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Ray Oyler
Raymond Francis Oyler (August 4, 1937 – January 26, 1981) was an American baseball player, a major league shortstop for the Detroit Tigers (1965–1968), Seattle Pilots (1969), and California Angels (1970). He is best remembered as the slick-fielding, no-hit shortstop for the 1968 World Series champion Tigers and as the subject of the "Ray Oyler Fan Club" organized by Seattle radio personality Robert E. Lee Hardwick (of the Pilots flagship radio station KVI) in Seattle. Oyler is noteworthy for having had the lowest career batting average of any position player (with at least a thousand at-bats) in modern baseball history.
Oyler was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Ray and Frances (née Harrington) Oyler. He graduated from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis in 1955 and served in the U.S. Marine Corps before playing in the major leagues.
Oyler was signed by the Tigers in 1960 as an amateur free agent. He made his major league debut with Detroit on April 18, 1965, going 0-for-2 as the starting shortstop against the California Angels.
During his first two seasons, Oyler was a backup shortstop to Dick McAuliffe. In 1965, Oyler debuted with a .186 batting average, with five home runs, six doubles and 13 RBI in 82 games. In 1966, Oyler's average dropped to .171 in 71 games, with one home run and 9 RBI in 210 at bats.
In 1967, the Tigers moved McAuliffe from shortstop to second base, opening a spot for Oyler as the Tigers' starting shortstop. Oyler played a career-high 147 games at shortstop in 1967 and had career-highs with 185 putouts, 374 assists, and 61 double plays. Also, as an everyday player in 1967, Oyler increased his batting average to .207, the only year in which he hit above .200, along with a home run, two triples, 14 doubles and 29 RBI. Additionally, he was also third in the American League with 15 sacrifice hits in 1967.
In 1968, Oyler played in 111 games, with 29 hits (21 of them singles) for a career-low batting average of .135, which remains the lowest batting average by any major league player appearing in at least 100 games in a season. Defensively, his .977 fielding percentage was 15 points above the league average for shortstops.
When Oyler, always a light hitter, famously went "0 for August", manager Mayo Smith moved outfielder Mickey Stanley to the shortstop position for the last nine games of the regular season and for all seven games of the 1968 World Series. Oyler's batting average had dropped to .135, and Smith had four quality outfielders in Willie Horton, Jim Northrup, Al Kaline, and Mickey Stanley that he wanted in the lineup for every World Series game. Stanley had not played the shortstop position before the 1968 season, but was a talented athlete with a good glove.
Oyler did not have an official at bat in the 1968 World Series, but he did appear in all four Detroit victories as a defensive replacement and had a sacrifice bunt.
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Ray Oyler
Raymond Francis Oyler (August 4, 1937 – January 26, 1981) was an American baseball player, a major league shortstop for the Detroit Tigers (1965–1968), Seattle Pilots (1969), and California Angels (1970). He is best remembered as the slick-fielding, no-hit shortstop for the 1968 World Series champion Tigers and as the subject of the "Ray Oyler Fan Club" organized by Seattle radio personality Robert E. Lee Hardwick (of the Pilots flagship radio station KVI) in Seattle. Oyler is noteworthy for having had the lowest career batting average of any position player (with at least a thousand at-bats) in modern baseball history.
Oyler was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Ray and Frances (née Harrington) Oyler. He graduated from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis in 1955 and served in the U.S. Marine Corps before playing in the major leagues.
Oyler was signed by the Tigers in 1960 as an amateur free agent. He made his major league debut with Detroit on April 18, 1965, going 0-for-2 as the starting shortstop against the California Angels.
During his first two seasons, Oyler was a backup shortstop to Dick McAuliffe. In 1965, Oyler debuted with a .186 batting average, with five home runs, six doubles and 13 RBI in 82 games. In 1966, Oyler's average dropped to .171 in 71 games, with one home run and 9 RBI in 210 at bats.
In 1967, the Tigers moved McAuliffe from shortstop to second base, opening a spot for Oyler as the Tigers' starting shortstop. Oyler played a career-high 147 games at shortstop in 1967 and had career-highs with 185 putouts, 374 assists, and 61 double plays. Also, as an everyday player in 1967, Oyler increased his batting average to .207, the only year in which he hit above .200, along with a home run, two triples, 14 doubles and 29 RBI. Additionally, he was also third in the American League with 15 sacrifice hits in 1967.
In 1968, Oyler played in 111 games, with 29 hits (21 of them singles) for a career-low batting average of .135, which remains the lowest batting average by any major league player appearing in at least 100 games in a season. Defensively, his .977 fielding percentage was 15 points above the league average for shortstops.
When Oyler, always a light hitter, famously went "0 for August", manager Mayo Smith moved outfielder Mickey Stanley to the shortstop position for the last nine games of the regular season and for all seven games of the 1968 World Series. Oyler's batting average had dropped to .135, and Smith had four quality outfielders in Willie Horton, Jim Northrup, Al Kaline, and Mickey Stanley that he wanted in the lineup for every World Series game. Stanley had not played the shortstop position before the 1968 season, but was a talented athlete with a good glove.
Oyler did not have an official at bat in the 1968 World Series, but he did appear in all four Detroit victories as a defensive replacement and had a sacrifice bunt.