Darius Dutton "Dave" Hillman (born September 14, 1927) is an American former professional baseball player, a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball between the 1955 and 1962 seasons. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 168 pounds (76 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.
| Dave Hillman | |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1927-09-14) September 14, 1927 (age 95) Dungannon, Virginia | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 30, 1955, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 22, 1962, for the New York Mets | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 21–37 |
| Earned run average | 3.87 |
| Strikeouts | 296 |
| Innings pitched | 624 |
| Teams | |
| |
As of October 31, 2022, he is the oldest surviving former Cincinnati Reds player[1] and he is the oldest living member of the 1962 New York Mets.[2]
Hillman was born in Dungannon, Virginia, the fifth child, and fourth son, of Carmel W. Hillman, a foreman of a railroad bridge crew, and Ollie Ruth (Peters) Hillman.[3] He played baseball and basketball at Dungannon High School, from which he graduated in 1945.[4][5] He served 21 months in the United States Air Force from 1945-47.
Hillman entered the majors in 1955 with the Chicago Cubs, playing for them five years before joining the Boston Red Sox (1960–61), Cincinnati Reds (1962) and New York Mets (1962). In 1956 had a 21–7 record with a 3.38 earned run average while playing most of the season for the PCL Los Angeles Angels. On September 14, 1957, in the second game of a double-header against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Hillman pitched to Cub catcher Jim Fanning, playing on their shared 30th birthdays.[6]
In 1959 with the Cubs, he posted career-numbers in appearances (39), wins (8), starts (24), complete games (4), strikeouts (88), and innings pitched (191). On May 6, 1959, at Forbes Field, he posted his only big-league shutout against Harvey Haddix and the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3–0, giving up two hits, walking one and striking out two.[7] Strictly a reliever for the 1961 Red Sox, he went 3–2 with a 2.77 ERA in 78 innings and 28 games.
In an eight-season career, Hillman posted a 21–37 record with 296 strikeouts and a 3.87 ERA in 188 games pitched, including 64 starts, eight complete games, one shutout, 42 games finished, three saves, 185 walks, and 624 innings pitched. Along with his Cubs teammate Jim Marshall, Hillman was part of the first inter-league trade without waivers in MLB history, when he went to the Boston Red Sox in return for Dick Gernert. The November 21, 1959, transaction was the first during a three-week period of unrestricted trading permitted by a change in both leagues' rules.[8]
Dave Hillman married Imogene Turner (1927-2011) of Fort Blackmore, Virginia in Abingdon, Virginia on August 28, 1947 when both were 21. They had a daughter, Sharon, and a son, Ronald.[9]
He worked in the offseason as a painter as well as a machinist.[10]
He retired after many years of working in a clothing store[11] and lives in Kingsport, Tennessee.[12]