Chuck Essegian
Charles Abraham Essegian, Jr. (born August 9, 1931) is a former backup outfielder who played from 1958 through 1963 in Major League Baseball. Listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), 200 lb., he batted and threw right-handed.
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Essegian attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. He entered the majors in 1958 with the Philadelphia Phillies, playing for them one year before joining the St. Louis Cardinals (1959), Los Angeles Dodgers (1959–1960), Baltimore Orioles (1961), Kansas City Athletics (1961, 1963) and Cleveland Indians (1961–1962). His most productive season came in 1962, when he posted career numbers in batting average (.274), runs (59), hits (92), 12 doubles (12), home runs (21), runs batted in (50) and games played (106). Essegian enjoyed two of his finest seasons in Cleveland, where he was a fan favorite. The book "Portrait of a Franchise: An Intimate Look at Cleveland Indians Baseball During the Rockin' Sixties" by Doug Kurkul covers his tenure in Cleveland.
In a six-season career, Essegian was a .255 hitter (260-for-1018) with 47 home runs and 150 RBI in 1018 games.
During the 1959 World Series, Essegian set a Series record with two pinch-hit home runs against the Chicago White Sox. The mark would be matched by Bernie Carbo of the Boston Red Sox, who pinch-hit homers against the Cincinnati Reds in the 1975 Series.
Following his career in the majors, Essegian played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes of the Pacific League in 1964. He also played twelve Minor league seasons between 1953 and 1959, registering a .311 average with 97 homers in 1422 games appearances.
Essegian is one of only two men to have played in both the Rose Bowl and the World Series. He played for Stanford University in the 1952 Rose Bowl event and appeared with the Dodgers in the 1959 Series. Jackie Jensen was the first to appear in both, while playing for University of California (1949) and the Yankees (1950), respectively.
Essegien has been a long time attorney in California.
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