(Nov. 4, 1922 – Jan. 8, 2022) Eddie Basinski will forever be one of the most beloved players for fans of the Portland Beavers, having spent all or parts of 11 seasons primarily as a second baseman with the club beginning in 1947.

In 1950, Basinski played in all 202 of the Beavers’ games and hit .240 in 822 plate appearances. He played in more than 150 games for seven seasons and finished having appeared in 1,455 games at either Vaughn Street Stadium or Multnomah Stadium before being traded to Seattle in 1957.

In 15 total seasons in the minors, including stops in Montreal, St. Paul, Minn., Newark, N.J., Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., he collected 1,747 hits, 116 homers, 702 RBIs and had a .258 average.

Basinski played parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates, compiling 147 hits, four home runs, 59 RBIs and a .244 average in 203 games. His career in Portland was interrupted only by a short stint with the Pirates in 1947. He broke into the majors in 1944 at age 21 having never played in high school or college and with just 68 games in the minor leagues under his belt.

Basinski was also an accomplished violin player, having once performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, which earned him the nickname “Fiddler.”

He was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1987, and into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2006.