# Gene Stephens

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{{Short description|American baseball player (1933–2019)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Gene Stephens
|image=Gene Stephens.jpeg
|position=[Outfielder](/source/Outfielder)
|birth_date={{Birth date|1933|1|20}}
|birth_place=[Hiwasse, Arkansas](/source/Hiwasse%2C_Arkansas), U.S.
|death_date={{Death date and age|2019|4|27|1933|1|20}}
|death_place=[Granbury, Texas](/source/Granbury%2C_Texas), U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 16
|debutyear=1952
|debutteam=Boston Red Sox
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 23
|finalyear=1964
|finalteam=Chicago White Sox
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[Batting average](/source/Batting_average_(baseball))
|stat1value=.240
|stat2label=[Home runs](/source/Home_runs)
|stat2value=37
|stat3label=[Runs batted in](/source/Runs_batted_in)
|stat3value=207
|teams=
* [Boston Red Sox](/source/Boston_Red_Sox) ({{mlby|1952}}–{{mlby|1953}}, {{mlby|1955}}–{{mlby|1960}})
* [Baltimore Orioles](/source/Baltimore_Orioles) ({{mlby|1960}}–{{mlby|1961}})
* [Kansas City Athletics](/source/Kansas_City_Athletics) ({{mlby|1961}}–{{mlby|1962}})
* [Chicago White Sox](/source/Chicago_White_Sox) ({{mlby|1963}}–{{mlby|1964}})
* [Chunichi Dragons](/source/Chunichi_Dragons) (1966)
}}
'''Glen Eugene Stephens''' (January 20, 1933 – April 27, 2019) was an American professional [baseball](/source/baseball) [outfielder](/source/outfielder) who played in [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) (MLB) for all or portions of a dozen seasons between 1952 and 1964 for the [Boston Red Sox](/source/Boston_Red_Sox), [Baltimore Orioles](/source/Baltimore_Orioles), [Kansas City Athletics](/source/Kansas_City_Athletics) and [Chicago White Sox](/source/Chicago_White_Sox). He also played one season in [Nippon Professional Baseball](/source/Nippon_Professional_Baseball) (NPB) for the [Chunichi Dragons](/source/Chunichi_Dragons) (1966). The native of [Gravette, Arkansas](/source/Gravette%2C_Arkansas), batted left-handed, threw right-hand, and was listed at {{convert|6|ft|3|in}} tall and {{convert|175|lb}}. He attended the [University of Arkansas](/source/University_of_Arkansas).

== Biography ==
Stephens signed with the Red Sox in 1951. After [batting](/source/batting_average_(baseball)) .337 with 22 [home runs](/source/home_runs) and being selected to the Class D [North Carolina State League](/source/North_Carolina_State_League)'s All-Star team in his first pro season, Stephens jumped all the way to the majors in {{mlby|1952}}, making the Red Sox' roster out of [spring training](/source/spring_training) and getting into 21 games for Boston in April, May and September; in between, he returned to the higher [minor leagues](/source/minor_leagues) for more playing time. His first full year in [MLB](/source/MLB) would come in {{mlby|1955}}, and he batted a career-best .293 in 109 [games played](/source/games_played). But Stephens found himself playing behind Boston's entrenched [outfield](/source/outfield) of [Baseball Hall of Fame](/source/Baseball_Hall_of_Fame)r [Ted Williams](/source/Ted_Williams), [Gold Glove](/source/Gold_Glove)-winner [Jim Piersall](/source/Jim_Piersall) and future [American League Most Valuable Player](/source/American_League_Most_Valuable_Player_Award) [Jackie Jensen](/source/Jackie_Jensen). Even though he filled in at all three outfield positions, from 1955 until he was traded to the Orioles on June 9, 1960, he was Williams' primary replacement as Boston's [left fielder](/source/left_fielder), and was nicknamed "Williams' [caddy](/source/caddie)."<ref>[https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/gene-stephens/ Newville, Todd, ''Gene Stephens''], [Society for American Baseball Research](/source/Society_for_American_Baseball_Research) Biography Project</ref>

On June 18, 1953, Stephens became the first major leaguer in the modern era (since 1900) to have three [hits](/source/hit_(baseball)) in a single [inning](/source/inning_(baseball)).  The record was matched by [Johnny Damon](/source/Johnny_Damon) on June 27, 2003,<ref>{{cite web|title=Game Hits Records |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/hits.shtml |work=baseball-almanac.com |accessdate=4 April 2012 }}</ref> who coincidentally accomplished this feat as a Red Sox as well.

In his 12 big-league seasons, Stephens played in 964 [games](/source/games_played) and had 1,913 [at bats](/source/at_bats), 283 [runs](/source/run_(baseball)), 460 hits, 78 [doubles](/source/double_(baseball)), 15 [triples](/source/triple_(baseball)), 37 home runs, 207 [RBI](/source/runs_batted_in), 27 [stolen base](/source/stolen_base)s, 233 [walks](/source/base_on_balls), .240 batting average, .325 [on-base percentage](/source/on-base_percentage), .355 [slugging percentage](/source/slugging_percentage), 679 [total base](/source/total_base)s and 17 [sacrifice hit](/source/sacrifice_hit)s.

Stephens concluded his professional career in 1967 after 17 seasons. He died April 27, 2019, aged 86, in [Granbury, Texas](/source/Granbury%2C_Texas).<ref>[https://www.wileyfuneralhome.com/obituary/glenn-stephens/ Glenn Stephens Obituary]</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Baseballstats|br=s/stephge01| brm=stephe001gle}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/S/Pstepg101.htm Retrosheet]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Gene}}
Category:1933 births
Category:2019 deaths
Category:Albany Senators players
Category:American expatriate baseball players in Japan
Category:Atlanta Crackers players
Category:Baseball players from Arkansas
Category:Baltimore Orioles players
Category:Boston Red Sox players
Category:Chicago White Sox players
Category:Chunichi Dragons players
Category:Columbus Jets players
Category:High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms players
Category:Indianapolis Indians players
Category:Kansas City Athletics players
Category:20th-century American sportsmen
Category:Louisville Colonels (minor league) players
Category:Major League Baseball left fielders
Category:Patriotas de Venezuela players
Category:People from Gravette, Arkansas
Category:Santa Marta (baseball club) players
Category:Syracuse Chiefs players
Category:Tacoma Cubs players
Category:Sportspeople from Benton County, Arkansas

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gene Stephens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Stephens) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Stephens?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.