Bert Shepard
Encyclopedia
Robert Earl "Bert" Shepard (June 28, 1920 - June 16, 2008) was an American
left-handed pitcher
in Major League Baseball
who pitched in one game for the Washington Senators
in 1945 after having had his right leg amputated
after his fighter plane was shot down in Germany
during World War II
while he was serving as a pilot in the Army Air Forces
.Milestones: Bert Shephard, July 7, 2008, TIME Magazine, p. 18
, the 5"11", 185 lb. left-hander taught himself to walk and then to pitch with an artificial leg while confined in a German POW camp. He had been gunned down near Berlin
on his 34th mission as a P-38 fighter pilot, and left unconscious for days.
In 1945 Shepard was back in the United States and hoping to resume his pitching career. Prior to the war, he had pitched for minor leagues all across the country. During spring training
in 1945, he impressed Senators owner Clark Griffith
enough to be hired as a pitching coach
. He pitched exhibition games and batting practice, and one regulation game, making him the first man with an artificial leg to pitch in a major league baseball game.
On August 4, 1945 Shepard got the call to enter in the fourth inning of a home game in which the Senators were well behind the Boston Red Sox
. It was Game Two of the fourth consecutive doubleheader
in which Washington was playing, with a fifth scheduled the next day as well. Shepard made headlines, not only for being in the game itself, but also with 5⅓ innings
of impressive relief, allowing only three hits
and one run
. He struck out his first batter. The final score was Red Sox 15, Senators 4.
In between games of a doubleheader on August 31, Shepard received the Distinguished Flying Cross
for his service in World War II. He later went on to be a player/manager in the minor leagues until 1954. He was a key participant on the National Amps baseball teams of former servicemen with amputations secondary to war injuries. After retiring from baseball, Shepard worked for IBM
and Hughes Aircraft
as a safety engineer
. Shepard won the U.S. amputee golf
championship in 1968 and 1971.
Shepard died at age 87 in Highland, California
.
The game of August 4, 1945 was notable for two other events as well. Shepard came in to relieve teammate Joe Cleary
, who would be the last native of Ireland
to pitch in a major league game. Also, outfielder
Tom McBride
tied a major league record with 6 runs batted in
in the fourth inning.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
left-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who pitched in one game for the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in 1945 after having had his right leg amputated
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
after his fighter plane was shot down in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
while he was serving as a pilot in the Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
.Milestones: Bert Shephard, July 7, 2008, TIME Magazine, p. 18
Biography
Born in Dana, IndianaDana, Indiana
Dana is a town in Helt Township, Vermillion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 608 at the 2010 census. It is primarily a farming community.Famed World War II war correspondent Ernie Pyle was born on a tenant farm near Dana...
, the 5"11", 185 lb. left-hander taught himself to walk and then to pitch with an artificial leg while confined in a German POW camp. He had been gunned down near Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on his 34th mission as a P-38 fighter pilot, and left unconscious for days.
In 1945 Shepard was back in the United States and hoping to resume his pitching career. Prior to the war, he had pitched for minor leagues all across the country. During spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in 1945, he impressed Senators owner Clark Griffith
Clark Griffith
Clark Calvin Griffith , nicknamed "the Old Fox", was a Major League Baseball pitcher, manager and team owner.-Biography:...
enough to be hired as a pitching coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
. He pitched exhibition games and batting practice, and one regulation game, making him the first man with an artificial leg to pitch in a major league baseball game.
On August 4, 1945 Shepard got the call to enter in the fourth inning of a home game in which the Senators were well behind the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. It was Game Two of the fourth consecutive doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
in which Washington was playing, with a fifth scheduled the next day as well. Shepard made headlines, not only for being in the game itself, but also with 5⅓ innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
of impressive relief, allowing only three hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and one run
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
. He struck out his first batter. The final score was Red Sox 15, Senators 4.
In between games of a doubleheader on August 31, Shepard received the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
for his service in World War II. He later went on to be a player/manager in the minor leagues until 1954. He was a key participant on the National Amps baseball teams of former servicemen with amputations secondary to war injuries. After retiring from baseball, Shepard worked for IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
and Hughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded in 1932 by Howard Hughes in Culver City, California as a division of Hughes Tool Company...
as a safety engineer
Safety engineer
-Scope of a Safety Engineer:To perform their professional functions, safety engineering professionals must have education, training and experience in a common body of knowledge. They need to have a fundamental knowledge of physics, chemistry, biology, physiology, statistics, mathematics, computer...
. Shepard won the U.S. amputee golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
championship in 1968 and 1971.
Shepard died at age 87 in Highland, California
Highland, California
Highland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population in 2010 was 53,104, up from 44,605 at the 2000 census...
.
The game of August 4, 1945 was notable for two other events as well. Shepard came in to relieve teammate Joe Cleary
Joe Cleary
Joseph Christopher Cleary was a Major League Baseball pitcher for one game in 1945. The right-hander was born in Cork, and he was the last native of Ireland to appear in a major league game...
, who would be the last native of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to pitch in a major league game. Also, outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Tom McBride
Tom McBride (baseball)
Thomas Raymond McBride was a professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators . He also played extensively in minor league baseball...
tied a major league record with 6 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in the fourth inning.
Further reading
- Richard Tellis: Once Around The Bases, Triumph Books, Chicago, 1998, pp. 107–120.
External links
- Baseball in Wartime
- BaseballLibrary - biography & photograph
- BaseballLibrary - Once Around the Bases
- Baseball Guru - Bert Shepard and the Missing Foot
- New York Times obituary, June 19, 2008