Joe Kirrene | |
Position: | Third baseman |
Bats: | Right |
Throws: | Right |
Birth Date: | 4 October 1931 |
Birth Place: | San Francisco, California |
Death Place: | San Ramon, California |
Debutleague: | MLB |
Debutdate: | October 1 |
Debutyear: | 1950 |
Debutteam: | Chicago White Sox |
Finalleague: | MLB |
Finaldate: | September 25 |
Finalyear: | 1954 |
Finalteam: | Chicago White Sox |
Statleague: | MLB |
Stat1label: | Batting average |
Stat1value: | .296 |
Stat2label: | Home runs |
Stat2value: | 0 |
Stat3label: | Runs batted in |
Stat3value: | 4 |
Teams: |
Joseph John Kirrene (October 4, 1931 – October 19, 2016)[1] was an American professional baseball player. A native of San Francisco, California, a third baseman, appeared in ten Major League games for the Chicago White Sox during late-season trials in and .[2] Listed at 6feet tall and, he threw and batted right-handed.
Kirrene signed with the White Sox in 1950 and spent his first pro season in the middle levels of minor league baseball before his autumn call-up. On October 1, 1950, the regular season's final day, he started at third base in the second game of a double-header against left-hander Stubby Overmire of the St. Louis Browns. Kirrene had one single in four at bats and was errorless in the field.[3] Kirrene then was out of baseball for three seasons, and served in the military during the Korean War. Returning to the game in 1954, he led the Class A Western League in batting average (.343) and was selected as the third baseman on the league's all-star team.[4]
That September he received his final Major League trial. This time, he appeared in nine games for the ChiSox, six as the starting third baseman, and had three multi-hit games. He drove in four runs and registered his only extra-base hit, a double off Bob Porterfield of the Washington Senators, on September 8, 1954.[5] In 33 total big-league plate appearances, Kirrene had eight hits and five bases on balls, with four runs scored. He also was credited a stolen base. He played in the higher minors—including both teams in his native San Francisco Bay Area—in 1955–56 before leaving pro baseball.