George Durning
Encyclopedia
George Dewey Durning was a professional baseball
player who played for Major League Baseball
's Philadelphia Phillies
during the 1925 season. He was officially listed as standing 5 in 11 in (180.34 cm) and 175 pounds (79.4 kg). In addition to his brief major league career, Durning played four seasons for an assortment of minor league baseball
teams.
s. He batted in
one run and struck out
one time. He also made 11 putout
s and notched 2 assists
in 4 games in the field, participating in one double play
.
, playing in six games. Durning was recalled to Philadelphia in April 1926, but did not play another game for them. Upon moving to the Salisbury Indians
of the Class-D Eastern Shore League, he led the team in games played (81), at-bats (320), and hits
(106). His .331 batting average
was third-highest on the team, and he collected six doubles
, one triple
, and six home run
s. He moved back to the Indians for the 1927 season, batting .299 in a team-leading 89 games. His 103 hits were tied for the team lead (Emmett Athey), as were his two triples; he was second on the squad with 15 home runs and led the team with 17 doubles.
Durning did not play in the 1928 season, but resurfaced with the Cumberland Colts, a Class-C team of the Middle Atlantic League
, in 1929. His .329 average that season was second on the Colts to John Byrnes; he led the team with 12 triples and his 15 home runs were second-best behind David Black. He collected 462 at-bats, the highest recorded total of his career. After batting .308 in 78 games in the 1930 season, Durning left professional baseball.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who played for 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...
's 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...
during the 1925 season. He was officially listed as standing 5 in 11 in (180.34 cm) and 175 pounds (79.4 kg). In addition to his brief major league career, Durning played four seasons for an assortment of minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
teams.
Major leagues
Durning began his career at the major league level, debuting with the Phillies on September 12, 1925. He appeared in five major league contests, amassing 14 at-bats in 16 plate appearancePlate appearance
In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance each time he completes a turn batting. A player completes a turn batting when: He strikes out or is declared out before reaching first base; or He reaches first base safely or is awarded first base ; or He hits a fair ball which...
s. He 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...
one run and struck out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
one time. He also made 11 putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s and notched 2 assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
in 4 games in the field, participating in one double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
.
Minor leagues
In the 1926 season, Durning began play for the AA-level Reading KeystonesReading Phillies
The Reading Phillies are a minor league baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. Since the 1967 season, they have been the AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies....
, playing in six games. Durning was recalled to Philadelphia in April 1926, but did not play another game for them. Upon moving to the Salisbury Indians
Salisbury Indians
The Salisbury Indians were a United States minor league baseball team which played in Salisbury, Maryland. The team began operation in 1922 as a founding member of the Eastern Shore Baseball League, which operated out of cities on the Delmarva Peninsula....
of the Class-D Eastern Shore League, he led the team in games played (81), at-bats (320), and 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....
(106). His .331 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
was third-highest on the team, and he collected six doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, one triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, and six home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. He moved back to the Indians for the 1927 season, batting .299 in a team-leading 89 games. His 103 hits were tied for the team lead (Emmett Athey), as were his two triples; he was second on the squad with 15 home runs and led the team with 17 doubles.
Durning did not play in the 1928 season, but resurfaced with the Cumberland Colts, a Class-C team of the Middle Atlantic League
Middle Atlantic League
The Middle Atlantic League was a lower-level circuit in American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century.-History:...
, in 1929. His .329 average that season was second on the Colts to John Byrnes; he led the team with 12 triples and his 15 home runs were second-best behind David Black. He collected 462 at-bats, the highest recorded total of his career. After batting .308 in 78 games in the 1930 season, Durning left professional baseball.