Charlie Gilbert

Charles Mader Gilbert (July 8, 1919 – August 13, 1983) was an American professional baseball outfielder who appeared in 364 games, mostly as a center fielder, in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1940), Chicago Cubs (1941–1943 and 1946) and Philadelphia Phillies (1946–1947). He threw and batted left-handed and stood 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall and weighed 165 pounds (75 kg).

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he was the son of former MLB outfielder and longtime minor-league manager Larry Gilbert; his brother Tookie also played in the majors.

Charlie Gilbert served in the United States Navy in the Pacific Theatre of World War II.^[1] He joined the Dodgers in his second pro season, in 1940. In his third MLB game, on April 23, 1940, he hit a pair of home runs against the Boston Bees in an 8–3 Brooklyn victory at Ebbets Field.^[2] He thus became the first player, and one of three men in the history of the Dodgers' franchise, to have a multi-home-run game in his first five starts; the others are Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig.^[3]

He died at age 64 in New Orleans. Gilbert's daughter Jan went on the memorialize her late father in Goodbye, Dad, a series of mixed-media works utilizing family photographs.^[4]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
• Charlie Gilbert at Find a Grave