Ex-Lake Charles resident, pro ball player Dark dies at 92 Posted: Nov 13, 2014 4:28 PM CST Updated: Nov 13, 2014 4:54 PM CST By Michael Cooper LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) - Former Lake Charles resident Alvin Dark, a longtime major league baseball player and manager, died Thursday at the age of 92. Dark, the 1948 major league Rookie of the Year and a three-time All-Star, passed away in his South Carolina home. According to the Associated Press, Dark began one of the greatest rallies in sports history. In 1951, he had a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning for the New York Giants in an NL pennant playoff against Brooklyn. Bobby Thomson capped that comeback with a home run that became known as The Shot Heard Round the World. Dark, who was born in Oklahoma, was a standout basketball and football player at Lake Charles High in the early 1940s. The Wildcats didnt have a baseball team at the time, so Dark played on the American Legion one in the area. Dark, a shortstop, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, but he chose to stay with his first love: baseball. Dark has .289 with 2089 hits, 126 home runs and 757 RBIs in his 15-year career. He spent time with the Boston Braves, New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Braves. He managed from 1961 to 1977 for the San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres. Dark is one of very few people to play for and manage World Series championship teams. In 2009, American Legion baseball park in Lake Charles was renamed Alvin Dark Stadium at Legion Field. Copyright 2014 KPLC. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report. photo caption: Alvin Dark in 1953. (Source: Wikipedia) source: kplctv/story/27380185/ex-lake-charles-resident-pro-ball-player-dark-dies-at-92
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 00:37:22 +0000