Gene Hayden

Eugene Franklin "Lefty" Hayden (April 14, 1935 – June 13, 2003) was an American professional baseball player who had a brief career in Major League Baseball as a relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1958. The native of San Francisco, listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 175 pounds (79 kg), threw and batted left-handed.

Hayden, a successful pitcher for Rio Vista High School in California, signed a professional contract in mid-1954 with the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League.^[1] That season, he played for the Tucson Cowboys in the Arizona–Texas League, then in 1955 played primarily for the Wenatchee Chiefs of the Northwest League.^[2] When the Rainiers became an affiliate of the Redlegs in 1956, he joined the Cincinnati organization, playing primarily for the Savannah Redlegs of the South Atlantic League during that season, before spending all of the 1957 season with the Rainiers.^[2]

Hayden was called up from the minor leagues in the middle of the 1958 campaign, and pitched in three games for Cincinnati. He was effective in his first two outings, hurling a total of 2+1⁄3 scoreless innings on June 26 and June 30 against the San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Braves, respectively.^[3] But in his third appearance, against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 6, he gave up four hits, a walk and two earned runs in only one inning pitched.^[3] The next day, he was returned to the minor leagues when Cincinnati called up outfielder Danny Morejón.^[4] Hayden did not return to the major leagues. He played for the minor league Havana Sugar Kings and Nashville Vols during the 1958 season, his last in professional baseball.^[2]

Durante su carrera en el béisbol, Hayden lanzó en un total de 165 juegos de ligas menores, con un récord de victorias y derrotas de 53-46. ^{[ 2 ]} Aunque a veces se le conocía como "Lefty", un apodo común para los lanzadores zurdos, a Hayden se le llamaba principalmente "Gene". ^{[ 5 ]} En 1960, fue contratado como oficial de policía en Rio Vista ; ^{[ 6 ]} todavía estaba en el departamento en 1969 como sargento. ^{[ 7 ]} En noviembre de 1992, Hayden trabajaba en un centro de tratamiento de abuso de sustancias en Herald, California , y señaló que era un alcohólico en recuperación y que había pasado 1980 sin hogar en Los Ángeles. ^{[ 8 ]} Hayden murió en Lodi, California , a los 68 años en 2003.

• Estadísticas de carrera de la MLB  · Baseball Reference · Baseball Reference (Ligas Menores) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac