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Baseball’s Tommy Davis dies at 83

Fred Jeter | 4/14/2022, 6 p.m.
Tommy Davis, among the greatest hitters in Los Angeles Dodgers history, died Sunday, April 3, 2022. He was 83 and ...

Tommy Davis, among the greatest hitters in Los Angeles Dodgers history, died Sunday, April 3, 2022. He was 83 and residing in Phoenix.

Mr. Davis’ best season was 1962, when he led the National League in hitting (.346), runs batted in (153) and hits (230).

The outfielder led the National League in hitting in both 1962 and 1963 (.326) and was a three-time NL All-Star. His back-to-back hitting crowns are the only two such awards ever won by a Dodger.

For his career, Mr. Davis played in 1,999 games, had 7,223 at-bats, 2,121 hits, 153 home runs and 1,052 RBIs.

He was part of the Dodgers’ World Series titles in 1959, 1963 and 1965, although a broken ankle kept him out of the 1965 Series.

A phone call from Jackie Robinson, then with the Brooklyn Dodgers, changed the course of Mr. Davis’ career. As a senior at Boys High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was leaning toward signing with the New York Yankees before Robinson called his home.

Robinson’s influence paid off and Mr. Davis soon signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers for a $4,000 bonus. The franchise moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958.

After playing for Los Angeles from 1959 to 966, Mr. Davis went on to play for 10 different teams in the next 10 years while being utilized often as a designated hitter. He never regained his natural speed after the broken ankle.

With the Dodgers, Mr. Davis often played in the same outfield with speedy centerfielder Willie Davis. They were not related.

Mr. Davis worked with the Dodgers’ Human Relations team following his retirement as a player.