In New York, O'Doul was called the Man in the Green Suit, exploiting an Irish-sounding name of French origin. But he was a hero in his hometown of San Fransisco, where his fame lives on through Lefty O'Doul's Bar.

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O'Doul spent most of his career in the Pacific Coast Legue, first as a 12-8 pitcher in 1918. Sore-armed, he saw little action while with the Yankees in 1919, 1920 and 1922, but he went 25-9 for San Fransisco (PCL) in 1921. He earned his two major league decisions as a Red Sox reliever in 1923. Then his arm went dead.

He returned to the PCL, where he pitched unsuccessfully in 1924 and began his second career, as an outfielder, to make use of his great natural hitting ability. With Salt Lake, Hollywood, and San Fransisco (PCL) from 1924-27, O'Doul batted between .338 and .392 and hit with power. He was an OF for the Giants in 1928 before being traded to the Phillies, with cash, for the more-established Fred Leach - a lifetime .307 hitter.

Playing in 154 games for Philadelphia in 1929, O'Doul had 32 home runs and set a National League record with 254 hits, batting .398 to win the NL batting crown. He hit .383 in 1930, then was traded to Brooklyn in a five-player deal. His .368 average in 1932 again won him the NL batting title.

After spending 1934 with the Giants, he returned, at age 37, to the PCL.O'Doul managed the San Fransisco Seals from 1935-1951 (and other PCL teams through 1957), pitching and pinch hitting some, and becoming a renowned teacher of young players. He sent Joe DiMaggio up to the Yankees, claiming the most significant thing he did for his fellow San Franciscan was to change nothing.

Making annual visits to Japan in the 1930s as a baseball ambassador of good will, he became an idol of fans there. He took the attack on Pearl Harbor as a personal affront. O'Doul died in San Fransisco on December 7, 1969. (JK)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 23, 1922: George Sisler and Frank Baker match homers as the Browns and Yankees go into the 7th tied 3-3. Ken Williams #12, with two on, gives St. Louis a 6–3 lead, and Browns add five more off reliever Lefty O'Doul to win, 11–3. Urban Shocker is the winner. » July 23, 1922: The Yankees start planning for the Series when they pick up 3B Joe Dugan and one-time Cleveland World Series hero Elmer Smith from Boston, giving up OF Elmer Miller, SS Chick Fewster, SS John Mitchell, and, later, P Lefty O'Doul. The contending Browns and other western clubs howl in protest and this deal will lead to a rule barring nonwaiver trades after June 15th. » July 7, 1923: Cleveland scores in every inning against the Red Sox, but playing at home, the team does not bat in the ninth. In the eight innings, they run up an AL-record 27 runs, including 13 in the 6th, for a 27-3 win. In three innings, Lefty O'Doul gives up 16 runs on 11 hits and 8 walks. This is his last season as a ML pitcher, but he will return to the major-league in 1928 as an OF. The Indians keep it up, scoring three in the first inning of the second game en route to a 8-5 win. » October 29, 1928: The Giants send OF Lefty O'Doul and cash to the Phils for OF Freddy Leach. » April 18, 1929: In Philadelphia, the twice-deferred opener unfolds before a frigid 6,000 with the Giants handing the Quakers an 11–9 loss. For the first time in 15 years, the Giants dress at their hotel and taxi to the ball park. Lefty O'Doul bangs a pair of homers for Philley, while Hurst and Larry Benton, in relief of winning pitcher Hubbell, add round trippers for New York. Benton's comes in the Giants 6-run 9th, when the New Yorkers twice pull off successful double steals. Each time Phils catcher Virgil Davis fires the ball into CF. » October 5, 1929: Mel Ott and Chuck Klein go into today's Giant-Phils doubleheader tied at 42 home runs apiece. In the opener, a 5–4 Phils victory, Ott manages a single, but Klein homers off Carl Hubbell in his first at bat to take the home run lead. In game 2, Ott singles in his first at bat. After that, manager Burt Shotton orders the Phillies pitchers, rather than give Ott a chance to tie Klein, to semi-intentionally walk him five times. The last (semi) intentional walk comes on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded as the Giants win, 12–3. Phillie Lefty O'Doul gets six hits in the two games for an National League record of 254 hits for the season. In the 5th inning of game 1, Lefty's 3rd hit of the game, a 5th inning home run, is his 251st of the year. He has a 4th hit in game one, then two more in the nitecap. Chuck Klein follows O'Doul's home run with one of his own, his 43rd. For Rogers Hornsby, it was a tough inning, as the two home runs eclipse two of his NL season records: most hits (250) and most home runs (42). » July 9, 1930: The Phillies come from behind in the last of the ninth to defeat the Giants 5-4. Chuck Klein's double off Carl Hubbell drives in Lefty O'Doul from second. » August 10, 1930: The last place Phillies win 18–0, as Claude "Weeping" Willoughby defeats the Reds in the first game of a twin bill, then take the 2nd game, 4–3. Chuck Klein and Lefty O'Doul each total six hits in the two games. The Phils will tie the ML mark they set last season by playing just six shutout games, winning four and losing 2. » September 15, 1930: The Cubs split a pair in Philadelphia when Lefty O'Doul pinch-hits a HR to beat the Cubs 12-11 in the first game. It is the second consecutive game that O'Doul has produced pinch-hit HRs. In the 2nd game of the day's doubleheader, Hack Wilson hits his 50th HR to pace the Cubs to a 6-4 win. » October 14, 1930: Brooklyn sends a bundle of cash to the last-place Phillies, together with some 2nd-line players, to obtain Lefty O'Doul and Fresco Thompson. » October 15, 1931: Sportswriter Fred Lieb leads an all-star squad on a barnstorming trip to Hawaii and Japan. Among those aboard ship are Lou Gehrig, Frank Frisch, Rabbit Maranville, Willie Kamm, Al Simmons, Lefty O'Doul, Mickey Cochrane, and Lefty Grove. » April 21, 1932: Lefty O'Doul, injured in spring training, plays his first game for Brooklyn and has 2 hits. » August 13, 1932: Bill Terry, Mel Ott, and Fred Lindstrom hit HRs on consecutive pitches in the fourth inning, but the Giants lose 18-9 to Brooklyn. In game 2 the Dodgers' Joe Stripp, Lefty O'Doul, and Tony Cuccinello hit first-inning HRs off Waite Hoyt. Brooklyn wins 5-4. » June 15, 1933: The Dodgers send Lefty O'Doul, last year's batting champ, and 20-game winner Watson Clark to the Giants for Sam Leslie. The two Brooklyn stars have struggled during the year. » May 2, 1934: The Giants beat the Dodgers, 6–5, for a series sweep and takes over first place in the National League. Lefty O'Doul, pinch hitting for Travis Jackson in the 8th, homers with two on off reliever Van Lingle Mungo. Charlie Perkins takes the loss against Hal Schumacher. Mel Ott hits his 6th homer of the year in the 3rd with Ott on base. » June 17, 1934: Lefty O'Doul belts a pinch grand slam in the 6th inning, off Heine Meine, to help the first place Giants to a 9–3 win over the Pirates. The 4th place Bucs have lost seven of eight games. » October 21, 1934: An all-star team led by Babe Ruth and Connie Mack sails on tour to Hawaii and Japan. Players with wives include Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Charlie Gehringer, Lefty Gomez, Earl Averill, and Lefty O'Doul. » March 1, 1936: After spring training with Lefty O'Doul's San Francisco Seals (PCL), the Yomiuri Giants of Japan beat the Seals, 5–0. On March 5th they will win again 11–7. » October 20, 1951: Joe DiMaggio accompanies Lefty O'Doul's all-stars on a tour of Japan. They will win 13 of the 15 games. » November 13, 1951: Lefty O'Doul's all-stars, including Joe DiMaggio, Ferris Fain, and Billy Martin, lose 3–1 to a Pacific League all-star team—only the 2nd time since 1922 that an American professional team has lost to Japan, and the first time to professional players.