1945 National League Debuts

Willie Mays played his first Major League game on May 25, 1951, and went 0-for-5 at the plate. He started his career 1-for-25 and told his manager, "I can't do it, Mr. Leo. You better bench me."

Casey Stengel played his first Major League game on July 27, 1912, and went 4-for-4 at the plate. He commented later in his life, "I broke in with four hits and the writers promptly decided they had seen the new Ty Cobb. It took me only a few days to correct that impression."

Both Mays and Stengel would continue their Major League careers down separate paths of greatness, but each still had to appear in that memorable first Major League game. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present what Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone once described as, "His first Major League debut."
"There is a certain amount of fascination to the big league debut of any athlete. Sometimes they are incredible successes. Sometimes they are frenetic failures." - Sportswriter Arthur Daley
National League Debuts

1945

21 Charlie Cozart 1945 Boston Braves 04-17-1945 25
24 Don Hendrickson 1945 Boston Braves 07-04-1945 31
3 Joe Mack 1945 Boston Braves 04-17-1945 33
5, 11 Tommy Nelson 1945 Boston Braves 04-17-1945 27
14, 29 Bill Ramsey 1945 Boston Braves 04-19-1945 24
26 Hal Schacker 1945 Boston Braves 05-09-1945 20
5 Vince Shupe 1945 Boston Braves 07-07-1945 23
- Elmer Singleton 1945 Boston Braves 08-20-1945 27
29 Mike Ulisney 1945 Boston Braves 05-05-1945 27
12 Norm Wallen 1945 Boston Braves 04-20-1945 27
4 Stan Wentzel 1945 Boston Braves 09-23-1945 28
15 Bob Whitcher 1945 Boston Braves 08-20-1945 28
14 Ed Wright 1945 Boston Braves 07-29-1945 26
23 Cy Buker 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 05-17-1945 26
8 Claude Corbitt 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 09-23-1945 30
13 John Douglas 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 04-21-1945 27
22 Ray Hathaway 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 04-20-1945 28
18 Vic Lombardi 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 04-18-1945 22
25 Don Lund 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 07-03-1945 22
25 Otho Nitcholas 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 04-18-1945 36
9 Erv Palica 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 04-21-1945 17
14 Lee Pfund 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 04-21-1945 25
10 Ernie Rudolph 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 06-16-1945 36
6 Ed Stevens 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 08-09-1945 20
9 Barney White 1945 Brooklyn Dodgers 06-05-1945 21
36 Jorge Comellas 1945 Chicago Cubs 04-19-1945 28
51 Reggie Otero 1945 Chicago Cubs 09-02-1945 29
35 Mel Bosser 1945 Cincinnati Reds 04-29-1945 31
43 Frank Dasso 1945 Cincinnati Reds 04-22-1945 27
15 Wally Flager 1945 Cincinnati Reds 04-17-1945 23
18 Earl Harrist 1945 Cincinnati Reds 08-18-1945 25
42 Johnny Hetki 1945 Cincinnati Reds 09-14-1945 23
22 Al Libke 1945 Cincinnati Reds 04-19-1945 26
18 Ray Medeiros 1945 Cincinnati Reds 04-25-1945 18
35 Mike Modak 1945 Cincinnati Reds 07-04-1945 23
21 Dick Sipek 1945 Cincinnati Reds 04-28-1945 22
19 Herm Wehmeier 1945 Cincinnati Reds 09-07-1945 18
19 Loren Bain 1945 New York Giants 06-23-1945 22
37 Bill DeKoning 1945 New York Giants 05-27-1945 26
24 Slim Emmerich 1945 New York Giants 05-14-1945 25
15 Don Fisher 1945 New York Giants 08-25-1945 29
29 Al Gardella 1945 New York Giants 05-17-1945 27
22 Roy Lee 1945 New York Giants 09-23-1945 27
22 Whitey Lockman 1945 New York Giants 07-05-1945 18
19 Sal Maglie 1945 New York Giants 08-09-1945 28
- Jack Phillips 1945 New York Giants 07-13-1945 26
35 Mike Schemer 1945 New York Giants 08-08-1945 27
28 Adrian Zabala 1945 New York Giants 08-11-1945 28
5 Roy Zimmerman 1945 New York Giants 09-02-1945 28
34 Mitch Chetkovich 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 04-19-1945 27
6 Tony Daniels 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 06-12-1945 21
5 Vance Dinges 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 04-17-1945 29
37 Don Grate 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 07-06-1945 21
8 Garvin Hamner 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 04-17-1945 21
21 Don Hasenmayer 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 05-02-1945 18
31 Izzy Leon 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 06-21-1945 34
15 Dick Mauney 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 06-13-1945 25
1 Bitsy Mott 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 04-17-1945 26
1 Nick Picciuto 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 05-11-1945 23
36 Lefty Scott 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 06-15-1945 29
18 Charlie Sproull 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 04-19-1945 26
8 Ed Walczak 1945 Philadelphia Phillies 09-03-1945 29
45 Ken Gables 1945 Pittsburgh Pirates 04-18-1945 26
1 Bill Salkeld 1945 Pittsburgh Pirates 04-18-1945 28
8 Dave Bartosch 1945 St. Louis Cardinals 04-28-1945 28
10 Ken Burkhart 1945 St. Louis Cardinals 04-21-1945 28
35 Glenn Crawford 1945 St. Louis Cardinals 04-22-1945 31
19 Jack Creel 1945 St. Louis Cardinals 04-22-1945 28
35 Gene Crumling 1945 St. Louis Cardinals 09-11-1945 23
23 George Dockins 1945 St. Louis Cardinals 05-05-1945 28
15 Glenn Gardner 1945 St. Louis Cardinals 07-21-1945 29
24 Art Lopatka 1945 St. Louis Cardinals 09-12-1945 26
11 Del Rice 1945 St. Louis Cardinals 05-02-1945 22
6 Red Schoendienst 1945 St. Louis Cardinals 04-17-1945 22
1945 National League Debuts


 

Find out which players bid farewell to their field's of dreams in the National League during the 1945 season as this group of players made their Major League debut!

Five-for-five debuts? Believe it or not it has happened twice: On June 30, 1894 Fred Clarke of the Louisville Colonels and on May 16, 1933, Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators made their Major League debuts and both went five-for-five at the plate.

On the final day of the 1930 season, Dizzy Dean was called up and pitched a three-hitter. In Spring Training the following year, Dean had a fight with catcher Gabby Street and the franchise left him in the Minor Leagues all season long.
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