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John Easton (baseball)
John David Easton (March 4, 1933 – July 28, 2001) was an American professional baseball player. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies after graduating from Princeton University and appeared in four Major League Baseball (MLB) games — one as a pinch runner in 1955 and three as a pinch hitter in 1959 — all for the Phillies. Easton went hitless in three at bats and failed to score a run as a baserunner. He threw and batted right-handed, standing 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighing 185 pounds (84 kg), during his playing days. Easton graduated from Trenton Central High School and was a member of Princeton's Class of 1955. He also played varsity basketball for the Tigers and captained their baseball team.[1] Easton made his MLB debut only days after signing his first pro contract, pinch running for veteran catcher Andy Seminick in the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader, against the Chicago Cubs, at Wrigley Field. Easton was not able to advance from second base when the Phils' rally was snuffed out by an inning-ending double play. However, Marv Blaylock, who had replaced Easton in the lineup, would score the only run of the game, thirteen innings later, as the Phillies won, 1–0.[2] Easton did not play in 1956 and much of 1957, serving in the United States Navy,[1] but had an all-star year in 1958 for the Class A Williamsport Grays of the Eastern League, winning the batting title (.321), with 152 hits, including 35 doubles, ten triples, and 13 home runs.[3] That earned him a second stint with the Phillies, to start the 1959 campaign, but in three pinch hitting appearances, Easton struck out all three times.[4] He was sent back to the minor leagues, and retired after the 1959 season. Easton graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Princeton[1] and became a manager for Public Service Electric & Gas Company (P S E & G) (a public utility), retiring in 1995.[1] A resident of Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, he died at age 68 after battling melanoma on July 28, 2001.[1] References
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