Fred Whitfield (baseball)
Fred Dwight Whitfield (January 7, 1938 – January 31, 2013) was an American professional baseball player. A first baseman, he appeared in the Major Leagues from 1962 to 1970, primarily for the Cleveland Indians and also for with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos. Nicknamed "Wingy" for his unique throwing motion, he threw and batted left-handed, stood tall and weighed . He was born in Vandiver, Alabama, one of four children of William Theodore and Inez Clarice (Brasher) Whitfield. He attended Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Alabama. At age 19, he married Helen Leverton of Gadsden, Alabama on February 9, 1957 and their household eventually numbered six children. Whitfield was signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1956. He made his big league debut at age 24 on May 27, 1962. Pinch-hitting for future Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, he drew a walk off Bob Shaw of the Milwaukee Braves, but was promptly erased in a double play. Two days later he made his first start, going 1-for-4 at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, with his first hit a fourth inning RBI single off Al McBean that scored Red Schoendienst. His prime seasons were 1963–66,