Leon Culberson

Delbert Leon Culberson (August 6, 1919 – September 17, 1989) was a professional baseball player who was an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1948. He played for the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators.

Culberson’s first year in professional baseball was 1940, when he played for the Kannapolis Towelers of the Class D North Carolina State League. He hit .307 with 14 home runs in 68 games, and was spotted by a Red Sox scout and acquired. In 1941 he played for the Scranton Red Sox of the Class A Eastern League, and hit .232 in 76 games. During the season he had an emergency appendectomy, which led to six weeks in the hospital. In 1942 he again played for Scranton and raised his average to .286 while playing 120 games. In 1943 he moved up to the Louisville Colonels in Class AA. He struggled in his first 10 games, hitting just 7-for-41 (.171) but was called up to the major league club when they sent down another outfielder.

1943–1945 Seasons

During the 1943 season, Culberson played in 81 games for Boston, hitting .272 and stealing 14 bases; third best on the team in each of those categories. On July 3 he hit for the cycle against the Cleveland Indians. Batting lead off, he hit a single in the 1st inning, a double in the 3rd inning, a triple in the 6th inning, and a home run (inside-the-park) in the 8th inning. By collecting the hits in that order it was a rare "natural" cycle, the fifth in MLB history. In 1944 his average fell to .238 playing in 75 games, then in 1945 he raised his average to .275 while appearing in 97 games. He played through the war years due to a trick knee condition that rendered him unfit for military duty, and also sidelined him at times.

1946 Season

In 1946, Culberson hit .313 while appearing in 59 games for Boston. That year, the Red Sox ran away with the American League crown by twelve games over the Detroit Tigers with a 104–50 record, and were heavy favorites in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, however the series went the full seven games.

In game seven, Culberson was involved in a famous play known as the "mad dash". After Red Sox center fielder Dom DiMaggio drove in two runs in the top of the eighth, the score was tied 3–3. DiMaggio pulled a hamstring during the play and was forced to leave the game; he was replaced by Culberson, who entered the game as a pinch runner and also took over for DiMaggio in centerfield. Enos Slaughter led off the bottom half of the inning with a single. After the next two batters failed to advance him, Slaughter found himself still on first base with two outs. With outfielder Harry Walker at the plate with a two balls and one strike count, the Cardinals called for a hit and run. With Slaughter running, Walker lined the ball to left-center field. Culberson fielded the ball, and threw a relay to shortstop Johnny Pesky. Slaughter rounded third base heading for home, running through the stop sign from his third base coach. What exactly happened when Pesky turned around is still a matter of contention, but catcher Roy Partee caught a delayed throw up the line, allowing Slaughter to score what proved to be the winning run. While "Pesky held the ball" became a catchphrase in Boston, a soft throw from Culberson (playing in place of the strong-armed DiMaggio) may have been more to blame.

Culberson finished the series batting two-for-nine with one RBI (a home run in game five) and one walk; it was the only postseason series of his career.

1947 Season

Culberson’s final season with Boston was 1947, when he appeared in 47 games and his hitting again dropped to a .238 average. In the offseason he was traded to the Washington Senators.

In 1948 Culberson played in just 12 games for the Senators, batting 5-for-29 (.172) before he was traded to the New York Yankees who designated him to Class AAA, playing for the Kansas City Blues. He would not return to the major leagues.

For the remainder of 1948 through 1952, Culberson played for a total of 8 different teams, ranging from Class AAA to Class D. During 1951 and 1952 also managed the teams he played for, in Class D and Class B, compiling a .415 winning percentage.

He died in Rome, Georgia in September 1989, and is buried there in Oaknoll Memorial Gardens. His grandson Charlie Culberson, born in April 1989, is also a Major League Baseball player.