Don Landrum

Donald Leroy Landrum (February 16, 1936 – January 9, 2003) was an American professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and San Francisco Giants, from 1957 to 1966. During his playing days, he stood 6 ft tall, weighing 180 lb, while batting left-handed and throwing right-handed.

Early life
Landrum was born on February 16, 1936, in Santa Rosa, California. He attended Mount Diablo High School in Concord, California.

Philadelphia Phillies
Originally signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1954, Landrum made his major league debut with the Phils on September 28, 1957, against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He played in just two games for the Quakers, appearing in both games as the team’s starting center fielder at Philadelphia’s Connie Mack Stadium.

St. Louis Cardinals
From 1960 to mid-way through the 1962 season, Landrum played for the St. Louis Cardinals, during which times he appeared in only 73 games, with a batting average of .227. On June 5, 1962, Landrum was traded to the Chicago Cubs.

Chicago Cubs
Landrum may be best-remembered for his time with the Cubs. He was Chicago's regular center fielder in 1965, appearing in 131 games and garnering 425 at bats. But he batted a meager .226 with six home runs and 34 runs batted in (RBI).

San Francisco Giants
Landrum was traded to his hometown San Francisco Giants at year's end, along with pitcher Lindy McDaniel for pitcher Bill Hands and catcher Randy Hundley. While Hands and Hundley would become key members of the Cubs' contending teams under manager Leo Durocher in the late 1960s, Landrum's professional career ended after the 1966 season.

For his career, Landrum appeared in 456 MLB games, with 1,160 at-bats and 272 hits for a .234 lifetime batting mark.

After baseball
In retirement, Landrum worked in various businesses in East Contra Costa County. He was an avid San Francisco Giants and 49ers fan. Landrum enjoyed playing Pinochle and collecting baseball cards. More than anything, he enjoyed spending time with his family and grandchildren.

Death
On January 9, 2003, Landrum died at his Pittsburg, California home, at the age of 66.

Fascinating facts

 * Despite Landrum’s relatively scant MLB career, it’s somewhat astonishing that he broke up four late-inning no-hitters. The four unlucky pitchers are Sandy Koufax, Jim Maloney, Vern Law, and Bob Friend.
 * Landrum’s 1963 Topps baseball card #113 actually portrays a photo of Cubs legend Ron Santo (an uncorrected error / UER).
 * Landrum’s 1966 Topps baseball card #43 has three variations (all concerning the positioning of a button on the fly on his uniform pants).