Kid Durbin

Blaine Alphonsus "Kid" Durbin (September 10, 1886 – September 11, 1943) was a left-handed Major League Baseball outfielder and pitcher. He was born in Lamar, Missouri. Durbin was short for a Major League Baseball player, listed only at 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) tall and weighing 155 pounds, which may have resulted in him not having a better chance to play at the big league level full-time.

Kid Durbin made his Major League debut on April 24, 1907, for the Chicago Cubs. That season, he appeared in 5 games as a pitcher, going 0–1 with a save. He also played the outfield in 5 games that season. He played for the Chicago Cubs during their 1907 and 1908 pennant-winning seasons but did not play either World Series. Before he was traded by the Cubs on January 18, 1909 along with Tom Downey to the Cincinnati Reds for John Kane, he had a batting average of only .250 and over 14 games played. He played six games for the Cincinnati Reds. A few months later, Durbin was traded on May 28, 1909 to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Ward Miller and cash. He finished his Major League career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, playing his final game on June 30, 1909.

After playing a few years in Minor League Baseball, Durbin retired as a baseball player. Kid Durbin became married after his Major League Baseball career, also becoming a baker in a restaurant after his career. Just 1 day after his 57th birthday on September 11, 1943, Durbin died due to a coronary thrombosis in Kirkwood, Missouri. Durbin's burial is located at Saint Peters Cemetery in Normandy at St. Louis County in Missouri. Durbin was memorialized as the protagonist in the historical novel "The Best Team Ever" (2008) by Alan Alop and Doc Noel (ISBN 978-1935098027).