John Bateman

John Alvin Bateman (July 21, 1940 – December 3, 1996) was a right-handed catcher who spent ten seasons in Major League Baseball. Born in Killeen, Texas and raised in Lawton, Oklahoma, he signed with the expansion Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent in 1962 after hitting 22 home runs for the minor league Modesto Colts. He quickly claimed the starting catching job in Houston, and on May 17, 1963, caught Don Nottebart's no-hitter against Philadelphia — the first in franchise history. Bateman later played for the Montreal Expos and Philadelphia Phillies, finishing his career with a .230 lifetime batting average.