George Culver

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=George Culver

|image=

|position=Pitcher

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1943|7|8}}

|birth_place=Salinas, California, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 7

|debutyear=1966

|debutteam=Cleveland Indians

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=June 9

|finalyear=1974

|finalteam=Philadelphia Phillies

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=48–49

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=3.62

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=451

|teams=

Cleveland Indians ({{mlby|1966}}–{{mlby|1967}})
Cincinnati Reds ({{mlby|1968}}–{{mlby|1969}})
St. Louis Cardinals ({{mlby|1970}})
Houston Astros ({{mlby|1970}}–{{mlby|1972}})
Los Angeles Dodgers ({{mlby|1973}})
Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1973}}–{{mlby|1974}})
Nippon-Ham Fighters ({{by|1975}})

|highlights=

Pitched a no-hitter on July 29, 1968

}}

George Raymond Culver (born July 8, 1943), is an American former professional baseball

pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies, from {{by|1966}} to {{by|1974}}. He also pitched for the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Nippon-Ham Fighters, in {{by|1975}}.{{Cite web |title=George Culver Minor & Japanese Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=culver001geo |website=baseball-reference.com}}

Early career

Culver was offered $1,000 to sign with the Phillies following an outstanding high school career at North High School in Bakersfield, California, where he played five sports. He turned that down and instead went to Bakersfield College and excelled in baseball for two years.{{cite web |last=Lynch |first=Stephen |date=March 29, 2013 |title=All-Star Athlete: George Culver |url=https://www.bakersfield.com/bakersfield_life/all-star-athlete-george-culver/article_7efb9029-e1f4-5d9b-8ceb-abeb3827f61e.html |access-date=April 25, 2019 |work=The Bakersfield Californian}}

Major league career

Culver was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1963 for $2,500. He made his major league debut at age 23 on September 7, 1966, as the Cleveland Indians' starting pitcher against Jim Lonborg and the Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Culver pitched five innings and gave up five earned runs in a 5–4 loss; the first-ever major league hitter he faced was José Tartabull.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE196609070.shtml|title=Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Indians Box Score, September 7, 1966}}

Culver pitched a no-hitter for the Reds on July 29, 1968, in a 6–1 win over the Phillies at Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium. Culver struck out four batters and walked five as he outdueled Chris Short in game two of a doubleheader.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI196807292.shtml|title=Cincinnati Reds at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score, July 29, 1968}}{{Cite web |last=Heller |first=Dave |date=2010-01-28 |title=Touring the Bases With…George Culver |url=https://seamheads.com/2010/01/27/touring-the-bases-with-george-culver/ |website=Seamheads.com}}

In 1973, Culver appeared in 28 games (all in relief) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, posting a 4–4 record and a 3.00 ERA before getting placed on waivers in August.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/culvege01.shtml|title=George Culver Stats|work=Baseball-Reference|access-date=May 18, 2021}} Though Culver was the last pitcher on the Dodger depth chart, teammate Tommy John thought his dismissal was a big reason Los Angeles missed the playoffs in 1973. "George didn't get into a lot of games, but he held a vital role as team comic. His antics kept guys loose and kept us in a good frame of mind. When they released him... it upset the chemistry of the team. We couldn't believe it. It was like cutting out our heart."{{cite book |last1=John |first1=Tommy |author-link=Tommy John |title=TJ: My Twenty-Six Years in Baseball |last2=Valenti |first2=Dan |publisher=Bantam |year=1991 |isbn=0-553-07184-X |location=New York |page=134}}

Minor league coach and manager

After retiring as a player, Culver spent 30 years as a minor league manager, pitching coordinator and pitching coach in the Dodgers and Phillies organizations.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cccaasports.org/hof_view.asp?HofId=111 |title=Hall of Fame |access-date=2013-07-29 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130729180453/http://www.cccaasports.org/hof_view.asp?HofId=111 |archive-date=2013-07-29 |url-status=dead }} His last season in professional baseball was as a roving pitching coach for the Dodgers in 2010.{{Cite news |last=Price |first=Robert |date=December 5, 2023 |title=George Culver, major league contributor to community youth baseball, to be honored as Christmas parade’s grand marshal |url=https://www.kget.com/news/christmas-parade/george-culver-major-league-contributor-to-community-youth-baseball-to-be-honored-as-christmas-parades-grand-marshal/ |work=KGET}} On his last day as an active coach, the Bakersfield Blaze honored him with a "George Culver Retirement Night" on August 23, 2010.{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2010 |title=George Culver Retirement Night Monday August 23rd |url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-13805664 |website=MiLB.com}}

Personal life

For many years, Culver has been supporter of Bakersfield College (BC), which started when he began the BC Baseball Hot Stove Dinner as a means to upgrade the baseball facilities. The Hot Stove dinners generated over $1 million, which provided lights for the BC baseball field, a state-of-the-art clubhouse with showers, restrooms, laundry facilities, lockers, and coaches offices along with two new scoreboards and dugouts. His work in the Bakersfield community, especially through the nonprofit Light Brigade, has also helped raise money for the Cal State Bakersfield baseball program and local high schools and various youth baseball groups. He brought baseball to the Police Athletic League for inner-city kids in the Bakersfield area and has raised funds to purchase equipment and helped coach players in the PAL program.

In 2012, he was inducted into the California Community College Athletics Association Hall of Fame. He was previously inducted into Kern County's Bob Elias Hall of Fame and the Bakersfield College Alumni Hall of Fame.

Culver lives in Bakersfield, California, with his wife, Rosie. He has three adult stepchildren.