Don Hahn (baseball)

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Donald Antone Hahn, born November 16, 1948 in San Francisco, California, is a former Major League baseball player, an outfielder known primarily for his fielding ability. Hahn played for the Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Diego Padres.

Hahn attended Campbell High School in Campbell, California. There, along with his studies, he played baseball, basketball, and football. The right-handed throwing and batting Hahn was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 17th round of the 1966 amateur draft

On April 8th, 1969, Hahn was the starting centerfielder in the Montreal Expos' first game ever.^{[citation needed]} The game was played at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York, and the Expos defeated the New York Mets by a score of 11-10. However, shortly thereafter Hahn was demoted to the minor leagues.

Hahn would later become quite accustomed to the Shea Stadium outfield grass; a few days before the 1971 baseball season began, the Mets traded 1969 World Series hero Ron Swoboda, along with minor leaguer Rich Hacker, to the Expos, in exchange for the young outfielder.^{[citation needed]}

Hahn emerged as the starting centerfielder for the pennant-winning Mets of 1973. Hahn started all 12 games for the Mets during post-season play. In July of that year, he was involved in a brutal collision in the outfield with George Theodore, which resulted in a broken hip for Theodore.

After the 1974 season, Hahn was traded to the Phillies, along with relief pitcher Tug McGraw and fellow outfielder Dave Schneck. The Phillies sent catcher John Stearns, relief pitcher Mac Scarce, and outfielder Del Unser to the Mets.

Although he had a rather modest career at the bat, Hahn did have some memorable events. He hit only seven career home runs, but his first homer was one for the books. On September 5th, 1971 against the Phillies, Hahn hit the first inside-the-park home run at the brand-new Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.^{[citation needed]}