Bill Salkeld

William Franklin Salkeld (March 8, 1917 – April 22, 1967) was an American professional baseball catcher who played in the major leagues from 1945 through 1950 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves, and Chicago White Sox. A native of Pocatello, Idaho, who grew up in Sacramento, California, he batted left-handed, threw right-handed, stood 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighed 190 pounds. Salkeld made his major league debut at age 28 with the 1945 Pirates during the final year of the World War II manpower shortage. As a rookie he batted .311 with 15 home runs in 317 plate appearances and finished 24th in National League Most Valuable Player voting. Traded to the Boston Braves after the 1947 season, he platooned at catcher with right-handed hitter Phil Masi in 1948 as the Braves won their first National League pennant in 34 years. In Game 5 of the 1948 World Series against the Cleveland Indians, his sixth-inning home run off Bob Feller tied the game at five before Boston pulled away. He died in 1967 at age 50.