Gus Bell

Position: Outfielder
Bats: Left  •  Throws: Right
6-1, 190lb (185cm, 86kg)
Born: November 15, 1928 in Louisville, KY us
Died: May 7, 1995  in Montgomery, OH
Buried: Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Cincinnati, OH
Debut: May 30, 1950 (10,725th in major league history)
vs. STL 5 AB, 2 H, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: May 1, 1964
vs. PHI 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: David Russell Bell

Teams Gus Bell Played For

Pittsburgh Pirates (1950-1952)
Cincinnati Reds (1953-1961)
New York Mets (1962)
Milwaukee Braves (1962-1964)

Post-Season Appearances
1961 World Series

All-Star Selections
1953 NL
1954 NL
1956 NL
1957 NL

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
Relatives: Father of Buddy Bell; Grandfather of David Bell, Mike Bell

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1950

Joe Adcock
Gus Bell
Jimmy Piersall
Jackie Jensen
Jim Busby
Chico Carrasquel
Billy Martin
Lew Burdette
Whitey Ford

All-Time Teammate Team

Coming Soon

Notable Events and Chronology for Gus Bell Career

SearchSearch Events, Dates and More Date (Newest)Title (A - Z)

September 13, 1950

Sal Maglie’s string of scoreless innings ends at 45, but he beats the Pirates, 3 – 1

April 21, 1951

Led by Gus Bell, who belts a home run, three doubles and a single, the Pirates defeat Cincinnati, 7 – 5, at Crosley Field.

June 4, 1951

1951 – Gus Bell hits for the cycle to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 12 – 4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium.

July 18, 1951

The Pirates’ Ralph Kiner drives in seven runs, hitting three home runs, including his 10th grand slam

August 30, 1951

The Giants move to an 8 – 1 lead after five inning over the Pirates behind two homers by Willie Mays. But George Spencer wilts in the heat and gives up homers to Frank Thomas – his first in the majors – and pinch hitter Gus Bell. After Pete Castiglione and Bill Rigney match homers, Ralph Kiner powers one in the 9th inning to give Pittsburgh a 10 – 9 victory. For Kiner, it is his 37th.

October 14, 1952

The Reds obtain outfielder Gus Bell from the Pirates in exchange for Cal Abrams, Gail Henley, and Joe Rossi. The newest Cincinnati flychaser, considered one of general manager Gabe Paul’s best acquisitions for the team, will become a fan favorite and will hit .288 during his nine-year tenure in the Queen City.

August 27, 1955

Sandy Koufax, in his second big league start, two-hits the Reds at Ebbets Field, 7-0. The 19 year-old bonus baby, displaying the dominance that he will feature during the 1960’s, goes the distance, striking out 14 Cincinnati batters.

May 6, 1956

Cincinnati Redlegs outfielder Gus Bell hits home runs off Bob Miller in both ends of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies at Crosley Field. Cincinnati wins, 10 – 2 and 11 – 9.

May 29, 1956

For the second time in two years‚ Gus Bell of the Redlegs hits 3 homers – all consecutive – going 5 for 5 in a 10 – 4 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Bell drives in 7 runs. Brooks Lawrence coasts to his 6th straight win.

April 20, 1957

Cincinnati Reds secondbaseman Johnny Temple in a game against the Braves allows a groundball by Gus Bell hit him to prevent a double play.

June 28, 1957

Ford Frick replaces 3 Reds in ballet stuffing scheme

July 1, 1957

Cincinnati fans threaten to sue Commissioner Ford Frick unless Gus Bell, George Crowe and Wally Post are restored to the All-Star team. They finished first in the ballotting thanks to vote-stuffing by Cincinnati fans, ahead of more deserving players.

July 15, 1959

Gus Bell collects two doubles and three singles in the Cincinnati Redlegs’ 11 – 5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis.

July 26, 1961

At Milwaukee, the Reds muscle three runs in the 8th inning to beat the Braves, 3 – 2. Gus Bell rings a pinch homer and Frank Robinson clubs a two-run homer for the Reds.

November 28, 1961

The Milwaukee Braves trade slugger Frank Thomas to the New York Mets for a player to be named later (Gus Bell) and a reported $125,000.

April 11, 1969

Seattle Pilots Play First Home Game in Sicks Stadium

July 5, 1989

Barry and Bobby Bonds become all time father son homerun leaders

May 3, 1995

David Bell makes his debut for the Cleveland Indians, representing the third generation of his family to play in the major leagues

May 7, 1995

Gus Bell dies at the age of 66. As the patriarch of a three-generation baseball family

Biography

David Bell’s parents so admired catcher Gus Mancuso they nicknamed their son Gus, but instead of a catcher, he became a power-hitting outfielder. Bell was hitting .400 at Indianapolis when he was called up to the Pirates in 1950, joining Ralph Kiner in the Bucs’ outfield. After two strong seasons, he spent part of 1952 back in the minors because of a dispute with the Pirate front office; he had wanted his family to travel with him, including his son Buddy, later an outstanding ML third baseman.
Traded to Cincinnati, Bell hit a career-high 30 homers in 1953. He had his best years with the Reds (1953-61), four times topping 100 RBI.

In the 1957 All-Star voting, Cincinnati fans sent in so many ballots they succeeded in having seven Reds named to the starting lineup. Commissioner Ford Frick removed Bell and Wally Post as starters, but Manager Walter Alston named Bell to the squad and he doubled in two runs in the seventh.

Selected by the Mets in the expansion draft, he collected the first Met hit, a single on April 11, 1962.

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

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