Dave Hilton (baseball)
John David Hilton (September 15, 1950 – September 17, 2017) was a professional baseball player. He was picked in the 1971 Secondary Draft out of Rice University and played four seasons for the San Diego Padres. He also played three seasons in Japan for the Yakult Swallows and Hanshin Tigers. Hilton was primarily a third baseman, but played several games at second base.
| Dave Hilton | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Third baseman | |||
| Born: September 15, 1950 Uvalde, Texas | |||
| Died: September 17, 2017 (aged 67) Scottsdale, Arizona | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| September 10, 1972, for the San Diego Padres | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| April 27, 1975, for the San Diego Padres | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .213 | ||
| Home runs | 6 | ||
| Runs batted in | 33 | ||
| Teams | |||
Career
Early in the 1975 season, Hilton contracted hepatitis which caused the San Diego Padres to announce he would be out indefinitely.[1]
Hilton is credited by famed Japanese author Haruki Murakami as having inspired him, at the age of 29, to become an author. Murakami had his epiphany as he saw Hilton hit a double, while watching a Yakult Swallows game in Japan.[2]
Hilton died September 17, 2017.[3]
References
- "Padres release veteran Beckert". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. May 2, 1975. p. 26. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- Murakami, Haruki (2009). What I talk about when I talk about running : a memoir (1st Vintage International ed.). New York: Vintage International. p. 27. ISBN 978-0307389831.
- Obert, Richard (September 18, 2017). "Well-respected youth baseball coach Dave Hilton dies". azcentral.com. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Dave Hilton at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
- Dave Hilton at Baseball Almanac
| Preceded by Julio Gargia |
Frederick Keys manager 1997 |
Succeeded by Tommy Shields |