Herb Washington
Oakland Athletics (1974 - 1975)
Happy 70th birthday to a man who has had one of the most interesting careers in the history of Major League Baseball. Mr. Washington was a track and field runner who held records in both the 50 and 60 yard dash. He was 22 years old and had no experience in pro baseball when he was signed by Charlie Finley to serve as the Oakland Athletics pinch runner for the 1974 season. It is the first, and only time in the history of the sport that a member of a team's 40 man roster was used exclusively for pinch running appearances.
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source: Baseball-Reference.com |