Jim Ray Hart
Positions: Third Baseman and Leftfielder
Bats: Right • Throws: Right
5-11, 185lb (180cm, 83kg)
Born: October 30, 1941 in Hookerton, NC
Died: May 19, 2016 in Acampo, CA
Buried: Cremated
Debut: July 7, 1963 (12,134th in major league history)
vs. STL 5 AB, 2 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: May 27, 1974
vs. CHW 4 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: James Ray Hart
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Nine Players Who Debuted in 1963
Pete Rose
Rusty Staub
Joe Morgan
Willie Horton
Jose Cardenal
Jim Wynn
Dick Allen
Tommy John
Mickey Lolich
All-Time Teammate Team
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Notable Events and Chronology
Biography
Bob Gibson welcomed Jim Ray to the big leagues in 1963 by breaking his shoulder blade with a fastball in the back. A few days after Hart’s return, he was beaned by Curt Simmons and missed the rest of the season.
But in 1964, his first full year, the stocky strongman proved he wasn’t gun-shy with a San Francisco rookie record 31 homers. Until a 1969 shoulder injury made him a part timer, he averaged 28 homers a season. On September 8, 1970 he hit for the cycle and tied a major-league record with six RBI in one inning.
Although the former North Carolina cotton picker was so quiet it was said a soft chuckle was a whole conversation for him, he was vocal about his hatred of playing third base: it was “just too damn close to the hitters.”
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