ONE AND ONLY RUNJim Gilliam crossed the plate in the first inning with the run that the Los Angeles Dodgers made stand up for their 1-0 victory Saturday. It came a bit cheaply--on a walk, a wild pitch and a single off the second baseman's glove. Ron Fairly's upraised arm signals Gilliam he needn't slide.
DATE: Oct 1963
ORIGINAL or REPRINT: Type 3 - Second or later-generation photo, printed from a duplicate negative or wire photo process, within about 2 years of when it was shot
TEAM: Los Angeles Dodgers
SUBJECTS: Jim Gilliam, Ron Fairly
ISSUER: United Press International
APPROXIMATE SIZE: 6-7/8"x10"
MARKS / STAMPING: Clipping from original article remains affixed to the verso.
NUMBER OF PHOTOS: 1
COMMENTS / CONDITION: This is one of a large accumulation of vintage sports photographs, slides and negatives that we will be listing over the coming months. Wear on these, if any, is mostly confined to minor corner and edge wear, but see scans for further details including condition. We do not deal in stock images or modern reprints, and all scans shown are of the actual vintage photograph, slide or negative being sold. If you have any questions about a particular piece, please ask before the auction ends.
BIO: James William Gilliam (Junior) was born in 1928 in Nashville, TN and died in 1978 in Inglewood, CA. He played major league baseball from 1953 to 1966 as infielder and outfielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers and LA Dodgers, appeared in the 1953, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965 and 1966 World Series, and was selected 2 times as an All-Star. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he began playing on a local semi-pro team at age 14 and dropped out of high school in his senior year to pursue his career. He was nicknamed "Junior" during his time playing in the Negro leagues with the Baltimore Elite Giants. In 1951 he was signed as an amateur free agent by the Brooklyn Dodgers, who sent him to play for their International League farm team, the Montreal Royals; he couldn't play for the Dodgers' Fort Worth Cats affiliate, as blacks were still barred from the Texas League. Gilliam made his debut with the Dodgers in April 1953, with the formidable task of taking over second base from Jackie Robinson, who was shifted to the outfield and third base. He was named the 1953 National League Rookie of the Year. The Dodgers' leadoff hitter for most of the 1950s, he scored over 100 runs in each of his first four seasons and led the NL in triples and walks once each. Upon retirement, he became one of the first African-American coaches in the major leagues. Gilliam served as a player-coach beginning in 1964, and became a full-time coach in 1967. He continued as a coach with the Dodgers until his death. Gilliam suffered a massive brain hemorrhage at his home on September 15, 1978, and following surgery lapsed into a coma from which he did not recover. He died in Inglewood, California at age 49, one day after the Dodgers clinched their tenth pennant during his tenure in the 1978 National League Championship Series. His uniform number 19 was retired by the Dodgers two days after his death, prior to Game 1 of the 1978 World Series.
Ronald Ray Fairly was born in 1938 in Macon, GA and died in 2019 in Indian Wells, CA. He went to college at the University of Southern California. He played major league baseball from 1958 to 1978 as 1st baseman and outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays and the California Angels, appeared in the 1959, 1963, 1965 and 1966 World Series, and was selected in 1973 and 1977 as an All-Star. After his playing career ended, he was a broadcaster for the California Angels from 1979 to 1984, the San Francisco Giants from 1987 to 1992, and the Seattle Mariners from 1993 to 2006. On January 19, 2011, the Mariners announced that Fairly would return to the M's booth on a rotating along with other basis along with several other former M's announcers, filling the spot vacated by the late Dave Niehaus.
SKU: X03335
Item: X03335