Steve Bilko

Stephen Thomas Bilko (November 13, 1928 – March 7, 1978) was an American professional baseball player known for his home run hitting as a minor league player during the 1950s. He was 20 years old when he broke into Major League Baseball on September 22, 1949, with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Not to be confused with Steve Biko.

Steve Bilko
First baseman
Born: (1928-11-13)November 13, 1928
Nanticoke, Pennsylvania
Died: March 7, 1978(1978-03-07) (aged 49)
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 22, 1949, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
August 14, 1962, for the Los Angeles Angels
MLB statistics
Batting average.249
Home runs76
Run batted in276
Teams

Nat Hiken, creator of The Phil Silvers Show, supposedly took the name of the character Sgt. Bilko from Steve Bilko.[1]

Biography

Bilko was a home run-hitting first baseman of the 1950s and early 1960s, who enjoyed his greatest fame with the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League from 1955–1957. His greatest year came in 1956, when he won the PCL's Triple Crown with a .360 batting average, 55 home runs and 164 runs batted in. He was inducted into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2003.[2]

He also played for several major league teams, including the Los Angeles Angels of the American League in 1961 and 1962, but never enjoyed the success he had with the PCL Angels in the 1950s. As an original Los Angeles Angel (American League version), he became the first player to play for both Los Angeles MLB teams.[3]

His two most productive major league seasons were with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1953 with 21 HR and 84 RBI, and the Los Angeles Angels in 1961 with 20 HR and 59 RBI.

In 600 games over 10 seasons, Bilko posted a .249 batting average (432-for-1738) with 220 runs, 76 home runs, 276 RBI, 234 bases on balls and a .444 slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded a .992 fielding percentage as a first baseman.

Bilko was listed as 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall, and 230 lb (100 kg), and was nicknamed "Stout Steve" during his career because of his ample girth.

During his brief stay with the Cubs, announcer Bert Wilson placed Bilko at the end of what he hoped would be a soon-to-be-famous double play combination of Ernie Banks, Gene Baker and Bilko. His name for that trio was "Bingo to Bango to Bilko".

Bilko was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2015. [4]

Personal life

His granddaughter, Barbara Bilko, was a goaltender in ice hockey for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2008–09 through 2010–2011.[5]

References
  1. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. 2003. p. 934. ISBN 0-345-45542-8.
  2. "Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame". BR Bullpen. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  3. "Steve Bilko Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  4. "Shrine of the Eternals – Inductees". Baseball Reliquary. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  5. "Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletic Site". Ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.