Willie Kirkland

Willie Kirkland
Willie Kirkland
	Right fielder
	Born: February 17, 1934 (age 90); Siluria, Alabama
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
Professional debut
	MLB: April 15, 1958, for the San Francisco Giants
	NPB: 1968, for the Hanshin Tigers
Last appearance
	MLB: September 26, 1966, for the Washington Senators
	NPB: 1973, for the Hanshin Tigers
MLB statistics
Batting average	.240
Home runs	148
Runs batted in	509
NPB statistics
Batting average	.246
Home runs	126
Runs batted in	304
Teams
	San Francisco Giants (1958–1960); Cleveland Indians (1961–1963); Baltimore Orioles (1964); Washington Senators (1964–1966); Hanshin Tigers (1968–1973);

Willie Charles Kirkland (born February 17, 1934) is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants (1958–1960), Cleveland Indians (1961–1963), Baltimore Orioles (1964) and Washington Senators (1964–1966). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

In a nine-season career, Kirkland posted a .240 batting average with 148 home runs and 509 RBI in 1149 games played.

Following his major league career, Kirkland played six seasons in Japan (1968–1973) for the Hanshin Tigers.

Best seasons

1960: Collected double digits in doubles (21), triples (10), home runs (21) and stolen bases (12)
1961: Hit 27 home runs with 136 hits and 95 RBI in 146 games (all career-highs), including a three-homer game on July 9, against the White Sox. Kirkland came up in the ninth with the game on the line and Cleveland manager Jimmy Dykes ordered him to bunt, which he successfully did.

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