George Lee Altman (born March 20, 1933) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who had a lengthy career in both Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. A three-time National League All-Star, he appeared in 991 games over nine full seasons in the major leagues. Then, at age 35, he began an eight-year tenure in Japanese baseball, where he would hit 205 home runs and bat .309 with 985 hits. Altman batted left-handed and threw right-handed; he was listed as tall and . He was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and graduated from Tennessee State University, an historically black college in Nashville, where he played varsity baseball and basketball. Baseball career In North America Altman's first professional baseball experience came with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro leagues; he played three months for the team in 1955. He then was signed by the Chicago Cubs, on the recommendation of the legendary Buck O'Neil. He made the Cubs' roster in after two years in the minor leagues and two in the United States Army. He started 102 games in center field, including on Opening Day, when he went two for three against Don Drysdale in a 6–1 Chicago victory. Altman batted only .245 as a rookie, and his playing time diminished slightly in , as he started at all three outfield positions, as well as at first base. But he improved his batting average to .266, and in he claimed the Cubs' starting right field job, batted .303 in 138 games, smashed 27 home runs, and led the National League in triples with 12. In his first All-Star at bat, during that season's first midsummer classic (MLB played two such games from 1959 through 1962) at Candlestick Park on July 11, Altman hit a pinch hit home run off Mike Fornieles in the eighth inning; the National League ultimately prevailed in the wind-blown contest, 5–4. He followed his 1961 season with another strong showing in . Once again making the All-Star team, Altman set personal bests in games played (147), hits (170), batting average (.318) and stolen bases (19); he also slugged 22 homers. Altman was sixth in the league in stolen bases and fourth in on-base percentage. But the Cubs suffered through an embarrassing, ninth-place season, and in the 1962–1963 offseason, Altman became a major piece in a six-player trade with the St. Louis Cardinals that brought pitchers