James Lamar "Dusty" Rhodes was an outfielder with a 7 year career from 1952?1957, 1959. He played for the Giants franchise of the National League. Of him, manager Leo Durocher said "a buffoon is a drunk on a hitting spree". In the 1954 season, he was often used as a pinch-hitter for Monte Irvin, and came through with an incredible number of clutch hits. In the first game of the 1954 World Series, Rhodes had a pinch hit home run in the bottom of the tenth inning off Bob Lemon to win the game. The next day he delivered a pinch hit single in the fifth inning and then remained in the game to play left field. In the seventh inning he hit a homer off Early Wynn to help ensure the victory. Roy Campanella, the Brooklyn Dodger catcher, said of Durocher and his action of pinch-hitting Rhodes: "If they have to pinch hit Rhodes for Irvin, they must be hurting." Willie Mays mocked this assumption in his autobiography. Mays considered Rhodes to be a "fabulous hitter," as did Durocher, who wrote in his autobiography, ". . . boy could he hit!", while commenting on Rhodes atrocious fielding abilities. 

May 13th, 1927 in Montgomery County  /  Died:   Jun 17th, 2009 - aged 82