(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.
He wasn’t tall or naturally athletic and even 
had poor eyesight. His father thought playing sports was frivolous. Eddie’s work ethic was devoted to music at first, he was a virtuoso piano and violin player, becoming a concertmaster by his junior year in college.
Baseball was still a dream in those years, informal workouts mixed in with school and work finally got him a tryout with a local league at age 21. In May 1944, Basinski debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers after only one season in semi-pro ball. No high school, college or minor league experience.
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. Acquired by the Yankees, he was sent to the Portland Beavers and the Pacific Coast League where a whole new life awaited.
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 released and landing in 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 was always one of the most popular Beaver players and played in an astounding 557 straight games before his release. He also broke out his fiddle and played in uniform between games of doubleheaders.
After his career ended, Basinski settled in Oregon with his wife and two sons. He became an accounts manager for Consolidated Freightways in Portland, where he worked for 31 years, retiring in 1991. He took up bowling and golf in retirement. He had the honor of being inducted into the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame in 1996, and the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2006. In 1984, he was named to the all-time PCL All-Star team.