August John Galan was a left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1934 through 1949, he played for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants and Philadelphia Athletics. Galan threw right-handed and began his career as a switch hitter. Starting in the latter part of 1943, he became left-handed hitter until the end of his career. He was born in Berkeley, California. In a 16-season career, Galan posted a .287 batting average with 100 home runs and 830 RBI in 1742 games played. In 1937, Galan was the first player in Major League Baseball to hit switch-hit home runs in a game. Galan played in three World Series, but his teams never won. In 1935, he became the first full-time player to make 649 plate appearances and not hit into a double play, though he did hit into a triple play. Augie was often injured and had a deformed arm from a childhood injury. His knee injury was what eventually made Galan give up batting from the right side of the plate. After leaving the Athletics in 1949, the Berkeley-born Galan played two more seasons with the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League, then managed the club to a 77-103 record in 1953. 

May 23rd, 1912 in Berkeley, California as August John Galan  /  Died:   Dec 28th, 1993