Known for his large Afro and crouched batting stance, Oscar Gamble was a fan favorite for 17 seasons in the big leagues. Gamble died Wednesday, according to his agent, Andrew Levy. He was 68.
Gamble had his best year with the Chicago White Sox in 1977, smashing 31 home runs and helping to keep the South Side Hitmen in contention most of the season.
Gamble played with seven different teams, hitting 200 home runs and driving in 666 runs. He played in two World Series with the Yankees, coming up on the short end both times.
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The 18-year-old Alabama native was drafted in the 16th round by the Cubs in 1968. He was called up a year later and played briefly on the legendary ’69 Cubs team along with future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ferguson Jenkins and Ron Santo.
The next season, Gamble and pitcher Dick Selma were traded to the Phillies for outfielder Johnny Callison.
Gamble is famously known for a quote he once gave when asked about the chaos surrounding George Steinbrenner’s Yankees. He said: “They don’t think it be like it is, but it do.”
Gamble’s cause of death was a rare tumor of the jaw.
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