George Shotgun Shuba

Major League Baseball Player. For seven seasons (1948 to 1950 and 1952 to 1955), he played at the outfielder position with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Born George Thomas Shuba, he attended Chaney High School in his native Youngstown, Ohio and during those years, he participated in baseball with the school's team. Unable to serve with the United States Military (due to an ear injury) during World War II, he was spotted at a Dodgers' tryout camp and signed in 1943. During a game in 1946 while playing with the Dodgers' Minor League affiliate the Montreal Royals, Shuba scored on a home run by Jackie Robinson. As Robinson crossed home plate, Shuba was waiting there to greet and congratulate him with a hand shake. The gesture was photographed and became widely known as "The Handshake" or "The Handshake of the Century." In what many believe was a prelude to the shattering of baseball's "racial barrier", Jackie Robinson marked his Major League debut the following season (1947). Shuba broke into the Major Leagues with Brooklyn on July 2, 1948 and played in 63 games that year. His playing time was limited due to his poorness as an outfielder, however in 1952 he produced a career high 78 hits with a .305 batting average. That season, the Dodgers captured the National League Pennant and during the 1952 World Series, Shuba posted a .300 batting average. The following year, Brooklyn recaptured the pennant and in his lone at bat during the 1953 World Series, he belted a two-run home run. The final at bat during his career was during the 1955 World Series. The only championship the Dodgers won while in Brooklyn. In 355 regular season games, he compiled 211 hits with a .259 lifetime batting average. After retiring from baseball, he worked with the postal service.