Eugene Richard Woodling (August 16, 1922 – June 2, 2001) was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder between and , most prominently as a member of the New York Yankees dynasty that won five consecutive World Series championships between 1949 and 1953.
Woodling was a left-handed batter known as a line drive hitter who hit over .300 five times during his 17-year career and, had a .318 batting average during his five World Series appearances. He excelled defensively, leading American League outfielders in fielding or tied for the lead four times, and never made more than three errors in a season during his tenure with the Yankees. He played baseball at Akron East High School. Woodling also played semi-pro baseball for the Goodyear Rubber team while still in school, from 1937 to 1939, with a .452 batting average one year. In 2024, he was inducted into the Akron Public Schools Athletics Hall of Fame.
Playing career and military service
Early career (1940-1943)
His professional baseball career began in 1940 when he signed with the Indians' organization. He broke his leg early in the 1942 season, but in 1943 Woodling hit .344 for the Wilkes-Barre Barons of the Eastern League. He was called up briefly to the major leagues in September, where he hit .320 for Cleveland in 25 at bats. where he spent the year in "ship's company". During that time, he played baseball with other professional baseball players who had joined the Navy, as the Great Lakes Blue Jackets, under Lieutenant Commander Mickey Cochrane (a Hall of Fame catcher). The team included future Hall of Fame second baseman Billy Herman, Al Glossop, Schoolboy Rowe and Si Johnson, winning 48 out of 50 games in 1944. In 1947, he played for the Newark Bears of the International League in Triple-A baseball, batting .289. Woodling credited O'Doul with getting him back to the major leagues. With them, Woodling had what was probably his best year, 1953. Although he only had 395 at bats, he hit .306, and with 82 walks led the American League with a .429 on-base percentage.
During that time, Yankee manager Casey Stengel praised the outfielder's ability to run and throw. He considered Woodling his best defensive left fielder. In 1952, Woodling became the first player to pinch-hit a triple in the World Series.
On November 17, 1954, a record 17-player deal took place between the Orioles and Yankees, involving Woodling, future 20-game winner Bob Turley and Don Larsen, who would go on to pitch a perfect game in the 1956 World Series for New York. Woodling had been sidelined for the last part of the 1954 season with a badly sprained wrist, that was originally thought to be broken.
<big>Orioles and Indians career</big>
In 1955, Woodling began the year hitting poorly for the Orioles, with a .221 batting average. He hit .278 for the Indians that year. Woodling considered 1959 his best year as a major league player. and there is a plaque in his honor outside Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Career
In his 17-season career, Woodling batted .284 with 147 home runs and 830 RBIs in 1,796 games. Woodling ended with a .386 on-base percentage and 1,585 career hits in 5,587 at bats. He hit .300 or better five times. In five World Series, Woodling hit .318 (27-85). As an outfielder, he recorded a .989 fielding percentage. He remained in that capacity through the 1966 World Series Championship season and up until the announcement on September 28, 1967, that he would not be retained for the 1968 season. He was also a scout for the Yankees and the Indians.
Death
Woodling died on June 2, 2001, at the age of 78, in a nursing home in Wadsworth, Ohio.