Frederick William Van Dusen (born July 31, 1937 in Jackson Heights, New York) is a former 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...

 player. Van Dusen played for Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 in the 1955

1955 in baseball

-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees ; Johnny Podres, MVP*All-Star Game, July 12 at County Stadium: National League, 6-5 -Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Cangrejeros de Santurce...

 season. He played just one game in his career, having one plate appearance, and getting hit by a pitch.

An 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...

 by trade, Van Dusen was signed by the Phillies in August 1955 as a bonus baby

Bonus Rule

The Bonus Rule was a rule instituted by Major League Baseball in 1947 that prevented teams from assigning certain players to farm clubs. The rule stipulated that when a Major league team signed a player to a contract in excess of $4,000 , the Major League team was required to keep that player on...

, meaning he had to be kept on the Phillies' 40-man roster for two years. During his first month with the team, he appeared just once, pinch hitting

Pinch hitter

In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...

 in the second game of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Braves

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....

. In the 9th inning, with the Phillies down 9-1, he pinch hit for pitcher Lynn Lovenguth

Lynn Lovenguth

Lynn Richard Lovenguth was an American professional baseball player. The right-handed pitcher played for 16 seasons in minor league baseball, with two Major League trials for the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals...

 against Humberto Robinson

Humberto Robinson

Humberto Valentino Robinson was a middle relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Milwaukee Braves , Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies . Listed at 6' 1", 155 lb., Robinson batted and threw right-handed...

 and was hit by a pitch.

While Van Dusen never appeared in another major league game, he did continue to play in the Phillies minor league organization until before retiring. Only one other player to date has been hit with a pitch in his first and only plate appearance without taking the field: Adam Greenberg of the 2005 Chicago Cubs

2005 Chicago Cubs season

The Chicago Cubs' 2005 season was the Cub's 133rd season. The Chicago Cubs finished 79-83 ,4th place in the NL Central. This was the first season for the WGN-TV broadcast pairing of Bob Brenly and Len Kasper.-Offseason:...

. As of , Greenberg was still active (playing professionally for the independent Bridgeport Bluefish

Bridgeport Bluefish

The Bridgeport Bluefish is an American professional baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...

), which may mean Van Dusen may someday be the sole record holder once again.

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