About Phil Cavarretta
Philip Joseph Cavarretta (July 19, 1916 – December 18, 2010) was an American professional baseball first baseman, outfielder, and manager. He was known to friends and family as "Phil" and was also called "Philibuck", a nickname bestowed by Cubs manager Charlie Grimm. Cavarretta had a 22-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, spending 20 seasons with the Chicago Cubs before spending his final two seasons with the Chicago White Sox. His 20 seasons played for the Cubs is the second-most in franchise history, behind Cap Anson's 22 seasons. Cavarretta was voted the National League Most Valuable Player for 1945 after leading the Cubs to the pennant while winning the batting title with a.355 batting average. He was a player-manager for the Cubs in his final three seasons with the team. == Baseball career == Cavaretta attended Lane Technical High School on Chicago's North Side (now known as Lane Tech College Prep), where he played baseball and basketball, and signed a professional contract with the Cubs before finishing high school. In his first professional game with Peoria at age 17 in 1934, Cavaretta hit for the cycle as a right fielder. That same year he was brought up to the Cubs to replace manager Charlie Grimm at first base. He first appeared in a major league game on September 16, 1934, less than two months after his 18th birthday, pinch-hitting unsuccessfully for the Cubs' shortstop Billy Jurges in the fifth inning of the first game of a doubleheader in Brooklyn.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.