About Ted Tappe
Lived 1931 – 2004 (aged 73). Ted Tappe was an American baseball player and basketball player.
Theodore Nash Tappe (February 2, 1931 – February 13, 2004) was an American professional baseball player from 1950 to 1952, 1954 to 1955 and 1957 to 1961. An outfielder, he appeared in 34 Major League Baseball games played for the Cincinnati Reds (–) and Chicago Cubs . The , Tappe was born in Seattle, Washington, and attended Washington State University, where he played one season of college baseball for the Cougars in 1950.
The 19-year-old Tappe had an unremarkable debut season in professional baseball until he reached the Major Leagues. After batting just .253 in the Class A Central League, Tappe was recalled by the Reds in September 1950. Sent into his first game on September 14 at Ebbets Field as a pinch hitter for Reds' pitcher Frank Smith, Tappe hit a home run off Erv Palica of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers nevertheless won the game, 6–3. In , after another lacklustre minor league campaign split between the Central League and the Double-A Texas League,
Tappe did not return to the Majors until he made the 1955 Cubs' roster coming out of spring training. He started 13 games in right field and appeared as a pinch hitter in ten others, all during the months of April and May, batting .260 with four home runs and ten runs batted in. All told, he collected 15 hits in the Major Leagues. He played the final five seasons of his professional career in the minor leagues, including service in the Class B Northwest League with the Wenatchee Chiefs, Yakima Bears and Salem Senators.
He died in Yakima, Washington, at the age of 73.
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Important facts
People in Ted Tappe's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Ted Tappe's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Ted Tappe?
American baseball player (1931-2004)
When was Ted Tappe born?
Ted Tappe was born on 2 February 1931 in Seattle.
When did Ted Tappe die?
Ted Tappe died on 13 February 2004 in Yakima.
What was Ted Tappe's occupation?
Ted Tappe was a baseball player and basketball player.
What nationality was Ted Tappe?
Ted Tappe was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ted Tappe. https://biography.guide/ted-tappe/
MLA: "Ted Tappe." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ted-tappe/.
Chicago: "Ted Tappe." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ted-tappe/.
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