Poulsen played three years of varsity baseball at
Birmingham High School in
Los Angeles, where he helped his team win the championship of the West Valley League in 1963, 1964, and 1965, being named a first-team all-star in the league and third-team all-star on the All-City team. He was selected by the
Boston Red Sox in the third round of the
1965 MLB draft, and played in the
minor leagues in 1966 for the
Winston-Salem Red Sox in the
Class A Carolina League,
batting .238 in 110 games with 11
home runs and 49
RBIs. In 1967, Poulsen played 73 games with Winston-Salem, and 19 games for the
Double-A Pittsfield Red Sox. He gained a promotion to Boston as a replacement for infielder
Dalton Jones. Poulsen made his major league debut on July 3, 1967, and appeared in five games with the Red Sox. He had one hit (a
double) in five
at-bats for a .200 average. He also made three fielding appearances; twice at
third base and once at
shortstop, recording a .667
fielding percentage (one error in three chances). He played his final MLB game on July 14, 1967. The Red Sox would go on to win the
American League title, in a season known as "
The Impossible Dream". Following his brief stint in the majors, Poulsen returned to the minor leagues. From 1968 through 1973, he played in the
farm system of the
New York Yankees, where he experienced some success as a
pitcher, posting two seasons with a winning record; 1971 with the Class A
Kinston Indians (10–8) and 1972 with the Double-A
West Haven Yankees (9–8). Overall as a minor league pitcher, Poulsen had a 33–34 record in 109 games (56 starts) with a 3.02
ERA. As a minor league hitter, he had a .233 average with 37 home runs and 153 RBIs, recorded in 497 games played during eight seasons. Poulsen died in
Fresno, California, on December 28, 2017. In July 2019, the Red Sox recognized Poulsen's contribution, albeit only during five games, to their 1967
pennant-winning season by presenting his family with a commemorative ring in a ceremony at
Fenway Park. ==References==