Did you know that John Miller was the first player from the New York Yankees to hit a home run in his first at-bat? Too easy? Did you know that both his first (September 11, 1966) and last (September 23, 1969) career hits were home runs?

Did you know that John Miller is not the only player in Major League history to hit a home run in his first at-bat and last at bat? If you don't know who the first player was, read more about him today on his online baseball card .





John Miller HR in 1st AB (Box Score) | Hazleton Standard-Speaker | September 12, 1966 | Page 18



The Chunichi Dragons, one of the most powerful teams in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, signed the struggling John Miller after he was let go by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Miller made even more history in Japan, though it wasn't the kind he probably wanted:

In 1972, John Miller became the first American to be released solely for his misconduct. Miller, who played briefly for the Yankees and Dodgers, arrived in Japan in 1970 and soon became the most dangerous batter on the Chunichi Dragons. He was a battler. A U.S. coach once said, "Miller is the kind of guy I'd want on my team. He'll fight you with everything he has. He doesn't know how to quit."

However, Miller wasn't the kind of guy the Japanese wanted. He was seldom on time for practice. If a workout was scheduled for 2 p.m., Miller would arrive at 2:10. This was more serious than it sounds, because his teammates would invariably be raring to go by 1:50.

"He always had some excuse," says a team official. "One day it would be because the traffic was heavy. Another day, he'd missed the train. He never once said he was sorry."

When reprimanded for being late, Miller's response was most un-Oriental: "Japanese customs are too military. I do good in the games, don't I? What else matters?"

Miller's hot temper sealed his fate as a Dragon. The coup de grace came in the 12th inning of a big game. Miller had been slumping, and he had a bad game. He had been up four times without a hit. The fifth time, with the score tied, he was removed for a pinch hitter.

Miller blew his top. "You didn't have to take me out," he railed at his manager. "I've had it. I don't want to play for you anymore. I don't care if this team wins or not."

To Americans it would have been a fairly routine example of blowing off steam. To the Japanese, however, Miller might just as well have slit his throat. Although he later apologized and finished the year as the team leader in home runs, he was released at the end of the season.