Freese was born on January 8, 1934, in [[Wheeling, West Virginia]].<ref name=”:0″>{{Cite web |title=Gene Freese Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freesge02.shtml |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He attended Wheeling High School. His nearly 7½-year older brother [[George Freese]] also attended Wheeling High, and the two later became teammates on the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955.<ref name=”:2″>{{Cite news |last=Utterback |first=Bill |date=August 25, 1986 |title=Gene Freese saw world, but missed second base |work=The PIttsburgh Press |pages=D2}}</ref><ref name=”:1″>{{Cite web |title=George Freese Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freesge01.shtml |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>
Freese was born on January 8, 1934, in [[Wheeling, West Virginia]].<ref name=”:0″>{{Cite web |title=Gene Freese Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freesge02.shtml |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> He attended Wheeling High School. His nearly 7½-year older brother [[George Freese]] also attended Wheeling High, and the two later became teammates on the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955.<ref name=”:2″>{{Cite news |last=Utterback |first=Bill |date=August 25, 1986 |title=Gene Freese saw world, but missed second base |work=The PIttsburgh Press |pages=D2}}</ref><ref name=”:1″>{{Cite web |title=George Freese Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freesge01.shtml |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>
Freese played [[Halfback (American football)|tailback]] on the football team at [[West Liberty University|West Liberty State College]].<ref name=”:2″ />
==Baseball career==
==Baseball career==
American baseball player (1934–2013)
Baseball player
| Gene Freese | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Third baseman | |
| Born: January 8, 1934 Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S. |
|
| Died: June 18, 2013 (aged 79) Metairie, Louisiana, U.S. |
|
|
Batted: Right Threw: Right |
|
| April 13, 1955, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| September 3, 1966, for the Houston Astros | |
| Batting average | .254 |
| Home runs | 115 |
| Runs batted in | 432 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
Eugene Lewis Freese (January 8, 1934 – June 18, 2013), was an American professional baseball third baseman, who was widely noted as a journeyman. Freese played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates (twice), St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox (twice), Cincinnati Reds, and Houston Astros, for 12 seasons (1955–1966).[1]
Freese’s career batting average stands at .254, in 1,115 games played, with 115 home runs and 432 runs batted in (RBI). During his playing days, he was listed as 5Â feet 11Â inches (1.80Â m) tall, weighing 175 pounds (79Â kg); Freese batted and threw right-handed.[1] He was nicknamed “Augie“, as a Pirate rookie, in 1955, by teammates, (named) after umpire Augie Donatelli, who was calling balls and strikes in Freese’s first big league game.
Early life
Freese was born on January 8, 1934, in Wheeling, West Virginia.[2] He attended Wheeling High School. His nearly 7½-year older brother George Freese also attended Wheeling High, and the two later became teammates on the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955.[3][4]
Freese played tailback on the football team at West Liberty State College.[3]
Baseball career
He signed with the Pirates in 1953 and played for 17 seasons in professional baseball.
In 1955, Freese and his brother George were both members of the Pittsburgh Pirates, in what was both of their rookie seasons. On June 10, 1955, over 1,000 Wheeling residents attended a game at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh to honor the brothers.[2][4][3]
Freese was a member of the 1961 National League (NL) champion Reds. Acquired in an off-season interleague deal with the White Sox, he reached career highs in home runs (26), RBI (87) and games played (152 – 151 of which were at third base), as Cincinnati won its first pennant since 1940.[1] In the 1961 World Series, won by the New York Yankees in five games, Freese batted only .063 (1-for-16) and was the victim of one of two spectacular defensive plays by his third-base counterpart, Clete Boyer, in the Series opener.
The following year, Freese broke an ankle during a spring training intrasquad game[5] and missed almost the entire 1962 season. He never regained his 1961 form, although he stayed in MLB through 1966. Freese’s 877 major league hits included 161 doubles, 28 triples and 115 home runs.[1] He led NL third basemen in errors in 1957 and 1959.
Freese died on June 18, 2013, in Metairie, Louisiana.[6] His older brother, George, briefly played Major League Baseball and was a longtime scout and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) manager.
References
- ^ a b c d “Gene Freese Stats”. Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- ^ a b “Gene Freese Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More”. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c Utterback, Bill (August 25, 1986). “Gene Freese saw world, but missed second base”. The PIttsburgh Press. pp. D2.
- ^ a b “George Freese Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More”. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ Freese sidelined by broken ankle
- ^ Former New Orleans baseball player Gene Freese dies at age 79
