Oakland A's
Hamilton was drafted out of Edmonds Woodway High School in Edmonds, Washington by the Kansas City Athletics in the fifth round of the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft. He spent six seasons in their farm system before receiving a call up to the Oakland Athletics in May of 1972. He won his major league debut on May 29, starting the second game of a doubleheader with the Texas Rangers.
He ended the season at 6-6 with a 2.93 earned run average as the A's headed to the 1972 American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers. Hamilton made only one appearance in the ALCS, blowing a save opportunity in game four. He appeared twice in the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. He faced just one batter, Joe Morgan in game five, and got a double play on a fly ball to Matty Alou in right field in which Pete Rose tried to score from third. In game six, the "Big Red Machine" tagged Hamilton for four runs in just two-thirds of an inning.
The A's returned to the World Series again in 1973 & 1974, but Hamilton never made a post-season appearance either year. On June 15, 1975, he and Chet Lemon were traded to the Chicago White Sox for Stan Bahnsen and Skip Pitlock.
Read more about this topic: Dave Hamilton (baseball)