Don Savage

Donald Anthony Savage (March 25, 1919 – December 25, 1961) was a Major League Baseball player. Ineligible for military service due to medical conditions, Savage played for the New York Yankees in and during World War II and was sent down to the minor leagues when regular players returned after the war. He batted and threw right-handed.

Biography

Savage was born in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and played both baseball and football at Bloomfield High School, where he graduated in 1937.

Despite growing up "no more than a bus ride away from Yankee Stadium", Savage had never been to the team's home field before he made the 1944 roster. He had a strong start to his Yankees career, batting .333 in his first 15 games with the team, but a series of injuries led to a drop in performance and his spot at third base being taken over by Oscar Grimes. Further problems with his knee led to diminished playing time in the 1945 season and the return of regular players from military duty only further reduced playing opportunities. By 1946, he was sent down to Newark and retired from baseball shortly thereafter.