Made big leagues as 19-year-old, played for Sox
Claudell Washington, a two-time All-Star outfielder who played 17 seasons in the majors after being called up as a teenager by the Oakland Athletics, has died. He was 65.
Mr. Washington died early Wednesday morning in the Bay Area according to his friend, A’s scout and former major leaguer Shooty Babitt. Mr. Washington had been battling prostate cancer.
Babitt, who followed Mr. Washington’s path from Berkeley High School to the Athletics, called Mr. Washington his “baseball hero.”
Mr. Washington played with seven teams in his career, finishing with 1,884 hits, 164 home runs and 312 stolen bases. He made the All-Star Game in 1975 with the A’s and in 1984 with the Atlanta Braves during his long career.
Mr. Washington has the distinction of striking out more times than any player against Nolan Ryan with 39 in 90 career at-bats.
The outfielder also hit the 10,000th home run in New York Yankees history, connecting off Minnesota’s Jeff Reardon in 1988.
Mr. Washington played a part on the big screen as well. In the 1986 movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” the title character catches a foul ball off the bat of Washington. The actual footage was from a game at Wrigley Field between the Cubs and Braves.
Mr. Washington was signed by A’s scout Jim Guinn as an undrafted free agent in 1972 and made it to the majors two years later at 19. He helped Oakland win its third straight World Series title that season.
He was traded to Texas, then in 1978, dealt to the White Sox for Bobby Bonds. He was traded to the New York Mets in 1980.