View source for Chris Chambliss

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1948)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|image=Chris Chambliss Yankees.jpg
|caption=
|name=Chris Chambliss
|team=
|position=[[First baseman]]
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1948|12|26}}
|birth_place=[[Dayton, Ohio]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=May 28
|debutyear=1971
|debutteam=Cleveland Indians
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=May 8
|finalyear=1988
|finalteam=New York Yankees
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]  
|stat1value=.279
|stat2label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat2value=2,109
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=185
|stat4label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=972
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[Cleveland Indians]] ({{Baseball year|1971}}–{{Baseball year|1974}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{Baseball year|1974}}–{{Baseball year|1979}})
* [[Atlanta Braves]] ({{Baseball year|1980}}–{{Baseball year|1986}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{Baseball year|1988}})
'''As coach'''
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{Baseball year|1988}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{Baseball year|1993}}–{{Baseball year|1995}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{Baseball year|1996}}–{{Baseball year|2000}})
* [[New York Mets]] ({{Baseball year|2002}})
* [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{Baseball year|2004}}–{{Baseball year|2006}})
* [[Seattle Mariners]] ({{baseball year|2011}}–{{Baseball year|2012}})
|highlights=
* [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1976]])
* 6× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1977}}, {{wsy|1978}}, {{wsy|1996}}, {{wsy|1998}}–{{wsy|2000}})
* [[AL Rookie of the Year]] (1971)
* [[Gold Glove Award]] (1978)
}}
'''Carroll Christopher Chambliss''' (born December 26, 1948) is an American former professional [[baseball]] player and [[coach (baseball)|coach]]. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] from {{Baseball year|1971}} to {{Baseball year|1988}} for the [[Cleveland Guardians|Cleveland Indians]], [[New York Yankees]] and [[Atlanta Braves]]. He served as a coach for the Yankees, [[St. Louis Cardinals]], [[New York Mets]], [[Cincinnati Reds]], and [[Seattle Mariners]].

Chambliss won the [[American League Rookie of the Year Award]] with the Indians in 1971. He was an [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] with the Yankees in 1976, the same year he hit the series-winning [[home run]] in the [[1976 American League Championship Series]]. He was a member of the Yankees' 1977 and 1978 [[World Series]] championship teams, both against the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]], and won the [[Gold Glove Award]] in 1978. Chambliss went on to win four more World Series championships as the hitting coach for the Yankees in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

==Early life==
Chambliss was born in [[Dayton, Ohio]], on December 26, 1948. He was the third of four sons born to Carroll and Christene Chambliss. His father was a [[chaplain]] in the [[United States Navy]], leading the family to relocate many times during Chris' childhood. They settled in [[Oceanside, California]], where Chris attended high school.<ref name=sabr>{{cite web|last=Wancho|first=Joseph |url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/4054d9ec |title=Chris Chambliss |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research |date= January 4, 2012|access-date=April 7, 2014}}</ref> Chris and his brothers all played baseball on the [[Oceanside High School]] baseball team.<ref name=nctimes>{{cite news|url=http://www.miracosta.edu/officeofthepresident/pio/downloads/Chambliss.pdf|title=MLB: Chambliss back in the big leagues with Mariners|first=John|last=Maffei|publisher=[[North County Times]]|date=May 20, 2011|access-date=August 25, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308121118/http://miracosta.edu/officeofthepresident/pio/downloads/Chambliss.pdf|archive-date=March 8, 2013}}</ref>

==Playing career==
===College===
Chambliss enrolled at [[MiraCosta College]], a [[junior college]] in Oceanside, where he played [[college baseball]]. Despite being selected in the [[Major League Baseball draft|Major League Baseball (MLB) drafts]] of [[1967 Major League Baseball draft|1967]] and [[1968 Major League Baseball draft|1968]] by the [[1968 Cincinnati Reds season|Cincinnati Reds]], he opted not to sign with the Reds on either occasion. He transferred to the [[University of California, Los Angeles]] (UCLA), where he continued his college baseball career in [[1969 UCLA Bruins baseball team|1969]]. That season, he led the [[UCLA Bruins baseball|Bruins]] with 15 [[home run]]s and 45 [[runs batted in]]. During the summer, he played [[collegiate summer baseball]] for the [[Anchorage Glacier Pilots]] of the [[Alaska Baseball League]], which won the [[National Baseball Congress]] (NBC) championship. Chambliss had a .583 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] in the NBC tournament and was named the tournament's [[Most Valuable Player]].<ref name=sabr/>

===Cleveland Indians===
The [[1970 Cleveland Indians season|Cleveland Indians]] selected Chambliss with the first overall pick in the January {{mlby|1970}} [[Major League Baseball draft]],<ref name=sabr/><ref name=patprem>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LahVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9OADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4919%2C3663011 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Pitchers at premium |date=January 18, 1970 |page=5B}}</ref> and assigned him to the [[Wichita Aeros]] of the [[Class AAA]] [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]], their most advanced [[minor league baseball]] affiliate. With the Aeros, Chambliss batted .342, which led the league.<ref name=sabr/>

With [[Ken Harrelson]] serving as the Indians' [[first baseman]], the Indians had Chambliss play in the [[outfield]] for Wichita in 1971, in order to have both players in their lineup at the same time.<ref name=sabr/> He debuted in the majors in 1971, and was named AL Rookie of the Year. Chambliss played [[first base]] and was known as a great clutch hitter throughout his career.

===New York Yankees===
Chambliss was traded along with [[Dick Tidrow]] and [[Cecil Upshaw]] from the Indians to the [[1974 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] for [[Fritz Peterson]], [[Steve Kline (right-handed pitcher)|Steve Kline]], [[Fred Beene]], and [[Tom Buskey]] on April 26, 1974. The Yankees were criticized for giving away four pitchers as opposed to the two it got in return and a failure to land a starting second baseman.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1974/04/28/archives/yankeeindian-trade-brings-confusion-anger-and-leaves-2dbase.html Chass, Murray. "Yankee-Indian Trade Brings Confusion, Anger and Leaves 2d-Base Question," ''The New York Times'', Sunday, April 28, 1974.] Retrieved April 20, 2020</ref>

Chris Chambliss was once quoted as saying, "If you're not having fun [in baseball], you miss the point of everything."<ref>The Love of Baseball, Publications International, Ltd. {{ISBN|978-1-4127-1131-9}}</ref>

During the 1976 season, Chambliss appeared in the [[1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rUJPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZY8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5116,449639&dq=chris+chambliss+all-star&hl=en|title=Ellensburg Daily Record - Google News Archive Search}}</ref> 

In the deciding Game 5 of the [[1976 American League Championship Series|American League Championship Series]] against the [[1976 Kansas City Royals season|Kansas City Royals]], Chambliss hit [[Mark Littell]]'s first pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning over the right field wall for a game-winning home run, giving the Yankees their first pennant since [[1964 New York Yankees season|1964]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qu5cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=51kNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3075,2184467&dq=chris+chambliss&hl=en|title = The Morning Record - Google News Archive Search}}</ref>

Chambliss was the hitting star of the 1976 ALCS, as he also hit a two-run homer in Game 3 to help the Yankees win that game 5–3. He hit an ALCS record .524 (11-for-21) with 2 home runs and eight RBIs. In the four-game [[1976 World Series|World Series]] against the [[1976 Cincinnati Reds season|Cincinnati Reds]], Chambliss hit .313 (5-for-16) with one RBI.

Chambliss played three more seasons with the Yankees, helping lead them to the [[1977 World Series|World Series]] title in [[1977 New York Yankees season|1977]]–their first [[1962 New York Yankees season|in fifteen years]]–and winning a Gold Glove for his fielding prowess in [[1978 New York Yankees season|1978]].

====The "Chris Chambliss Rule"====
Immediately after that 1976 walk-off home run, thousands of fans stormed the [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] field to celebrate. Chambliss was mobbed on the basepaths and did not make an attempt to touch home plate. Instead, he ran straight toward the dugout and the safety of the Yankee clubhouse. Chambliss was then asked by [[Graig Nettles]] if he had touched home, and responded that he had not because too many people were in the way. Nettles then told him that home plate umpire [[Art Frantz]] was waiting for him to touch home so that the home run could be ruled official. He was then escorted back out onto the field to touch home, but the plate had been stolen, so he touched the area where the plate had been.

Said Chambliss:

"I just kind of reacted like I always did. I wasn't trying to hit a home run. Sometimes when you react to a high fastball it works out that way. Then, when I was running around the bases, fans were coming at me from everywhere, grabbing me, pounding me on the back. I was just trying to get around the bases and into the dugout---I ran at least one guy over---but I never made it to home plate. Later, after I got to the clubhouse, [Graig] Nettles said I should return to the field and touch home plate, just to make it official. But when we got back out there, home plate and all the other bases were gone, stripped from their moorings and confiscated by the delirious Yankee fans."<ref>''Lou: Fifty Years of Kicking Dirt, Playing Hard, and Winning Big in the Sweet Spot of Baseball'' by Lou Piniella with Bill Madden (HarperCollins, 2017), p. 75</ref>

Kansas City manager [[Whitey Herzog]] could have appealed the play, as Major League rules state that a player must touch all bases on any hit or when running the bases. However, the mayhem on the field made this task impossible, and given the magnitude of the game, Herzog would have never tried to have it restarted or protested due to a technicality. In any event, the umpires had already decided to let the run count given the circumstances of the situation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=2685726|title=Chambliss' walk-off homer - 10/14/1976|website=MLB.com}}</ref>

As a result of this incident, Major League Baseball changed the rules to allow the umpire to award any base runner or batter a run when he cannot reach the plate due to fans rushing the field.<ref>{{cite book |title=Official Baseball Rules, Rule 4.09(b) comments, "An exception will be if fans rush onto the field and physically prevent the runner from touching home plate or the batter from touching first base. In such cases, the umpires shall award the runner the base because of the obstruction by the fans.}}</ref> This had the effect of codifying the decision made by the umpires in Game 5.

[[File:Chris Chambliss.jpg|thumb|right|Chambliss as a member of the Atlanta Braves in the 1980s.]]

===Later career===
After the [[1979 New York Yankees season|1979 season]], the Yankees traded Chambliss to the [[1980 Toronto Blue Jays season|Toronto Blue Jays]] with [[Damaso Garcia]] and [[Paul Mirabella]] for [[Rick Cerone]], [[Tom Underwood]], and [[Ted Wilborn]]. The Yankees hoped that Cerone would replace the late [[Thurman Munson]] as their starting catcher.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MaROAAAAIBAJ&sjid=t_oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7075,2453216&dq=chris+chambliss+wife&hl=en|title=Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search}}</ref> Later that offseason, the Blue Jays traded Chambliss with [[Luis Gómez (baseball)|Luis Gómez]] to the [[1980 Atlanta Braves season|Atlanta Braves]] for [[prospect (sports)|prospects]] [[Barry Bonnell]], [[Joey McLaughlin]], and [[Pat Rockett]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1986/06/10/atlantas-bomb-squad-no-flop/|title=ATLANTA'S 'BOMB SQUAD' NO FLOP|work=[[Sun Sentinel]]|date=June 10, 1986}}</ref>

Chambliss played for the Atlanta Braves from [[1980 Atlanta Braves season|1980]] through [[1986 Atlanta Braves season|1986]]. He had one at-bat with the Yankees in [[1988 New York Yankees season|1988]] and struck out. [[Lou Piniella]] claimed this at-bat earned Chambliss about $20,000, since he had to be paid the minimum player salary for the season once he was activated for that at-bat.<ref>''Lou: Fifty Years of Kicking Dirt, Playing Hard, and Winning Big in the Sweet Spot of Baseball'' by Lou Piniella with Bill Madden (HarperCollins, 2017), p. 145</ref> He retired with a career .279 batting average and 185 home runs.<ref name=hampton>{{cite web| url = http://hamptonroads.com/2009/07/chris-chambliss-managing-keep-his-chin| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090720061056/http://hamptonroads.com/2009/07/chris-chambliss-managing-keep-his-chin| archive-date = July 20, 2009| title = Chris Chambliss: Managing to keep his chin up {{!}} HamptonRoads.com {{!}} PilotOnline.com}}</ref> 

After his playing days, Chambliss was a hitting instructor for several teams and was talked about as a possible managerial candidate.

==Coaching and managerial career==
In 1989, Chambliss became the manager for the Double-A [[London Tigers]] of the [[Eastern League (1938–2020)|Eastern League]], an affiliate of the [[Detroit Tigers]]. The London Tigers won the Eastern League title in 1990, playing out of [[Labatt Park]]. That same year Chambliss was named Minor League Manager of the Year by ''The Sporting News''.

Chambliss was also a hitting coach with the Yankees, and has the distinction of being one of two men who wore a Yankees uniform (player or coach) during each of the Yankees' last six World Series Championship seasons prior to 2009 (1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000)—the other is former New York Mets manager [[Willie Randolph]]. Chambliss was also the hitting coach for the [[St. Louis Cardinals]],<ref>Knapp, Gwen (October 29, 1995) A's Should Grab Chambliss While He Lasts. ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Retrieved 2011-04-06, from [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1995/10/29/SPORTS6483.dtl SFGate.com]</ref> [[New York Mets]]<ref>Chass, Murray (June 14, 2002) Mets Name Chambliss Coach. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved 2011-04-06, from [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/14/sports/baseball-mets-name-chambliss-coach.html?ref=chrischambliss NYTimes.com]</ref> and [[Cincinnati Reds]].<ref>Associated Press (September 16, 2006) Reds Hitting Coach Suspended One Game for Arguing. ''ESPN''. Retrieved 2011-04-06, from [https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2590061 Sports.ESPN.Go.com]</ref>

For many years, Chambliss was a leading candidate to manage a major league team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pilotonline.com/sports/baseball/norfolk-tides/article_39a68fd7-89ef-56ae-b557-e302c730e5a9.html|title = Chris Chambliss: Managing to keep his chin up}}</ref> He was considered for manager of the [[Chicago White Sox]] in 1991,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-11-sp-962-story.html|title = Archives|website = [[Los Angeles Times]]| date=November 11, 1991 }}</ref> the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] in 1996,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-19-sp-55426-story.html|title = Archives|website = [[Los Angeles Times]]| date=October 19, 1996 }}</ref> the Mets in 1999, the Dodgers and [[Arizona Diamondbacks]] in 2000,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2000/10/11/dbacks-dodgers-pursuing-chambliss/|title = D'Backs, Dodgers Pursuing Chambliss|date = October 11, 2000}}</ref> and the Mets again in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2002/10/04/mets-will-talk-with-chambliss/|title=Mets Will Talk with Chambliss|date=October 4, 2002}}</ref>

Chambliss was the manager of the Triple A [[Charlotte Knights]] prior to joining the Seattle Mariners in November 2010 as hitting coach.<ref>Stone, Larry (November 4, 2010) Hitting Coach Chambliss is Only Member of Seattle Coaching Staff with No Ties to Manager Eric Wedge or the Mariners. ''The Seattle Times''. Retrieved 2011-04-06, from [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2013348256_mari05.html SeattleTimes.nwsource.com]</ref> At the conclusion of the 2012 season, the Mariners announced that Chambliss would not be returning as their hitting coach in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-10-04 |title=Mariners fire hitting coach Chris Chambliss |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/8461744/seattle-mariners-fire-hitting-coach-chris-chambliss |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref>

==Personal==
Chambliss' cousin is former NBA player [[Jo Jo White]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF40E5EBF71457&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=List grows to four Chambliss is candidate for the Royals' managerial job |last=Flanagan |first=Jeffrey |date=September 29, 1994 |work=The Kansas City Star |access-date=May 23, 2019 |page=D1}} {{subscription required|date=August 2013}}</ref>

His son Russell is a graduate of [[Washington University in St. Louis]], and currently hitting coach with the [[Peoria Chiefs]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20180104/chris-swauger-returns-as-chiefs-manager |title=Chris Swauger returns as Chiefs manager - Sports - Journal Star - Peoria, IL |access-date=April 4, 2018 |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418172516/https://www.pjstar.com/sports/20180104/chris-swauger-returns-as-chiefs-manager |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball|New York City}}
* [[List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders]]
* [[List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* ''London Tigers 1989, The Collector's Edition, Souvenir Program''.
*  ''Tiger Special: Peanuts, popcorn, crackerjack, Baseball's Back'', ''[[The London Free Press]]'', Section F, April 7, 1989.
*1980 Baseball Register published by [[The Sporting News]]

==External links==
{{commons category}}

{{baseballstats|mlb=112180|espn=61|br=c/chambch01|fangraphs=1002119|brm=chambl001car|retro=C/Pchamc001}}
*[http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/25moments/21.html Chambliss Sinks the Royals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050208123753/http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/25moments/21.html |date=February 8, 2005 }}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS6HGwoRrkY Chambliss hits 1976 game winning historic home run]

{{S-start-collapsible|header={{s-sports}}}}
{{succession box | before = [[Jay Ward (baseball)|Jay Ward]] | title = [[List of New York Yankees coaches|New York Yankees hitting coach]]| years = 1988 | after = [[Champ Summers]]}}
{{succession box | before = first manager | title = [[London Tigers|London Tigers Manager]]| years = 1989–1990 | after = [[Gene Roof]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Buddy Bailey]] | title = [[Greenville Braves|Greenville Braves Manager]]| years = 1991 | after = [[Grady Little]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Phil Niekro]] | title = [[Richmond Braves|Richmond Braves Manager]]| years = 1992 | after = [[Grady Little]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Don Baylor]] | title = [[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach]]| years = 1993–1995 | after = [[George Hendrick]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Rick Down]] | title = [[New York Yankees|New York Yankees hitting coach]]| years = 1996–2000 | after = [[Gary Denbo]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Lynn Jones]] | title = [[Calgary Cannons|Calgary Cannons Manager]]| years = 2001| after = [[Dean Treanor]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Dave Engle]] | title = [[New York Mets|New York Mets hitting coach]]| years = 2002| after = [[Denny Walling]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Ray Knight]] | title = [[Cincinnati Reds|Cincinnati Reds hitting coach]]| years = 2004–2006| after = [[Brook Jacoby]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Marc Bombard]] | title = [[Charlotte Knights|Charlotte Knights Manager]]| years = 2009–2010| after = Joe McEwing}}
{{S-end}}

{{1977 New York Yankees}}
{{1978 New York Yankees}}
{{1996 New York Yankees}}
{{1998 New York Yankees}}
{{1999 New York Yankees}}
{{2000 New York Yankees}}
{{AL Rookie of the Year}}
{{Sporting News MLB Rookie of the year}}
{{AL First Baseman Gold Glove Award}}
{{Major League Baseball on ABC}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambliss, Chris}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African-American baseball players]]
[[Category:African-American baseball managers]]
[[Category:African-American baseball coaches]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Atlanta Braves players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Reds coaches]]
[[Category:Gold Glove Award winners]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball first basemen]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball hitting coaches]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Dayton, Ohio]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners]]
[[Category:Minor league baseball managers]]
[[Category:New York Mets coaches]]
[[Category:New York Yankees coaches]]
[[Category:New York Yankees players]]
[[Category:Seattle Mariners coaches]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals coaches]]
[[Category:UCLA Bruins baseball players]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
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[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Anchorage Glacier Pilots players]]