Willard McKee Hershberger (May 28, 1910 – August 3, 1940) was a
catcher for
Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds from 1938 to 1940.
He has the distinction of being the only major league player to date to commit
suicide during the season.
Life and career
Willard Hershberger was born in
Lemon Cove,
California. His family moved to
Fullerton, California when his father, Claude, got a job working in the city's
oil fields. Hershberger attended
Fullerton Union High School, where he distinguished himself on both the
baseball and
football teams. The yearbook called Hershberger "the boy with the golden toe", referring to his achievements as a
placekicker and "the greatest little catcher to ever put on the Fullerton uniform." The 1926 baseball team won the
California Interscholastic Federation championship. In 2003, he was named to the school's All-Time FUHS baseball team
On November 21, 1928, Claude Hershberger, who was
depressed over financial problems, fatally shot himself with a
shotgun in the family home's bathroom. 18-year-old Willard discovered the body.
Professional baseball career
Willard Hershberger signed with the
New York Yankees, but did not make his major league debut until age 27, after eight minor league seasons. He was a member of the Yankees'
Newark Bears farm team which posted an outstanding 109-43...
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