Major League Baseball Player. Born George Walter Freese, he attended Wheeling Central High School in West Virginia where he lettered in baseball, football and track. He played collegiate football at the University of Pittsburgh and after a period with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, he resumed his athletics at the University of West Virginia. He held the distinction as being starting quarterback for both Pitt and West Virginia's football squads. He achieved All-American honors at the later. He turned down a contract to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers and chose to pursue a professional baseball career. Freese was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1948. He experienced a successful Minor League career and led the Western League with a .338 batting average in 1951. After he was acquired by Detroit, he marked his Major League debut with the Tigers on April 29, 1953. While with the Pittsburgh Pirates, playing at the third base position, Freese earned a place in the record books, when he hit an inside-the-park grand-slam against the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field on May 1, 1955. That year, he produced a career-high 46 hits in 51 games-played. He retired after playing for part of the 1961 season with the Chicago Cubs, but remained in the sport to serve as a coach on the Cubs' coaching staff from 1964 until 1965. Additionally, he served as a longtime Minor League manager and a Major League scout. Freese settled in Portland, Oregon and was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. His younger brother Gene Freese was also a former Major League Baseball player.
Major League Baseball Player. Born George Walter Freese, he attended Wheeling Central High School in West Virginia where he lettered in baseball, football and track. He played collegiate football at the University of Pittsburgh and after a period with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, he resumed his athletics at the University of West Virginia. He held the distinction as being starting quarterback for both Pitt and West Virginia's football squads. He achieved All-American honors at the later. He turned down a contract to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers and chose to pursue a professional baseball career. Freese was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1948. He experienced a successful Minor League career and led the Western League with a .338 batting average in 1951. After he was acquired by Detroit, he marked his Major League debut with the Tigers on April 29, 1953. While with the Pittsburgh Pirates, playing at the third base position, Freese earned a place in the record books, when he hit an inside-the-park grand-slam against the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field on May 1, 1955. That year, he produced a career-high 46 hits in 51 games-played. He retired after playing for part of the 1961 season with the Chicago Cubs, but remained in the sport to serve as a coach on the Cubs' coaching staff from 1964 until 1965. Additionally, he served as a longtime Minor League manager and a Major League scout. Freese settled in Portland, Oregon and was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. His younger brother Gene Freese was also a former Major League Baseball player.
Bio by: C.S.
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