Don Leppert

Who is Don Leppert?

Donald George Leppert is a retired American professional baseball player and coach. A catcher, he appeared in the Major Leagues from 1961–1964 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators. Leppert threw and batted right-handed; he stood 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds.

During an MLB career of only 3½ years, Leppert nonetheless distinguished himself by hitting a home run on the first pitch thrown to him in the Majors on June 18, 1961. Then, on April 11, 1963, he hit three homers in a game.

In the former game, Leppert connected in the second inning of his MLB debut against Curt Simmons of the St. Louis Cardinals; the blow gave the Pirates a 2–1 lead in a game they would eventually win, 5–3.

In the latter contest, Leppert's third game in the American League, he hit a solo shot off Ike Delock in the fourth inning, then belted a three-run blast and another solo homer off relief pitcher Chet Nichols, as the Senators humbled the Boston Red Sox, 8–0, at DC Stadium. To top it off, Leppert caught Tom Cheney's one-hit shutout, with the Washington pitcher striking out ten Red Sox. That season, Leppert was selected as a reserve on the American League All-Star team, but he did not play in the July 9 game at Cleveland Stadium.