Paul Richards

Paul Rapier Richards (November 21, 1908 – May 4, 1986) was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and executive in Major League Baseball. During his playing career, he was a catcher and right-handed batter with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1932), New York Giants (1933–1935), Philadelphia Athletics (1935) and Detroit Tigers (1943–1946). After retiring, he became the manager of the Chicago White Sox (1951–1954, 1976) and Baltimore Orioles (1955–1961). He also served as the general manager for the Orioles, the Houston Colt .45s / Astros and the Atlanta Braves. Baseball playing career Born in Waxahachie, Texas, Richards began his professional baseball career in the minor leagues as an infielder in at the age of 17. In a baseball oddity, Richards pitched with both hands in a Minor League game on July 23, 1928 for the Muskogee Chiefs of the Class C Western Association against the Topeka Jayhawks. Called to the pitcher's mound from his shortstop position, he pitched both right-handed and left-handed in a brief appearance, including facing a switch-hitter, which briefly resulted in both pitcher and batter switching hands and batter's boxes, respectively, until Richards broke the stalemate by alternating hands with each pitch, regardless of where the batter positioned himself. Later in his minor league career, he became a catcher. After playing for seven years in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut at the age of 23 with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 17, 1932. Richards' contract was then purchased by the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association in June . In 78 games with Minneapolis, he posted a .361 batting average and, he was subsequently purchased by John McGraw's New York Giants in September 1932.