Albie Pearson--1963
He was an All-Star?
Rising just 5'5" from the ground,
Albie Pearson may have been the
shortest player to start an All-Star
Game, thus becoming an inspiration
for all who are vertically challenged.
The 1958 Rookie of the Year while
patrolling center field for the last
place Washington Senators, Pearson
would later surface in Los Angles.
A .265 hitter through his first five
seasons, the lefty swinging outfielder
was enjoying a career year with the
Angels in 1963, batting .307 when he
was named a starter for the American
League in the Mid-Summer Classic
held in Cleveland.
Batting second for the American
League, Pearson went 2-for-4;
rapping out a single in the first inning
off Cincinnati's Jim O'Toole. He would
later score the AL's second run of
the game after leading-off the third
inning with a double to deep
left-center field off the Cubs Larry
Jackson. Unfortunately, despite his
efforts, the Junior Circuit lost the
game 5-3 to the National League.
Pearson would finish the '63
campaign with a career-best .304
average, before coming back to
earth to hit .253 over his last 231 big
league games.
In 1963, Pearson stood tall on an
All-Star Game diamond, though we
are not sure how many fans really
saw him on the field.
Editor's Note: "Here Albie stands next
to his favorite bat, Merle."...to borrow
a line from The Great American
Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and
Bubble Gum Book... a great book
which all card collecting fans from the
1950s should read.
Rising just 5'5" from the ground,
Albie Pearson may have been the
shortest player to start an All-Star
Game, thus becoming an inspiration
for all who are vertically challenged.
The 1958 Rookie of the Year while
patrolling center field for the last
place Washington Senators, Pearson
would later surface in Los Angles.
A .265 hitter through his first five
seasons, the lefty swinging outfielder
was enjoying a career year with the
Angels in 1963, batting .307 when he
was named a starter for the American
League in the Mid-Summer Classic
held in Cleveland.
Batting second for the American
League, Pearson went 2-for-4;
rapping out a single in the first inning
off Cincinnati's Jim O'Toole. He would
later score the AL's second run of
the game after leading-off the third
inning with a double to deep
left-center field off the Cubs Larry
Jackson. Unfortunately, despite his
efforts, the Junior Circuit lost the
game 5-3 to the National League.
Pearson would finish the '63
campaign with a career-best .304
average, before coming back to
earth to hit .253 over his last 231 big
league games.
In 1963, Pearson stood tall on an
All-Star Game diamond, though we
are not sure how many fans really
saw him on the field.
Editor's Note: "Here Albie stands next
to his favorite bat, Merle."...to borrow
a line from The Great American
Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and
Bubble Gum Book... a great book
which all card collecting fans from the
1950s should read.
