Andy Pafko, former 1945 Chicago Cubs World Series OF, dead at 92

Then there was one.

Former Cubs star outfielder Andy Pafko, one of two surviving players from the Cubs’ last World Series team in 1945 passed away Tuesday at age 92.

Pafko was a five-time All-Star who played 17 seasons and 24 World Series games, he hit .285 average with 2113 home runs and 976 RBIs while playing for the Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Milwaukee Brewers.

Nicknamed “Handy Andy”, Pafko batted .214 with one triple, two doubles, and two RBIs in 28 at-bats during the ’45 World Series.

Pafko made his MLB debut in 1943 and two seasons later help lead the Cubs to the ’45 World Series by batting .298 with 12 home runs and 110 RBIs, and finished fourth in the National League Most Valubale Player voting.

Then-Cubs General Manager Jim Gallagher traded Pafko at the trade deadline – June 15 – of the 1951 season in an eight-player deal to the Brooklyn Dodgers, and then to the Milwaukee Braves before the 1953 season.

He played in the 1952 World Series with the Dodgers and then back-to-back World Series with the Braves in 1957 and 1958. He went 1-for-3 against the Yankees in the World Series with his lone victory in 1957 with the Braves.

His .294 average with 123 home runs, 40 triples, 162 doubles, and 584 RBIs in 8 1/2 seasons with the Cubs earned him a spot on the Cubs’ all-century team.

Shortstop Lennie Merullo, is the lone living player from the ’45 Cubs pennant team. The 96 year-old, made two at-bats in the Series and played seven seasons for the Cubs from 1941 to 1947.

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