George Estock

Who was George Estock?

George John Estock was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball with the Boston Braves during the 1951 season.

Estock graduated from Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1942 and was pitching in a summer league afterward when baseball scouts began to notice him. Soon, the Scranton Miners offered him $100 a month and a $100 signing bonus to play ball.

He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Red Sox in 1943. Prior to the 1944 season, he was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies franchise, and in March 1946 Estock was sent to Pittsburgh Pirates to complete an earlier deal. Prior to the 1947 season, the Pirates sent Estock to the Austin Pioneers the Big State League. Three years later, the Braves purchased his contract from Austin.

Estock played for several minor league teams, including the Wilmington Blue Rocks, where his 22 wins in the 1945 season is still a club and league record.

After being purchasedby the Braves, Estock was assigned to AA Milwaukee, where he went 16–8 with 3.35 earned-run average. That earned him a shot at the big leagues the following year.