On June 17, 1950, fresh off his stint in college at the University of Illinois, Plews played in his first professional baseball game for the Class AAA Kansas City Blues. He entered the game as a replacement in the 8th inning and stole a base on his first career attempt. He played 13 games for the Blues, tallying 13 hits to make for a .298 batting average. Later he had a very brief stint for the Class B Quincy Gems, appearing in two games but did not record an official at bat.\n', '

In January 1953, Plews was invited to attend training camp with the New York Yankees. In April, it was announced he did not make the team and was also assigned to the minor league Class A Binghamton Triplets. He was later moved to the Class B Norfolk Tars, where he had immediate success. Through his first 53 games in the Piedmont League, he hit for a .323 batting average, one of the highest in the league, 2nd only to teammate Jerry Lynch and his mark of .331. He ended the season with a .304 average, good enough for 6th in the league, 2 home runs, and 111 hits.\n', '

In March 1954, Plews and teammate Jim Ludtka accomplished the rare feat of hitting two Inside-the-park home runs in a single game, hitting both off pitcher Roger Higgins of the Little Rock Travelers.\n', '

Return to Herb Plews Autograph Profile