Delmar Wesley Crandall (March 5, 1930May 5, 2021) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He was born in Ontario, California. Crandall played as a catcher in Major League Baseball and spent most of his career with the Boston / Milwaukee Braves. He led the league in assists a record-tying six times, in fielding percentage four times and in putouts three times. Crandall was the last living player to have played for the Boston Braves. Early life Crandall was born in Ontario, California, on March 5, 1930. He was the second of three children of Richard and Nancy Crandall, who were both employed in the citrus-packaging industry. He was raised in Fullerton and attended Fullerton Union High School. Crandall played catcher for the school team and for the local American Legion Baseball team. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Braves before the 1948 season. Professional career Playing career (1949–1966) Crandall played less than two seasons in the minor leagues from 1948 to 1949. He made his MLB debut on June 17, 1949, at the age of 19, entering as a pinch runner in the final inning of a 7–2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Crandall appeared in 146 games for Boston in 1949-1950, before entering military service during the Korean War. When his two-year hitch was over in March 1953, the Braves departed Boston for Milwaukee, where they benefited from an offense featuring Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Joe Adcock. Crandall seized the regular catcher's job from Walker Cooper in 1953 and held it for eight years, handling Braves pitchers such as left-hander Warren Spahn and right-handers Lew Burdette and Bob Buhl. From 1953 to 1959, the Braves' pitching staff finished either first or second in the National League in team earned run average every year except 1955. Burdette credited Crandall for some of his success, saying, "I never- well hardly ever- have to shake him off. He knows the job like no one else, and you can have faith in his judgment". On September 11, 1955, with the Braves trailing the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 with two outs and a 3-2 count in the ninth inning, Crandall hit a grand slam home run to win the game. The Braves won National League pennants in 1957 and 1958, also finishing in second place five times between 1953 and 1960, and captured the 1957 World Series