Dorian "Doe" Boyland (born January 6, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who was drafted in the second round of the 1976 Major League Baseball Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.[1] After his playing career, he opened a series of car dealerships across the United States.
| Doe Boyland | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Boyland with the Phoenix Giants c. 1982 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: January 6, 1955 Chicago, Illinois | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 4, 1978, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 4, 1981, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .105 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 1 |
| Teams | |
Career
editAfter graduating from South Shore High School in Chicago, Boyland attended the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh to play college basketball for the Titans but eventually earned a spot on the school's baseball team.[2]
Boyland played in just 21 games with the Pirates in 1978, 1979, and 1981 and was later traded to the San Francisco Giants.[3]
He is the only MLB player whose first at bat in the majors was a strikeout while sitting on the bench after he was removed with a 1-2 count.[4] On September 4, 1978, the Pirates and the New York Mets played a doubleheader. In the first game, the Pirates tied the game at 4-4 in the 7th. With one out and a man on first, Pirates manager Chuck Tanner pinch-hit Boyland for relief pitcher Ed Whitson, sending the 23-year-old rookie up for his first-ever at bat. After going up 1-2 on Boyland, Mets pitcher Skip Lockwood was pulled for Kevin Kobel, prompting Tanner to counter by replacing Boyland with pinch-hitter Rennie Stennett. Stenett struck out, but scoring rules assign the strikeout to Boyland.[3][4][5]
Boyland made his last appearance on the Pirates on October 4, 1981. That December, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Tom Griffin. In 1982, he retired.[3]
Post-baseball career
editBoyland opened a series of car dealerships in Florida, Oregon, Wisconsin, and other states after his playing career.[6]
In 2019, Boyland received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.[7]
In 2021, New York Post baseball columnist Joel Sherman reported Boyland was not interested in working in the Mets front office amidst their search for a president of baseball operations and was "happy to run his car dealerships."[8]
References
edit- ^ "Doe Boyland". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- ^ Strachan, Bobby John (March 31, 1982). "Ex-Titan to take a Giant step?". The Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 13. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Doe Boyland". Baseball-Almanac.com. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
- ^ a b Gustines, Article By Elena; Cooke, Illustrations By Jim (March 31, 2016). "Baseball's Enduring Oddities". nytimes.com. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- ^ "New York Mets at Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score, September 4, 1978". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ Flemmon, Emil (August 24, 2019). "Former MLB Player becomes top car dealership owner". Atlanta Voice. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ "DORIAN BOYLAND RECOGNIZED AS 2019 HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE RECIPIENT". University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
- ^ "Twitter".
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
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