Walter "Smokey" Alston is best known for his long and successful tenure as Manager of the Dodgers--first in Brooklyn, then in Los Angeles.
But.
He went to bat in the majors just once--and struck out.
Signed in 1935, he played on minor league teams in the Cardinals\' system.
Louis Cardinals.
Raised in rural Ohio, Alston graduated from Miami University, where he was noticed by scouts for the St.
Yet few fans are aware of his years in the minors, where he honed the skills that would make him famous.
Walter "Smokey" Alston is best known for his long and successful tenure as Manager of the Dodgers--first in Brooklyn, then in Los Angeles