Ed Bailey

Ed Bailey signed with the Reds in 1950 as an amateur free agent. He reached the Majors in 1953 and in 1955 he was given a chance as the Redlegs' (the Cincinnati team's nickname from 1953 to 1958) starting catcher, replacing Andy Seminick. When his offensive production floundered, the Redlegs traded Seminick for catcher Smoky Burgess and Bailey was sent down to the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. With the help of some batting advice from Redlegs manager and former catcher Birdie Tebbetts, his hitting improved in the minor leagues and continued to improve in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Bailey began the 1956 season as the backup catcher to Burgess, but when the team faltered early in the season, Tebbetts decided to shake things up and named Bailey as the Redlegs' starting catcher. By mid-season, he was the leading hitter in the National League with a .335 batting average, helping to spur the Redlegs into first place.{{Cite news |last=Olan |first=Ben |date=1956-07-10 |title=Mid-Season Finds Ed Bailey and Mantle Leading Hitters |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/title/fyblxebzsqewxotfrisxpubutmqlljkw_ip-10-166-46-78_1739948097188 |access-date=2025-02-19 |work=The News and Courier |page=2-B |publication-place=Charleston, South Carolina |via=GenealogyBank.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1956-schedule-scores.shtml |title=1956 Cincinnati Redlegs Schedule, Box Scores and Splits |publisher=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=October 8, 2011}} His hitting performance earned him a place as the starting catcher for the National League in the 1956 All-Star Game.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALS/ALS195607100.shtml |title=1956 All-Star Game |publisher=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=October 30, 2011}} The Redlegs stayed in the pennant race until the last day of the season, ending up with a 91–63 record, two games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers. Bailey ended the 1956 season with career-highs in batting average (.300), home runs (28), runs batted in (75), and led the league in baserunners caught stealing (23).

File:Ed Bailey 1961.jpg

In 1957, the Redlegs were once again in first place at mid-season, but faltered to finish the season in fourth place.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/1957-schedule-scores.shtml |title=1957 Cincinnati Redlegs Schedule, Box Scores and Splits |publisher=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=June 29, 2011}} Bailey earned his second consecutive start for the National League All-Star Team, led National League catchers with a 46.2 Caught Stealing percentage and finished second to Roy Campanella with a .992 fielding percentage.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NLS/NLS195707090.shtml |title=1957 All-Star Game |publisher=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=October 30, 2011}}{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1957-fielding-leaders.shtml |title=1957 National League Fielding Leaders |publisher=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=October 30, 2011}} He remained as the Reds' starting catcher for the rest of the 1950s up until 12 games into the 1961 season, when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for second baseman Don Blasingame and catcher Bob Schmidt.{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=baileed01 |title=Ed Bailey Trades and Transactions |publisher=Baseball-almanac.com |access-date=October 30, 2011}}

In 1962, Bailey platooned with catcher Tom Haller, as the two players—both left-handed hitters—combined to give the Giants 35 home runs and 100 runs batted in from the catcher's position.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/1962.shtml |title=1962 San Francisco Giants |publisher=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=October 30, 2011}} In June of that year, Bailey had a streak of 3 clutch home runs in four games that propelled the Giants into first place.{{Cite news |date=1962-06-30 |title=Ed Bailey Puts Giants Back On Top |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news-ed-bailey-puts-giants-bac/166147025/ |access-date=2025-02-19 |work=The Miami News |page=2B |via=Newspapers.com |agency=Associated Press}} The Giants battled the Los Angeles Dodgers in a tight pennant race as the two teams ended the season tied for first place and met in the 1962 National League tie-breaker series.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1962.shtml |title=1962 National League standings and statistics |publisher=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=October 30, 2011}} The Giants won the three-game series to clinch the National League championship.{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=3617483|title=Tiebreaker Playoff Results|work=ESPN.com|date=September 30, 2008|access-date=October 15, 2011}} Bailey appeared in six games of the 1962 World Series, hitting a home run in Game 3 as the Giants lost to the New York Yankees in seven games.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/baileed01.shtml#batting_postseason |title=Ed Bailey post-season batting statistics |publisher=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=October 30, 2011}}{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1962_WS.shtml |title=1962 World Series |publisher=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=October 30, 2011}} He had another strong year in 1963, hitting 21 home runs with 68 runs batted in, earning his fifth and final All-Star berth.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALS/ALS196307090.shtml |title=1963 All-Star Game |publisher=Baseball-reference.com |access-date=October 30, 2011}}

In December 1963, Bailey was traded along with Felipe Alou and Billy Hoeft to the Milwaukee Braves for Del Crandall, Bob Hendley and Bob Shaw. He served as Joe Torre's back up for two seasons with the Braves before being traded back to the Giants in February 1965. After just fourteen games of the 1965 season, he was traded again, this time to the Chicago Cubs, where he served as a backup catcher to Vic Roznovsky. On July 22, 1965, Bailey hit a grand slam home run, a three-run home run and a run-scoring single to drive home eight runs during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.{{cite news |title=Bailey Batting Downs Phillies |agency=United Press International |work=The Bend Bulletin |page=8 |date=July 23, 1965 |access-date=November 24, 2010 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jJwSAAAAIBAJ&pg=1212,4241954&dq=ed+bailey&hl=en}} After the {{Baseball year|1965}} season, he was traded to the California Angels and was released after appearing in only five games of the 1966 season.

In a fourteen-season major league career, Bailey played in 1,212 games with 915 hits in 3,581 at bats for a .256 batting average along with 155 home runs and 540 runs batted in, including 423 runs, a .355 on-base percentage and a .986 fielding percentage. He was a six-time All-Star and led National League catchers in baserunners caught stealing and caught stealing percentage once each. At the time of his retirement, he ranked 11th overall for career home runs by a catcher.{{cite web|url=http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/8coffhr.htm|title=Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers 800 Games Caught - Offensive Home Runs|website=members.tripod.com}} His younger brother, pitcher Jim Bailey, also played in the Major Leagues.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/baileji01.shtml|title=Jim Bailey Stats - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} When his brother joined the Reds in 1959, the Bailey brothers became one of the few brother-batteries in Major League history.{{cite web |title=Brother Batteries |url=http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/brother_batteries.htm |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers}}

In between, Bailey guided both the Lácteos de Pastora{{cite web|url=http://www.purapelota.com/lvbp/equipotemporada.php?eq=PAS&T=1953-54|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005121316/http://www.purapelota.com/lvbp/equipotemporada.php?eq=PAS&T=1953-54|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 5, 2012|title=purapelota.com|website=www.purapelota.com}} and Industriales de Valencia{{cite web|url=http://www.purapelota.com/lvbp/equipotemporada.php?eq=VAL&T=1955-56|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005121842/http://www.purapelota.com/lvbp/equipotemporada.php?eq=VAL&T=1955-56|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 5, 2012|title=purapelota.com|website=www.purapelota.com}} to Venezuela League championship titles,Gutiérrez, Daniel; Alvarez, Efraim; Gutiérrez (h), Daniel (2006). La Enciclopedia del Béisbol en Venezuela. LVBP, Caracas. {{ISBN|980-6996-02-X}} and later played with them in the Caribbean Series tournament in 1954 and 1956, respectively.Nuñez, José Antero (1994). Serie del Caribe de la Habana a Puerto La Cruz. JAN Editor. {{ISBN|980-07-2389-7}}

In {{baseball year|1957}}, Bailey and six of his Redleg teammates—Roy McMillan, Johnny Temple, Don Hoak, Gus Bell, Wally Post and Frank Robinson—were voted into the National League All-Star starting lineup, the result of a ballot stuffing campaign by Redlegs fans.{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1957as.shtml|title=1957 All-Star Game|website=www.baseball-almanac.com}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20000818205359/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/1999/07/06/allstar_voting/ Rocking The Vote, By John Donovan at sportsillustrated.cnn.com] July 6, 1999 Major League Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick intervened, removing Bell and Post from the starting line up and replacing them with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Frick allowed Bell to remain on the team as a reserve while Post was removed from the team altogether. The Commissioner also transferred the responsibility for All-Star voting to the players, managers and coaches the following year.

• In 1956 appeared as a Mystery Guest in a What's My Line? episode, along with Cincinnati teammates Gus Bell, Smoky Burgess, Ray Jablonski, Johnny Klippstein, Ted Kluszewski, Roy McMillan, Joe Nuxhall, Wally Post, Frank Robinson, and Johnny Temple.{{cite web|url=https://former.imdb.com/title/tt0746519/|title=What's My Line, Episode dated 24 June 1956 at IMDb.com|access-date=June 28, 2018|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305061115/http://former.imdb.com/title/tt0746519/|url-status=dead}}

Bailey later served for 12 years on the Knoxville, Tennessee city council from 1983 to 1995 and, worked for United States Congressman Jimmy Duncan. He died in Knoxville in 2007, following a battle with throat cancer.{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02EFD91230F934A15750C0A9619C8B63|title=Ed Bailey, Five-Time All-Star Catcher, Dies at 75|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 27, 2007|agency=Associated Press}}

• Made the National League All-Star team in 1956–57, 1960–61, and 1963.
• Hit double figures in home runs in eight of his 14 ML seasons.
• Hit three home runs in one 1956 game.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO195606241.shtml|title=Cincinnati Redlegs at Brooklyn Dodgers Box Score, June 24, 1956 - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}
• Had eight pinch-hit homers, including two grand slams.
• Hit a two-run homer in Game 3 of the 1962 World Series.
• Collected eight RBI in a 1965 game.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN196507220.shtml|title=Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs Box Score, July 22, 1965 - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}
• Made two unassisted double plays in 1963 and 1965.{{cite web|url=http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/doubleudp.htm|title=Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers - Unassisted Double Play Catchers|website=members.tripod.com}}
• Caught Juan Marichal's no-hitter on June 15, 1963.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196306150.shtml|title=Houston Colt .45's at San Francisco Giants Box Score, June 15, 1963 - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

{{reflist}}

{{Baseballstats |br=b/baileed01 |fangraphs=1000421 |retro=Pbaile101 |brm=bailey001lon}}

• [https://books.google.com/books?id=TSwDAAAAMBAJ&dq=ed+bailey+baseball+digest&pg=PA49 Bailey- Next Catching Great?, by Bob Pile, Baseball Digest, August 1956]
• [https://former.imdb.com/title/tt0746519/ What's My Line? – IMDb entry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305061115/http://former.imdb.com/title/tt0746519/ |date=March 5, 2016 }}
• {{Find a Grave|18570656}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Ed}}

Category:1931 births

Category:2007 deaths

Category:20th-century American politicians

Category:Baseball players from Knoxville, Tennessee

Category:California Angels players

Category:Chicago Cubs players

Category:Cincinnati Redlegs players

Category:Cincinnati Reds players

Category:Deaths from cancer in Tennessee

Category:Deaths from esophageal cancer in the United States

Category:Industriales de Valencia players

Category:Lácteos de Pastora players

Category:Major League Baseball catchers

Category:Milwaukee Braves players

Category:20th-century American sportsmen

Category:National League All-Stars

Category:Ogden Reds players

Category:People from Strawberry Plains, Tennessee

Category:Sportspeople from the Knoxville metropolitan area

Category:San Diego Padres (minor league) players

Category:San Francisco Giants players

Category:Tennessee city council members

Category:Tennessee Volunteers baseball players

Category:Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players

Category:American athlete-politicians