Art Schallock, the oldest living Major League Baseball player and a World War II veteran, has died. He was 100. Schallock pitched in 58 games with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles from 1951-55.
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Schallock played semi-pro ball during the summers in high school. He was drafted into the United States Navy and served in the Pacific during World War II from 1943-46.
Schallock’s baseball career began when he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946. He was traded to the Yankees in 1951 and made his MLB debut that July 16. Mickey Mantle, then a 19-year-old rookie, was sent to Triple-A to clear a roster spot for Schallock because the Yankees needed a pitcher.
“They had to send someone down and it turned out to be Mickey Mantle,” Schallock told Ed Attanasio years later. “He came back quickly, but for many years Mickey and I would joke about it.”
Despite appearing in only seven games during the 1953 regular season, Schallock pitched in the World Series for the Yankees that year, throwing two innings in relief against the Dodgers in Game 4. He retired Jackie Robinson, among others. Schallock and the Yankees defeated his former team in six games to win the World Series title that year.
The Orioles claimed Schallock off waivers from the Yankees in 1955. In five MLB seasons he went 6-7 with a 4.02 ERA in 170 1/3 innings spread across 14 starts and 44 relief appearances. In addition to being the oldest living MLB player, Schallock was the last living member of the 1953 World Series champion Yankees.
Following his playing career, Schallock worked in public relations for several real estate firms. He and his wife, Donna, had two daughters, Dianne and Nancy.
Schallock became the oldest living player when George Elder died at age 101 in 2022. The oldest living player now is 100-year-old Bill Greason, a former Negro Leagues player who also played for the 1954 St. Louis Cardinals.
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