hits with 230 doubles and 33 triples.

When his playing career ended, Burgess spent many years with the Atlanta Braves as a scout and minor league batting coach. He died at age 64 in Asheville, North Carolina. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1975.

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