imported>Bringingthewood: added American to lead

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added American to lead

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{{Short description|American baseball player (1917–2000)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Roy Partee
|image=Roy Partee 1949 Bowman.jpg
|caption=Partee's 1949 [[Bowman Gum]] baseball card
|position=[[Catcher]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1917|9|7}}
|birth_place=[[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|2000|12|27|1917|9|7}}
|death_place=[[Eureka, California]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 23
|debutyear=1943
|debutteam=Boston Red Sox
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 3
|finalyear=1948
|finalteam=St. Louis Browns
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.250
|stat2label=[[Home runs]]
|stat2value=2
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=114
|teams=
* [[Boston Red Sox]] ({{Baseball year|1943}}–{{baseball year|1944}}, {{baseball year|1946}}–{{baseball year|1947}})
* [[St. Louis Browns]] ({{Baseball year|1948}})
}}
'''Roy Robert Partee''' (September 7, 1917 – December 27, 2000) was an American [[Major League Baseball]] [[catcher]]. Listed at {{height|ft=5|in=10}}, {{convert|180|lb|abbr=on}}, Partee was nicknamed "the Little Round Man." He is likely best remembered as the man behind the plate for [[Enos Slaughter]]'s [[Slaughter's Mad Dash|"mad dash"]] in game seven of the {{wsy|1946}} [[World Series]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historicbaseball.com/players/p/partee_roy.html|title=Roy Partee|publisher=Historic Baseball}}</ref> and as the [[New York Mets]] scout responsible for signing [[Bud Harrelson]], [[Tug McGraw]], [[Rick Aguilera]] and [[Greg Jeffries]], among others.

==Path to the majors==
Partee was born in Los Angeles to father Clair C. Partee and mother Eutha Wyche. He was an [[Arizona–Texas League]] [[All-Star]] in {{baseball year|1938}} when he [[batting average (baseball)|batted]] .365 with nine [[home runs]] for the Bisbee Bees. His performance got him signed with the [[Chicago Cubs]]' St. Joseph Angels the following season, however, after batting .245 with five home runs, he was let go. He returned to the Bees in {{baseball year|1940}}, now the [[Salt Lake City Bees]] of the [[Pioneer League (baseball)|Pioneer League]], and resumed his hitting ways, batting .284 with seven home runs while also showing a dramatic increase in defensive skills.

He joined the [[San Francisco Seals (baseball)|San Francisco Seals]] in {{baseball year|1941}} (at the time, a [[Detroit Tigers]] affiliate), but managed to bat just .180 in 65 [[plate appearances]]. When coach [[Tony Lazzeri]] left the club to manage the Portsmouth Cubs in {{baseball year|1942}}, he brought Partee along with him back to the Cubs organization. He batted .299 and committed only four [[error (baseball)|errors]] behind the plate in 560 chances.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=37BTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PogDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6861,5801923&dq|author=Con Harrison|date=August 24, 1943|title=Roy Partee First PL Player to Make Majors|publisher=The Deseret News}}</ref> After the season, his contract was purchased by the [[Boston Red Sox]].

==Boston Red Sox==

===1943–1944===
Upon his arrival in Boston in {{baseball year|1943}}, Partee was immediately plugged into the starting line-up for the Red Sox and batted .300 for most of the season (he would finish at .281) in the number eight hole in their batting order, while starting 86 games at catcher. In {{baseball year|1944}} he started 76 games as catcher and was called up by the [[U.S. Military]] in June, but was rejected due to a bad ankle.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yxtiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qnUNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1140,4346818&dq|title=Army Rejects Doerr, Culberson and Partee|publisher=The Telegraph-Herald|date=June 7, 1944}}</ref> He returned to the Red Sox, and in his first game back he clubbed his first major league home run, a walk-off to defeat [[Atley Donald]] and the [[New York Yankees]], 8-7.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1944/B06080BOS1944.htm|title=Boston Red Sox 8, New York Yankees 7|publisher=Retrosheet|date=June 8, 1944}}</ref> He finished the season with a .243 batting average, and then enlisted at [[Fort MacArthur]] in California on October 19, 1944<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YPYuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D9wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5232,2591539&dq|title=Major Leagues Lose Many Stars|publisher=Ottawa Citizen|date=December 15, 1944}}</ref> thus missing the {{baseball year|1945}} season due to his military service during World War II.

===1946 Season===
When Partee returned to the Red Sox in {{baseball year|1946}}, he was relegated to back-up catching duties behind All-Star [[Hal Wagner]], and while Partee only started 32 games he batted for a career-best .315 average. That year, the Red Sox ran away with the [[American League]] crown by twelve games over the [[Detroit Tigers]] with a 104–50 record, and were heavy favorites in the [[World Series]] against the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], however the series went the full seven games.

In game seven, Partee was involved in a famous play known as the "[[Slaughter's Mad Dash|mad dash]]". The Red Sox had tied the score at 3–3 in the top half of the eighth inning, and Partee entered the game as catcher, replacing [[Rip Russell]] who had pinch hit for starting catcher [[Hal Wagner]]. [[Enos Slaughter]] led off the bottom half of the inning with a single. After the next two batters failed to advance him, Slaughter found himself still on first base with two outs. With outfielder [[Harry Walker]] at the plate with a two balls and one strike count, the Cardinals called for a [[Hit and run (baseball)|hit and run]]. With Slaughter running, Walker lined the ball to left-center field. [[Leon Culberson]] fielded the ball, and threw a relay to shortstop [[Johnny Pesky]]. Slaughter rounded third base heading for home, running through the stop sign from his [[third base coach]]. What exactly happened when Pesky turned around is still a matter of contention, but Partee caught a delayed throw up the line, allowing Slaughter to score what proved to be the winning run.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2008/10/21/top-10-world-series-moments/slide/enos-slaughters-mad-dash/| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025232456/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1852482_1852562_1852545,00.html| url-status=live| archive-date=October 25, 2008| title=Top 10 World Series Moments, Enos Slaughter's Mad Dash| magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=October 21, 2008}}</ref>

In the top of the ninth inning, Partee batted for the Red Sox with men on first and third with one out; however he fouled out to first baseman [[Stan Musial]] for the second out of the inning, and the next batter, [[Tom McBride (baseball)|Tom McBride]], grounded out to give the Cardinals the championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN194610150.shtml|title=1946 World Series, Game Seven|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=October 15, 1946}}</ref> Partee finished the series batting one-for-ten with one [[Run batted in|RBI]] and one walk; it was the only postseason series of his career.

===1947 Season===
In {{baseball year|1947}}, Partee's final year with Boston, he platooned with Birdie Tebbetts behind the plate. Partee started 45 games as catcher, and his hitting declined to a .231 average for the season.

==St. Louis Browns==
In November 1947 Partee was part of a blockbuster trade as he, [[Pete Layden]], [[Eddie Pellagrini]], [[Al Widmar]] and [[Jim Wilson (pitcher)|Jim Wilson]], plus two players to be named later and an undisclosed amount of cash (eventually, only one player, [[Joe Ostrowski]], and $310,000) were sent to the [[St. Louis Browns]] for [[Jack Kramer]] and [[Vern Stephens]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=r_4uAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R9wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5301,4081580&dq|title=Browns Give Two Stars for Seven|work=Ottawa Citizen|date=November 18, 1947}}</ref> For the {{baseball year|1948}} season Partee batted just .203 with seventeen RBIs platooning with [[Les Moss]] in his only year with the Browns. In December 1948, Partee was part of a second blockbuster deal, as he and [[Fred Sanford (baseball)|Fred Sanford]] were sent to the New York Yankees for [[Red Embree]], [[Sherm Lollar]], [[Dick Starr]] and $100,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/trades.php?p=partero01 |title=Roy Partee Trades and Transactions |website=Baseball Almanac| accessdate=October 11, 2016}}</ref>

==Return to the minors==
Partee never made a major league appearance with the Yankees. Instead, he spent the {{baseball year|1949}} and {{baseball year|1950}} seasons back with the San Francisco Seals, {{baseball year|1951}} and {{baseball year|1952}} seasons with the [[Kansas City Blues (American Association)|Kansas City Blues]], and split the {{baseball year|1954}} season between the [[Sacramento Solons]] and [[Edmonton Eskimos]]. In {{baseball year|1955}}, he became player/manager of the [[California League]]'s [[Stockton Ports]], and led his club to a 94-53 record. In his three seasons at the helm, Stockton went 238-189, and he actually pitched in a couple of games. In {{baseball year|1959}}, he managed the [[Eugene Emeralds]]. Though he was retired as a player, he inserted himself into the line-up for one game, and went two-for-three.

==Career stats==
<div>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|Seasons
|Games
|[[Plate appearances|PA]]
|[[At-bat|AB]]
|[[Run (baseball)|Runs]]
|[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|[[double (baseball)|2B]]
|[[triple (baseball)|3B]]
|[[Home runs|HR]]
|[[Runs batted in|RBI]]
|[[Stolen base|SB]]
|[[Walk (baseball)|BB]]
|[[Strikeout|SO]]
|[[Batting average (baseball)|Avg.]]
|[[Slugging percentage|Slg.]]
|[[On-base percentage|OBP]]
|[[fielding percentage|Fld%]]
|[[Passed ball|PB]]
|[[Caught stealing|CS%]]
|-
|5
|367
|1245
|1090
|89
|273
|41
|5
|2
|114
|2
|132
|120
|.250
|.303
|.334
|.982
|23
|36%
|}
</div>
He was considered one of the better fielding catchers of his era, however, he had little power, clubbing only two home runs in his five-year major league career. In 1234 minor league games, he batted .268 with 36 home runs. He batted and threw [[right-handed]].

==Post-playing career==
When the New York Mets were established in {{baseball year|1962}}, Partee came aboard as a scout and would play a huge part in signing many of the Mets for the next 23 years before retiring. Partee died in [[Eureka, California]], at the age of 83.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centerfieldmaz.com/2011/09/legendary-mets-scout-roy-partee-1962.html|title=Legendary Mets Scout: Roy Partee (1962–1985)|publisher=Centerfield Maz|date=September 8, 2011}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats|br=p/partero01|brm=partee001roy}}
*[http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/3940683c SABR Baseball Biography Project]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Partee, Roy}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:2000 deaths]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Bisbee Bees players]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Edmonton Eskimos (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Eugene Emeralds managers]]
[[Category:Eugene Emeralds players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Blues (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball catchers]]
[[Category:New York Mets scouts]]
[[Category:Portsmouth Cubs players]]
[[Category:St. Joseph Angels players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Browns players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Salt Lake City Bees players]]
[[Category:San Francisco Seals (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Stockton Ports players]]
[[Category:Syracuse Chiefs players]]

Roy Partee - Revision history

imported>Bringingthewood: added American to lead