Wally Westlake was born on Monday, November 8, 1920, in Gridley, California. Westlake was 26 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 15, 1947, with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Wally Westlake baseball stats page.
"I owe my career in baseball to Casey Stengel. When I came out of the war (WWII), I was 24 years old, which was a little late to be trying to start a career in professional baseball. A friend of mine and I managed to talk our way into a tryout in spring training with the old Oklahoma team in the Pacific Coast League. In those days, the Pacific Coast League was a first class league, with lots of good ballplayers, many of whom went on to play in the majors. Stengel was the manager at Oakland and he did everything he could to discourage us. He assigned both of us to the 'B' squad, which meant that we worked out on a separate field, with none of the amenities that the 'A' squad enjoyed. We had rocks on the field, no drinking fountain, and worked out with used balls. It was miserable. Every once in awhile we would sneak into the 'A' squad batting practice — just so we could hit some decent balls — and he would always chase us back to the 'B' squad field. We were working our asses off trying to get him to notice us, but really felt we didn't have much of a chance, since he spent all his time with the 'A' squad. The day before we broke camp to go north, Stengel called us into his office and said, 'I know you guys have been working hard and I'm taking you both with me on the main roster. I'll pay you $400 a month and travel expense.' I was thrilled to death, but I told him I'd have to have $450 or I was going home! And you know what? He gave it to me! The thing about Stengel was: he made me work on my game at all times and taught me how rewarding it could be to work hard. He really knew the basics of the game, positioning, hitting, the cutoff man, bunting, and alert and intelligent base running. Lots of people think of him as a crackpot, but the man really knew his baseball." - Wally Westlake (Heyde, Jack. Trafford Publishing. Pop Flies and Line Drives: Visits with Players from Baseball's Golden Era: Wally Westlake. 6 July 2006. Page 32)
Wally Westlake![]() Wally Westlake Autograph on a 1991 Topps Archives Baseball Card (#192 | Checklist) |
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Wally WestlakeWally Westlake Pitching Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
| - | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
Wally WestlakeWally Westlake Hitting Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1947 | 27 | Pirates | 112 | 407 | 59 | 111 | 17 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 69 | 27 | 0 | 63 | 5 | - | 4 | 16 | .273 | .324 | .459 |
| 1948 | 28 | Pirates | 132 | 428 | 78 | 122 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 65 | 46 | 5 | 40 | 1 | - | 4 | 10 | .285 | .360 | .456 |
| 1949 | 29 | Pirates | 147 | 525 | 77 | 148 | 24 | 8 | 23 | 1 | 104 | 45 | 1 | 69 | 1 | - | 6 | 15 | .282 | .345 | .490 |
| 1950 | 30 | Pirates | 139 | 477 | 69 | 136 | 15 | 6 | 24 | 2 | 95 | 48 | 5 | 78 | 2 | - | 7 | 15 | .285 | .359 | .493 |
| 1951 | 31 | Pirates | 50 | 181 | 28 | 51 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 45 | 9 | 2 | 26 | 0 | - | 2 | 4 | .282 | .323 | .569 |
| 1951 | 31 | Cardinals | 73 | 267 | 36 | 68 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 39 | 24 | 2 | 42 | 4 | - | 4 | 7 | .255 | .325 | .390 |
| 1952 | 32 | Cardinals | 21 | 74 | 7 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 1 | - | 0 | 3 | .216 | .293 | .257 |
| 1952 | 32 | Reds | 59 | 183 | 29 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 31 | 0 | 29 | 1 | - | 2 | 10 | .202 | .324 | .273 |
| 1952 | 32 | Indians | 29 | 69 | 11 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 3 | - | 0 | 2 | .232 | .312 | .362 |
| 1953 | 33 | Indians | 82 | 218 | 42 | 72 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 46 | 35 | 0 | 29 | 4 | - | 2 | 6 | .330 | .427 | .495 |
| 1954 | 34 | Indians | 85 | 240 | 36 | 63 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 42 | 26 | 2 | 37 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | .263 | .337 | .454 |
| 1955 | 35 | Indians | 16 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .348 | .300 |
| 1955 | 35 | Orioles | 8 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .125 | .300 | .167 |
| 1956 | 36 | Phillies | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .200 | .000 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 10 Years | 958 | 3,117 | 474 | 848 | 107 | 33 | 127 | 7 | 539 | 317 | 18 | 453 | 26 | 2 | 33 | 98 | .272 | .345 | .450 | ||
Wally WestlakeWally Westlake Fielding Stats |
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| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1947 Pirates | CF | 13 | 13 | 354 | 45 | 3.5 | 44 | 41 | 3 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .978 | 3.36 |
| 1947 Pirates | LF | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.00 |
| 1947 Pirates | RF | 95 | 91 | 2,382 | 204 | 2.1 | 202 | 197 | 5 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .990 | 2.29 |
| 1948 Pirates | CF | 70 | 65 | 1,695 | 191 | 2.7 | 186 | 183 | 3 | 5 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .974 | 2.96 |
| 1948 Pirates | LF | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
| 1948 Pirates | RF | 56 | 41 | 1,158 | 98 | 1.8 | 96 | 91 | 5 | 2 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .980 | 2.24 |
| 1949 Pirates | CF | 52 | 49 | 1,341 | 138 | 2.7 | 134 | 130 | 4 | 4 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .971 | 2.70 |
| 1949 Pirates | RF | 93 | 83 | 2,118 | 199 | 2.1 | 197 | 189 | 8 | 2 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .990 | 2.51 |
| 1950 Pirates | CF | 99 | 93 | 2,475 | 283 | 2.9 | 281 | 277 | 4 | 2 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .993 | 3.07 |
| 1950 Pirates | LF | 5 | 2 | 72 | 11 | 2.2 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 4.13 |
| 1950 Pirates | RF | 27 | 23 | 663 | 56 | 2.1 | 55 | 54 | 1 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .982 | 2.24 |
| 1951 Pirates | 3B | 34 | 34 | 900 | 131 | 3.9 | 119 | 32 | 87 | 12 | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .908 | 3.57 |
| 1951 Pirates | CF | 1 | 1 | 24 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.38 |
| 1951 Pirates | LF | 10 | 10 | 237 | 15 | 1.5 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.71 |
| 1951 Cardinals | CF | 39 | 39 | 1,011 | 101 | 2.6 | 100 | 97 | 3 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .990 | 2.67 |
| 1951 Cardinals | LF | 12 | 9 | 264 | 21 | 1.8 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .952 | 2.05 |
| 1951 Cardinals | RF | 20 | 19 | 540 | 37 | 1.9 | 36 | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 1.80 |
| 1952 Cardinals | CF | 20 | 20 | 525 | 63 | 3.2 | 63 | 59 | 4 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.24 |
| 1952 Reds | CF | 43 | 42 | 1,125 | 113 | 2.6 | 112 | 108 | 4 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .991 | 2.69 |
| 1952 Reds | LF | 5 | 0 | 21 | 25 | 5.0 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 32.14 |
| 1952 Reds | RF | 10 | 9 | 234 | 17 | 1.7 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.96 |
| 1952 Indians | CF | 4 | 2 | 75 | 5 | 1.3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.80 |
| 1952 Indians | LF | 12 | 0 | 57 | 14 | 1.2 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 6.63 |
| 1952 Indians | RF | 20 | 18 | 399 | 44 | 2.2 | 44 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.98 |
| 1953 Indians | CF | 13 | 10 | 258 | 20 | 1.5 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .900 | 1.88 |
| 1953 Indians | LF | 35 | 13 | 459 | 41 | 1.2 | 39 | 39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .951 | 2.29 |
| 1953 Indians | RF | 37 | 34 | 864 | 75 | 2.0 | 74 | 72 | 2 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 2.31 |
| 1954 Indians | CF | 10 | 2 | 123 | 15 | 1.5 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .933 | 3.07 |
| 1954 Indians | LF | 50 | 44 | 1,215 | 94 | 1.9 | 91 | 91 | 0 | 3 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 2.02 |
| 1954 Indians | RF | 14 | 14 | 363 | 28 | 2.0 | 27 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .964 | 2.01 |
| 1955 Indians | CF | 2 | 2 | 39 | 4 | 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.77 |
| 1955 Indians | LF | 4 | 3 | 63 | 7 | 1.8 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.00 |
| 1955 Orioles | LF | 2 | 1 | 48 | 2 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.13 |
| 1955 Orioles | RF | 5 | 5 | 138 | 6 | 1.2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.17 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| RF Totals | 377 | 337 | 8,859 | 764 | 2.0 | 754 | 727 | 27 | 10 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 2.30 | |
| CF Totals | 366 | 338 | 9,045 | 981 | 2.7 | 964 | 939 | 25 | 17 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .983 | 2.88 | |
| LF Totals | 138 | 82 | 2,454 | 231 | 1.7 | 225 | 220 | 5 | 6 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .974 | 2.48 | |
| 3B Totals | 34 | 34 | 900 | 131 | 3.9 | 119 | 32 | 87 | 12 | 12 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .908 | 3.57 | |
| 9 Years | 915 | 791 | 21,258 | 2,107 | 2.3 | 2,062 | 1,918 | 144 | 45 | 27 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .979 | 2.62 | |
Wally WestlakeWally Westlake Miscellaneous Stats |
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| Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
| Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 1947 Pirates | 5 | 4 | .556 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 23.9 | 6.5 | 5.9 | - | - | - |
| 1948 Pirates | 2 | 6 | .250 | 7 | 0 | n/a | 25.2 | 10.7 | 6.6 | - | - | - |
| 1949 Pirates | 6 | 6 | .500 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 22.8 | 7.6 | 5.0 | - | - | - |
| 1950 Pirates | 1 | 7 | .125 | 18 | 0 | n/a | 19.9 | 6.1 | 5.0 | - | - | - |
| 1951 Pirates | 0 | 1 | .000 | 5 | 0 | n/a | 11.3 | 7.0 | 4.0 | - | - | - |
| 1951 Cardinals | 1 | 2 | .333 | 5 | 0 | n/a | 44.5 | 6.4 | 6.8 | - | - | - |
| 1952 Cardinals | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 6.7 | 7.4 | - | - | - |
| 1952 Reds | 0 | 2 | .000 | 3 | 2 | n/a | 61.0 | 6.3 | 13.1 | - | - | - |
| 1952 Indians | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2 | 3 | n/a | 69.0 | 4.3 | 7.7 | - | - | - |
| 1953 Indians | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 9 | 5 | n/a | 24.2 | 7.5 | 4.7 | - | - | - |
| 1954 Indians | 0 | 1 | .000 | 13 | 5 | n/a | 21.8 | 6.5 | 5.7 | - | - | - |
| 1955 Indians | 0 | 0 | .000 | 6 | 4 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.0 | 20.0 | - | - | - |
| 1955 Orioles | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.8 | 0.0 | - | - | - |
| 1956 Phillies | 0 | 0 | .000 | 5 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | - | - | - |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 10 Years | 19 | 30 | .388 | 82 | 19 | n/a | 24.5 | 6.9 | 5.8 | - | - | - |
Wally WestlakeWally Westlake Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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| Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
| 1947 Pittsburgh Pirates | 15 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1948 Pittsburgh Pirates | 15 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1949 Pittsburgh Pirates | 15 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1950 Pittsburgh Pirates | 15 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1951 Pittsburgh Pirates | 15 | $22,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 1951 St. Louis Cardinals | 17 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
| 1952 St. Louis Cardinals | 17 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1952 Cincinnati Reds | 23 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1952 Cleveland Indians | 31 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1953 Cleveland Indians | 31 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1954 Cleveland Indians | 31 | Undetermined | - | Stats |
| 1955 Cleveland Indians | 31 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1955 Baltimore Orioles | 14 | Undetermined | - | - |
| 1956 Philadelphia Phillies | 15 | Undetermined | - | - |
| Wally Westlake Stats by Baseball Almanac | ||||

Waldon Thomas Westlake was a Major League Baseball player with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1947–1951), St. Louis Cardinals (1951–1952), Cincinnati Reds (1952), Cleveland Indians (1952–1955), Baltimore Orioles (1955), and Philadelphia Phillies (1956). Wally, his nickname, had a brother named Jim Westlake who had exactly one "cup of coffee" with the 1955 Phillies.

Wally Westlake Rookie Card | 1949 Bowman Baseball Card (49 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Collection
Did you know that Wally Westlake was the first ballplayer from the tiny town of Gridley (California) to play in the majors? Did you know Westlake served in the United States Army during World War II, and his father, Wally Westlake (Sr.) also served, fighting in France during World War I?
On July 30, 1948, Wally Westlake hit for the cycle. On June 14, 1949, Wally Westlake hit for the cycle a second time! Westlake was the third Bucs player to hit for the cycle more than once, joining Fred Clarke (1901 & 1903) and Arky Vaughan (1933 & 1939), two hall of fame players.