View source for Dick Green

{{Short description|American baseball player (born 1941)}}
{{otherpeople}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Dick Green
|image=Dick Green 1965.jpg
|position=[[Second baseman]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1941|4|21}}
|birth_place=[[Sioux City, Iowa]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 9
|debutyear=1963
|debutteam=Kansas City Athletics
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 2
|finalyear=1974
|finalteam=Oakland Athletics
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.240
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=80
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=422
|teams=
*[[Oakland Athletics|Kansas City / Oakland Athletics]] ({{baseball year|1963}}–{{baseball year|1974}})
|highlights=
* 3× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1972}}–{{wsy|1974}})
}}

'''Richard Larry Green''' (born April 21, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player.<ref name="Dick Green statistics">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/greendi01.shtml |title=Dick Green statistics |publisher=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=November 19, 2019}}</ref> He played as a [[second baseman]] in [[Major League Baseball]] from {{By|1963}} through {{By|1974}}, playing for the Kansas City and [[Oakland Athletics]]. Green played on the "[[Swingin' A's]]" dynasty that won three consecutive [[World Series]] championships between 1972 and 1974.<ref name="Dick Green statistics"/>

==Early years==
Born in [[Sioux City, Iowa]], Green was raised in Yankton and Mitchell, South Dakota, where his ability as a baseball player was first noted.<ref name=darmaty>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wJocAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ymUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7124%2C1900354 |work=Sarasota Herald |location=(Florida) |last=Buskirk |first=Frank |title=Dark says A's Dick Green just reaching his maturity |date=March 8, 1967 |page=19}}</ref>

==Professional career==
An outstanding high school quarterback, Green was offered a scholarship by Michigan State University, but did not attend college, and was signed by the [[Kansas City Athletics]] before the {{Baseball year|1960}} season as an amateur [[free agent]]. Green spent a few seasons in the minor leagues before being called up on September 9, 1963. Green played minimally in 13 games, but did pick up 10 [[hit (baseball)|hits]], including his first major league [[home run]].

In [[1964 Kansas City Athletics season|1964]], his first full year in the [[Major League Baseball|majors]], Green played 130 games, with 115 [[hit (baseball)|hits]], 11 of them being [[home runs]] and posted a .264 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]]. He also committed just six errors at [[second base]] and finished the season with a .990 [[fielding percentage]]. The following season, Green finished with a [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] of .232 and 110 [[hit (baseball)|hits]] in 133 games.

In [[1966 Kansas City Athletics season|1966]], Green improved, hitting .250, slapping in 127 [[hit (baseball)|hits]] in 140 games, and also knocked in 62 runs. However, Green struggled the following season. With 69 [[hit (baseball)|hits]] in 122 games, Green coupled his .198 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] with 5 [[home runs]] and 37 [[runs batted in|RBIs]].

After the season, the [[Kansas City Athletics]] franchise moved to [[Oakland]]. Green posted better numbers the following two seasons with the [[Oakland Athletics]] and had a career year in [[1969 Oakland Athletics season|1969]] when he finished the season with a .275 [[batting average (baseball)|average]], 12 [[home runs]], 64 [[RBIs]], and 61 [[run (baseball)|runs scored]].

Green was a member of the [[1972 World Series|1972]]–[[1974 World Series|1974]] [[World Series]] championship teams, and won the [[Babe Ruth Award]] for his performance in 1974.<ref name=glove>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wQ5XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MUMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5429,1760001|first=Hal|last=Bock |title=Brock Man of Year |newspaper=[[Reading Eagle]] |location=(Pennsylvania) |date=February 3, 1975 |access-date=September 27, 2011}}</ref><ref name=dynasty/> He won the award for his fielding, despite not getting a single hit during the World Series, going 0-for-13.<ref name=glove/><ref name=dynasty/> Green tied a World Series record in game three by starting three [[double play]]s in one game.<ref name=dynasty>{{cite book|title=Baseball's Last Dynasty: Charlie Finley's Oakland A's|author=Markusen, B.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/baseballslastdyn00mark/page/334 334–340]|year=1998|publisher=Masters Press|isbn=978-1-57028-188-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/baseballslastdyn00mark/page/334}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pppYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gPgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3136,925613|title=Green is Hopeful of Quick Series|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle|agency=Associated Press|page=37|date=October 17, 1974|access-date=November 8, 2011}}</ref>  He started the first two by catching [[line drive]]s, and the third was a [[ground ball]] double play to end the game.<ref name=dynasty/>  In game four, Green also started a game-ending double play.<ref name=dynasty/>  In the eighth inning of the clinching game five, Green made a perfect relay throw to get [[Bill Buckner]], representing the tying run, out at third base.<ref name=dynasty/> The six double plays Green participated in during the 1974 World Series tied the record for most defensive double plays in a five-game series.<ref name=dynasty/>

Before the [[1975 Oakland Athletics season|1975]] season, Green was released by the A's but decided to retire to run the family moving business, thus ending his 12-year career in the majors. He finished his career with a .240 lifetime [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]], 960 [[hit (baseball)|hits]], 80 [[home runs]], 422 [[RBIs]] and 427 [[run (baseball)|runs scored]].

On September 19, 2009, another rare South Dakota Major Leaguer--[[Mark Ellis (baseball)|Mark Ellis]] passed Green for the franchise record for homers by a second baseman with his 77th home run playing second base for the A's.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/gameflash/2009/09/19/26250_recap.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730205305/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/gameflash/2009/09/19/26250_recap.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 30, 2012 | work=CNN | title=Cleveland Indians vs. Oakland Athletics}}</ref>

In 2018, he was named to the Oakland Athletics' 50th anniversary All-Time Team.

==See also==
*[[List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise]]

==References==
{{Reflist|1}}
*1972 Baseball Register published by [[The Sporting News]]

==External links==
{{Baseballstats|br=g/greendi01|brm=}}

{{1972 Oakland Athletics}}
{{1973 Oakland Athletics}}
{{1974 Oakland Athletics}}
{{Babe Ruth Award}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Dick}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Sioux City, Iowa]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball second basemen]]
[[Category:Kansas City Athletics players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Oakland Athletics players]]
[[Category:Lewiston Broncs players]]
[[Category:Living people]]