Jose Altuve Joins Rarefied Air

Jose Altuve put together one of the most impressive seasons with his 2014 American League batting and hits titles. Altuve finished with a .341 batting average with 225 hits. Now consider this, Altuve's 225 hits places him in 3rd place All-Time for Hits by a Latino Ballplayer.

Now keeping in mind of such sluggers that have recently played the game as Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltran, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Nelson Cruz, Alex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero and Latino legends such as Roberto Clemente, Vic Power (Victor Pellot), Tony Oliva and Pedro Guerrero, Altuve had more hits in his 2014 season than all those players ever did in an individual season. Now consider that the record most hits in one season is 262 hits, which is held by Ichiro Suzuki, here are the two Latinos to have more hits that Jose Altuve

Rod Carew
At the age of 31, Panamanian Rod Carew put up a career high 239 hits during the 1977 season in which he won the American League Most Valuable Player Award while a member of the Minnesota Twins. 1977 was also a career year for Carew in terms of batting average. Carew hit .388 that season with 38 doubles, 16 triples and 14 home runs while driving in 100 runs and scoring 128 runs.

Matteo Alou
One of the famed trio of Alou Brothers from the Dominican Republic, Matteo Alou racked up a career high 231 hits for the 1969 Pittsburgh Pirates. Alou batted .331 with a league leading 41 doubles, 6 triples and 1 home run while driving in 48 runs and scoring 105 runs.

Jose Altuve
What's impressive about Altuve's 2014 season is that he was able to do so at the young age of 24. Altuve batted a career high .341 with a career high 225 hits. He raked 47 doubles, 3 triples and 7 home runs with 59 Runs batted in and 85 runs scored. Add to that, the league leading 56 stolen bases that Altuve swiped.

Will Altuve get much AL MVP consideration outside of Houston? The front runners are currently Mike Trout, Nelson Cruz, Adam Jones and Victor Martinez. I think it will be hard for Altuve to win the AL MVP though if I had a vote, he'd be my pick. What do you think, does he have a chance to win AL MVP?

Hasta la próxima, no dejamos de jugar el Beisbol,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Jose Altuve's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access Rod Carew's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access Matteo Alou's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the Single-Season Leaders & Records for Hits from Baseball Reference.com

Willie Mays Makes The Catch During Game One of the World Series September 29, 1954

On this day in Baseball History September 29, 1954: With Game One of the 1954 World Series underway at the Polo Grounds, the stage was set for one of the most dramatic catches in Baseball History. The Cleveland Indians were coming off of an impressive 1954 campaign where they compiled a 111-43 record. Their opponents were the New York Giants who won the National League pennant with a 97-57 record. Indians first-baseman Vic Wertz was virtually the offense for the Indians finishing the game 4-for-5, for half of the Indians hits for the day, with a double and a triple that drove in the two runs scored by the Indians.

It was the top of the eighth inning in front of 52,751 spectators when Vic Wertz made his way up to the plate with two runners on against Giants reliever Don Liddle. To get an idea of how amazing this play way, I'll let the writing of John Drebinger in his article Giants Win in 10th From Indians 5-2, On Rhodes' Home Run from the September 30, 1954 edition of the New York Times tell the tale:

Wertz connected for another tremendous drive that went down the center of the field 450 feet, only to have Willie Mays make one of his amazing catches. 

Traveling on the wings of the wind, Willie caught the ball directly in front of the green boarding facing the right-center bleachers  and with his back still to the diamond

Here is how the newspaper captured the catch in four images:

To see the play unfold in real time, check out the following video:

The Giants would hold off the Indians and win the game on a three-run walkoff home run by Pinch hitter James "Dusty" Rhodes off of twenty-three game winner Bob Lemon. The Giants would ride the momentum of this victory and sweep the Cleveland Indians 4-0 to win their last World Series in the city of New York.

Though many of today's fans will think this catch to be passé and ordinary (read the comments after the video on the YouTube page for more proof of this), this catch came at the hands of a 21-year old rookie who on the biggest sports stage of them all caught the ball with his back to the field, running full speed ahead and arcing his head back to see the ball and then fired the ball in keeping the two runs on base from scoring. I know haters are going to hate but damn.

What did Willie Mays think of this play? The interview of Willie Mays from the Academy of Achievement website has Mays telling us in his own words about this play:

I think the key to that particular play was the throw. I knew I had the ball all the time. In my mind, because I was so cocky at that particular time when I was young, whatever went in the air I felt that I could catch. That's how sure I would be about myself. When the ball went up I had no idea that I wasn't going to catch the ball. As I'm running -- I'm running backwards and I'm saying to myself, "How am I going to get this ball back into the infield?" I got halfway out. As I'm catching the ball I said, "I know how I'm going to do it." I said, "You stop..." -- I'm visualizing this as I'm running. It's hard to tell people that -- what I'm doing as I'm running. I know people say, "You can't do all that and catch a ball." I said, "Well, that's what I was doing. Okay?" I was running, I was running. I'm saying to myself, "How am I going to get this ball back in the infield? "So now as I catch the ball -- if you watch the film close -- I catch the ball, I stop immediately, I make a U-turn. Now if I catch the ball and run and turn around -- Larry Doby which is on second, Al Rosen on first -- Larry can score from second. Because Larry told me -- I didn't see this, Larry had told me many times -- "I was just about home when you caught the ball, I had to go back to second and tag up and then go to third." So he would have scored very easily. So I said, well -- as I'm running, I've got to stop and make a complete turn. You watch the film and you'll see what I'm talking about. I stopped very quickly, made a U-turn, and when I threw the ball I'm facing the wall when the ball is already in the infield. So when you talk about the catch, more things went into the play than the catch. The throw was the most important thing because only one guy advanced, and that was Larry, from second to third. Al was still on first. And that was the key. To me it was the whole World Series.

Want to see a different view of the catch to see how hard it must have been for Mays? The article Photo of Day II: An uncommon angle on 'The Catch' by Willie Mays by Dayn Perry of the CBSSports Eye on Baseball page dated January 10, 2014 shows us the following view:

Folks, this is not an ordinary catch. That's all I have to say.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access the 1954 Cleveland Indians page from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the 1954 New York Giants page from Baseball Reference.com

Ted Williams Finishes With a .406 Batting Average September 28, 1941

On this day in Baseball History September 28, 1941: Entering the last day of the 1941 season, Ted Williams led the league with a .39955 batting average. Sitting out the doubleheader to end the season against the Philadelphia Athletics would have given Williams a .400 average. Instead of being given the achievement, Williams decided to play both games going 4 for 5 in the first game and 2 for 3 in the second game finishing the season with a .4057 batting average rounded up to .406. In doing so, Williams became the first Major League to hit .400 or more since Bill Terry of the New York Giants hit .401 in 1930. Williams became the first American League player to hit .400 or more since Harry Heilman did so in 1923.

The article Star Gets 6 Hits As Red Sox Split from the September 29, 1941 edition of the New York Times states:

Williams made his thirty-seventh home run and three singles in five chances in the opener, and a double and a single in three attempts in the second encounter.

For the season he batted in 120 runs, scored 135 and walked 151 times. He struck out twenty-six times. Williams is the sixth American Leaguer to bat .400. Nap Lajoie, Ty Cobb, George Sisler, Joe Jackson and Heilman were the others. Jackson hit .408 for Cleveland in 1911, but lost the batting title to Cobb, who finished with .420.

Here are the boxscores for the two games played by the Boston Red Sox against the Philadelphia Athletics on September 28, 1941:

What did Ted Williams think about his chase for .400? On pages 85 and 89-90 of the book My Turn At Bat: The Story of my Life by Ted Williams with John Underwood, Williams describes what he felt that fateful day:

It came to the last day of the season, and by now I was down to .39955, which according to the way they do it, rounds out to an even .400. We had a doubleheader left at Philadelphia. I'd slumped as the weather got cooler, from a high of .436 in June, down to .402 in late August, then up again to .413 in September. In the last ten days of the season my average dropped almost a point a day. Now it was barely .400. The night before the game Cronin offered to take me out of the lineup to preserve the .400. They used to do that. Foxx lost a batting championship to Buddy Myer one year when he sat out the last game and Myer got two hits.

I told Cronin I didn't want that. If I couldn't hit .400 all the way I didn't deserve it. It sure as hell meant something to me then

Now it was the last day of the 1941 season, and it turned up cold and miserable in Philadelphia. It had rained on Saturday and the game had been rescheduled as part of a Sunday doubleheader. They still had 10,000 people in Shibe Park, I suppose a lot of them just curious to see if The Kid really could hit .400. I have to say that I felt good despite the cold. And I know just about everybody in the park was for me. As I came to bat for the first time that day, the Philadelphia catcher, Frankie Hayes, said, "Ted, Mr. Mack told us if we let up on you he'll run us out of baseball. I wish you all the luck in the world, but we're not giving you a damn thing."

Bill McGowan was the plate umpire, and I'll never forget it. Just as I stepped in, he called time and slowly walked around the plate, bent over and began dusting it off. Without looking up, he said, "To hit .400 a batter has got to be loose. He has got to be loose."

I guess I couldn't have been much looser. First time up I singled off Dick Fowler, a liner between first and second. Then I hit a home run, then I hit two more singles off Porter Vaughn, a left-hander who was new to me, and in the second game I hit one off the loudspeaker horn in right field for a double. For the day I would up six for eight. I don't remember celebrating that night, but I probably went out and had a chocolate milk shake. During the winter Connie Mack had to replace the horn.

The last player to come close to the .400 plateau was Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres. Gwynn hit .3938 during the strike shortened 1994 season. The last player to come close during a full season was George Brett of the Kansas City Royals. Brett hit .3898 during the 1980 season.

Williams narrowly missed winning the American League Triple Crown (2nd in RBI to Joe DiMaggio's 125 RBI) and would follow his 1941 campaign with the American Triple-Crown in the 1942 season. He would be the runner up in the American League MVP race to Joe DiMaggio and Joe Gordon of the Yankees. Williams would join the war effort, losing three full seasons before returning to play in the 1946 season where he continued with his hitting finally winning the American League MVP award. Williams was truly an amazing player and I wish that I had the opportunity to have watched him play in person.

Getting four hits out of every ten at-bats over the course of an entire season is a daunting task. Hitting .400 for the season, let alone reaching Williams' .406 seems to be one of those records that will probably not get broken in this era of free swinging hitters, batters who don't choke up and defend the plate with two strikes and high strikeout totals. Will we ever see .400 or more in our lifetime? I wouldn't bet on it but with the game of baseball, you just never can tell.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Ted Williams' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the article What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now? by Richard Ben Cramer from Esquire Magazine dated January 8, 2013 originally published in the June 1986 issue of Esquire

The Detroit Tigers Play Last Home Game At Tiger Stadium September 27, 1999

On this day in Baseball History September 27, 1999: The Detroit Tigers defeated the Kansas City Royals by a score of 8-2 in their last home game at the ballpark located at 2121 Trumbull Avenue once known as Navin Field, later changed to Briggs Stadium, before finally being called Tiger Stadium.

Tiger Stadium opened the same day as Fenway Park, April 20, 1912 which was five days after the sinking of the Titanic. Tiger Stadium was the second ballpark to sit on the site. The article Tiger Stadium by Scott Ferkovich from the SABR Baseball Biography Project describes the first ballpark as so:

Photo Courtesy of
Detroit1701.org

The Tigers’ new home was actually the second ballpark built at “The Corner.” From 1896 to 1911, they played their games in rickety wooden Bennett Park. Prior to that, the plot of land in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood had been a combination hay market and dog pound. Bennett Park had been built when the Tigers were in Ban Johnson’s Western League. In 1901, Johnson changed the circuit’s name to the American League, and declared it a second major league, in direct competition with the established National League. The Tigers played host to three World Series in Bennett Park, from 1907 to 1909. Starting in 1909, however, with the construction of Shibe Park in Philadelphia, closely followed by Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, a new wave of steel-and-concrete baseball palaces were being built. It was clear that Bennett Park had outlived its usefulness, and Frank Navin, principal owner of the Tigers, wanted his club to have a brand-new stadium that would allow it to compete with other teams.

The article Tiger Stadium by Dan Austin of the Historic Detroit website states:

Tiger Stadium was designed by the father and son team of Frank C. Osborn and Kenneth H. Osborn. Frank Osborn founded Osborn Engineering in Cleveland in 1892. The company pioneered in the use of reinforced concrete and built municipal and industrial facilities throughout the country. The firm designed more than 100 sports stadiums, including Fenway Park in Boston and Yankee Stadium in New York. Bernard Green of the same firm also designed Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Photo Courtesy of Detroit1701.org

The yard was expanded several times and had its name changed to Briggs Stadium in 1938 — the same year it was expanded to a capacity of 53,000. In 1961, a scoreboard was installed in center field, but it was later moved to left field after hitters complained that it was in their line of sight. That same year, 1961, also was the year the ballpark finally became Tiger Stadium. For many Detroiters, however, the place was known simply as The Corner.

The Austin article also states the following:

In his farewell remarks following the final game, Ernie Harwell noted that the Corner hosted 6,873 regular season games, 35 postseason contests and three All-Star Games — in 1941, 1951 and 1971. The location was unique because, as a charter member of the American League, every American League starting player from 1900-1999 — from Babe Ruth to Ted Williams to Alvaro Espinoza to Jim Walewander — played at Michigan and Trumbull. There also were 10 no-hitters pitched at Tiger Stadium, but only two were by Tigers: Virgil Trucks in 1952 and George Mullin in 1910.

The 100 millionth fan entered Tiger Stadium on July 6, 1994.

Baseball wasn't the only sport played at the ballpark. The first football game was held there on Oct. 9, 1921, when Detroit (also called the Tigers) squeaked by Dayton, 10-7. The Detroit Panthers would roam the Corner from 1925 to 1926 before the Lions set up shop at Briggs Stadium in 1938. Except for 1940, the Lions called the Corner home until Nov. 28, 1974, when they lost, 31-27 to Denver.

The stadium became a State of Michigan Historic Site in 1975 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Though it Tiger Stadium was partially demolished, the field itself still remains at the Corner. Volunteers currently mow its lawn to keep the grass at the Corner looking pristine as it did during game days.

As recent as July of this year, things look positive for the old Tiger Stadium site. According to the article Old Tiger Stadium site in Detroit moves a step closer to getting a new baseball field by David Muller from the MLive website dated July 15, 2014 the plans call for:

The Detroit Economic Development Corporation approved a plan on Monday that would preserve the baseball field at the former Tiger Stadium site in Corktown while turning a large piece of the property over to Detroit Police Athletic League, a youth sports organization.

George Jackson, president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Development Corporation (DEGC) was quoted in the article Detroit PAL moves ahead with development plan for old Tiger Stadium site said in a statement by Kirk Pinho from Crain's Detroit Business dated July 16, 2014:

“Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy had an idea to preserve the site’s place in baseball’s past; Detroit PAL works with young baseball players to give them a better future. Together they have the opportunity to create a very active place. With the mixed-use development we also expect, this site will be significant in the continuing revitalization of Corktown.”

The field might no longer have the men wearing the "Old English D" on their uniforms running on its grass and dirt. But hopefully this field will be used by youth leagues and kids for generations to come.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the post Tiger Stadium from the Ballparks of Baseball website
- Click here to access the post Bennett Park/Navin Field/ Briggs Stadium/Tiger Stadium: At the corner of Michigan and Trumbull southwest of downtown Detroit from the Detroit 1701.org website
- Click here to access the article Closing Down Tiger Stadium in 1999 from the MISC Baseball blogpage dated August 22, 2010
- Click here to access the article Tiger Stadium by Scott Ferkovich from the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- Click here to access the article Old Tiger Stadium site in Detroit moves a step closer to getting a new baseball field by David Muller from the MLive website dated July 15, 2014
- Click here to access the article Detroit PAL moves ahead with development plan for old Tiger Stadium site said in a statement by Kirk Pinho from Crain's Detroit Business dated July 16, 2014

What A Magical Night In The Bronx September 25, 2014

Normally the words Magical and the Bronx aren't normally heard together in the same sentence. But sitting in my seats at Yankee Stadium last watching the events of the evening unfold in such a storybook manner were truly magical. You couldn't write the ending to that game any better. It was amazing to see the normally reserved Derek Jeter show some emotion. The ballpark was rocking, even after the Orioles tied the game in the 9th inning. People knew that they would get one last chance to see Jeter at the plate. He didn't disappoint.

Now I know what Yankees fans felt when Mickey Mantle walked off into the sunset. I know some of you will say that I am exaggerating when I say this but for Yankees fans like me who lived through the dark years of the late 80's and early 90's and the subsequent dynasty years of 1996-2001, Derek Jeter is our generation's Mantle. We saw him debut as a fresh faced prospect and walk away and elder of the game. The franchise now has to rebuild. The team has no face to it. No Captain. In essence the team has a clean slate. But I digress. I had the privilege as a season ticket holder of watching both Mariano Rivera's and Derek Jeter's last game in Yankee Pinstripes. Those were two experiences that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Thank you Derek Jeter for all the effort and moments you gave us Yankee fans during your twenty year career. Going to the ballpark in the Bronx next year will not be the same without you.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

Dodgers Play Last Home Game as Brooklyn Dodgers September 24, 1957

On this day in Baseball History September 24, 1957: In front of 6,702 fans, the Brooklyn Dodgers blank the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 behind Danny McDevitt's second shutout of the season. This would be the last Dodgers home game played as the Brooklyn Dodgers. Here is the box score for the September 24, 1957 game between the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Brooklyn Dodgers from the September 25, 1957 edition of the New York Times.

Though the move to Los Angeles would be made official by Walter O'Malley notifying the National League on October 8, 1957, many fans held out hope that the rumored move would not happen. Unfortunately for the Brooklyn faithful it was not to be so. The Dodgers would open their season against the San Francisco Giants at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on April 18, 1958.

Photo Courtesy of Baseball in Early Los Angeles

The demolition of Ebbets Field would begin on February 23, 1960, to be replaced with a housing development.

This photo depicts where Ebbets Field would be in relation to the
Jackie Robinson Apartment complex in Crown Heights. (Photo Courtesy: nymag.com)

The irony of the entire move is that area that O'Malley wanted to build his new stadium is the location of the Barclays Center which opened in 2012. Robert Moses vehemently opposed the move to that location. He would half-heartedly offer O'Malley the spot in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park which would eventually become home to the New York Mets in 1964: Shea Stadium. O'Malley left for the greener and sunnier pastures of Los Angeles and the Brooklyn Dodgers fans were left S.O.L.

The rest is Baseball History...

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

Fernando Valenzuela Becomes the First Mexican-Born Pitcher to Win 20-Games September 22, 1986

On this day in Baseball History September 22, 1986: Native of Etchohuaquila, Mexico by the name of Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea nicknamed "El Toro" became the first Mexican-born pitcher to win 20-games. Pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Houston Astros at the Astrodome, Fernando threw the 19th of his league leading 20 complete games for his 20th victory. Valenzuela was en-route to a 21-11 record and his only career 20-win season. Valenzuela would come in second in the National League Cy Young vote behind Mike Scott of the Houston Astros.

The 1986 season would be special for Mexican-born pitchers with Teddy Higuera of the Milwaukee Brewers joining Valenzuela in the Mexican-born 20-game winner club. Higuera would win his 20th game on October 1, 1986 against the Detroit Tigers. As with Valenzuela, Higuera would finish second in the American League Cy Young vote. His 20-11 1986 campaign would be his only 20-win season in his career.

Will we ever see another 20-win pitcher from Mexico? There are currently a couple of pitchers who can do so. Jaime Garcia of the St. Louis Cardinals has won 13 games twice (2010 and 2011). Injuries have seemed to have slowed him down. Jaime de la Rosa of the Colorado Rockies has won 16 games twice (2009 and 2013) and currently has 14 wins this season. Marco Estrada of the Milwaukee Brewers is also another pitcher that has the potential if he can become a fixture in the Brewers rotation. Miguel Gonzalez of the Baltimore Orioles is also another potential pitcher for the Mexican- born 20-win game. My prediction is Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Gallardo has put up 13, 14, 17, and 16-win seasons with the Brewers. I believe that if anyone of the Mexican pitchers that I mention that are currently playing in MLB can reach 20-wins, its Gallardo. What do you think. Agree? Disagree? Anyone else that I failed to mention? We'll have to wait and see if any of these pitchers step up next season.

Hasta la próxima, no dejamos de jugar el Beisbol,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

- Click here to access Fernando Valenzuela's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Click here to access Teddy Higuera's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Andre Dawson Steals His 300th Base September 22, 1990

On this day in Baseball History September 22, 1990: Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs steals his 300th base off of Ron Darling and Mackey Sasser of the New York Mets. The 300th stolen base is significant since it allowed Dawson to join Willie Mays as the only players to have hit 300 home runs, 300 stolen bases and 2000 hits.

Dawson hit his 300th home run against Ron Darling of the New York Mets on April 23, 1989 and gets his 2,000th hit against pitcher Jim Clancy of the Houston Astros at the Astrodome August 18, 1989.

Dawson would retire at the end of the 1996 season. He would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 with 78% of the vote (420/539 ballots).

Since Dawson joined Mays on the 300 Hit, 300 Stolen Base, and 2000 hit club, a number of other players have joined them. Who are they? I'll keep that one in the bag for a future post.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Andre Dawson's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the article '89 brought milestones, playoffs for Dawson by Carrie Muskat from MLB.com dated June 21, 2010
- Click here to access the article 1990: Andre Dawson of the CUBS stole his 300th base in an... from the Chicago Tribune dated September 22, 2004
- Click here to access the post Andre Dawson by Dan D'Addona for the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- Click here to access the blogpage Hawk 4 The Hall

Bob Welch Wins His 25th Game of the Season September 21, 1990

On this day in Baseball History September 21, 1990: Bob Welch of the Oakland A's defeats the Detroit Tigers at the Oakland Coliseum to become the first pitcher in a decade to win 25 games in a season. The last pitcher to win 25 games in a season was during the 1980 season when Steve Stone of the Baltimore Orioles reached the 25 win plateau.

Welch would go on to win 27 games with only 6 losses en-route to the American League Cy Young award. The Oakland A's would be upset in the 1990 World Series by the Cincinnati Reds. The last four pitchers to come close to the 25-win mark were Justin Verlander 24-6 (2011), Randy Johnson (2002), John Smoltz (1996) and Frank Viola (1988).

Bob Welch passed away earlier this year on June 9, 2014 at the age of 57

With Justin Verlander coming close to reaching 25 wins in 2011, will we see another pitcher come close to the 25 win plateau any time soon?

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Bob Welch's career statistics from Baseball  Reference.com
- Click here to access the article Last 10 pitchers to win 25 games in a season by the Atlanta Journal Constitution
- Click here to access the blogpost 24-game winners over the last 24 years by Bill Chuck from the Billy-Ball blogpage on September 19, 2011

Last MLB Game Played at the Polo Grounds September 18, 1963

On this day in Baseball History September 18, 1963: The real last MLB game is played in front of 1,752 riveted fans showed up to watch the final home game of the New York Metropolitans of the 1963 season against the Philadelphia Phillies. Why do I say real?

The New York Giants played the first last MLB game at the Polo Grounds on September 29, 1957. They marked the occasion with a 9-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The arrival to the New York Metropolitans for the 1962 season meant that the Polo Grounds would be given a second lease on baseball life while the Mets waited for Flushing Meadows Park Municipal Stadium later rechristened Shea Stadium (in honor of William A. Shea) was finished being built in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens.

The Mets were set to play at the shiny new ballpark to begin the 1962 but delays pushed that back. Then the Mets were supposed to begin playing at the new stadium for the 1963 season. The second final MLB game was played at the Polo Grounds during the record setting 40-120 season by the 1962 Mets. The Mets defeated the Chicago Cubs on September 23, 1962 by a score of 2-1 to bring the history of the old Ballpark in Harlem to an end on a winning note. But alas, it was not to be so.

Photo Courtesy of Peter Putnam/New York Times

The book Shea Stadium by Jason D. Antos describes what was happening at Shea Stadium in terms of construction delays:

On April 28, 1960, the green light was given to contractors P.J. Carlin and Thomas Crimmons to begin construction. On January 18, 1961, Wagner now announced that the new Flushing Meadows Municipal Stadium, now budgeted at $16 million, would be ready for the Mets' inaugural season of 1962. City Controller Lawrence E. Gerosa responded negatively, "Even if construction started last fall, they would still have to work overtime to finish it in time for the 1962 season." One week later construction was delayed.

Three months later on March 15, the assembly in Albany vetoed the measure that authorized the city to finance and build the new ballpark. Wagner pleaded in front of the assembly and won. The lease for the new ballpark was approved on October 6, 1961. Under the terms of the lease, the ballpark would pay $450,000 in rentals the first year with it decreasing to $300,000 in seven years. The Mets were able to lease the stadium for 30 years with an option for renewal of 10 additional years. Finally, on October 28, 1961, Wagner along with Robert Moses and the New York Parks Department president Newbold Morris attended the official groundbreaking ceremony.

Construction was further delayed because of loose girders and broken beams that needed to be repaired, and opening was moved to April 1964...As the construction progressed, the cost of stadium was rising faster than the ballpark itself. An extra $1.7 million was needed, causing the grand total to become $26 million. Finally, the official dedication ceremony took place on April 16, 1964.

Based on that and the bad weather in the winter of 1962-1963, the Metropolitans would play their 1963 home games at the Polo Grounds. Fast forward to the last home game of the season where the Mets fell in lackluster defeat to the Phillies 5-1. That must have been the fastest clean-up by the grounds crew at the Polo Grounds. How much of a mess could 1,752 fans really make.

Here is the boxscore from the last MLB game at the Polo Grounds from the September 19, 1963 edition of the New York Times:

The Polo Grounds would meet the same fate as Ebbets Field six days before Shea Stadium was dedicated. On April 10, 1964, the same wrecking ball that was used to demolish Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, was used to bring down the Polo Grounds. As with Ebbets Field, a housing development was built on the site of the old ballpark in Harlem.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:

- Click here to access the article Polo Grounds, and Its Former Tenants, Emerge From the Shadows by Richard Sandomir from the New York Times dated January 19, 2011
- Click here to access the article Memories of Polo Grounds on Anniversary of Final Opener by Ken Belson from the New York Times dated April 8, 2013
- Click here to access the article Did They Ever Play Polo at the Polo Grounds? by Toby von Meistersinger from the Gothamist dated July 21, 2008 
- Click here to access the PDF of the report THE POLO GROUNDS CASE (part II) by John Hogrogian from THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 12, No. 1 (1990)  
- Click here to access the article The Last of the Polo Grounds: New York City Will Repair a Forgotten Staircase by Chris Epting from the National Trust of Historical Preservation website dated  March 6, 2009
- Click here to access the article Polo Grounds (New York) by Stew Thornley from the SABR Biography Research Project.

A Quartet of Hall of Famers Debut on September 17th Part II

On this day in Baseball History September 17: In a continuation from my last post, A Quartet of Hall of Famers Debut on September 17th Part I, four future Hall of Famers made their debut on September 17th. The last post profiled Eddie Collins and Stan Musial. Let's see who the other two were.

Ernie Banks September 17, 1953

The man that would be known as Mr. Cub made his debut for the Chicago Cubs on September 17, 1953 against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field, Chicago. Banks hold the distinction of being the first African-American player on the Chicago Cubs though he wasn't the first African-American signed by the Cubs. The article Banks grew from early Baker influence: First two black Cubs players formed tight bond by Carrie Muskat from MLB.com dated April 13, 2012 describes this further:

Ernie Banks was the first African-American to play for the Cubs, making his Major League debut on Sept. 17, 1953, at Wrigley Field. Three days later, Gene Baker, who was the first African-American player the Cubs signed, made his debut. If not for a minor injury, the two would've been in the lineup on the same day.

Baker signed with the Cubs in 1950 and spent three years in the Minor Leagues. Banks signed less than a week before his debut. And if it weren't for Baker, Banks may not have made it to the Hall of Fame.

Baker was a star at basketball and track in high school in Davenport, Iowa, and played sandlot baseball. He got more serious about baseball when he served in the Navy. In 1947, Baker was a star infielder for St. Ambrose University in Davenport. He was signed by the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League to play shortstop and batted .293 his rookie season.

The Cubs saw Baker and signed him, assigning him to the Des Moines Bruins of the Class A Western League. The Monarchs would eventually replace Baker with another shortstop -- Banks.

Baker hit .321 for the Bruins in 1950 and was promoted to the Springfield Cubs of the International League, then the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League.

Wendell Smith, now in the writer's wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame and an African-American, felt the Cubs were holding Baker back for no reason.

"The most controversial player in the Chicago Cubs organization is a 28-year-old shortstop who plays 2,000 miles from here," Smith wrote in August 1953. "He is Gene Baker of Los Angeles, the Cubs' No. 1 Minor League affiliate. Are the Cubs purposely overlooking this smooth fielding shortstop for whom they paid $6,500 to the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League in 1950?"

In Smith's story, Wid Matthews, the Cubs director of player personnel at that time, said the team didn't feel Baker was ready. One month later, Baker and Banks arrived at Wrigley on the same day, Sept. 14, 1953. Banks was 22 and came from the Monarchs, where he had hit .380 with 23 homers. Baker was six years older.

They were called up at the perfect time. The Cubs were playing the Brooklyn Dodgers at Wrigley when Banks and Baker arrived. Jackie Robinson, the first player to break the color barrier in the Major Leagues, talked to the young shortstop and told him to not say anything, not listen to anything, Banks said.

"It was that type of atmosphere -- it was, 'OK, you're here, but you're not here,'" Banks said. "I fit into that. I was quiet anyways. Gene Baker, he was different. He was from Iowa, and he had played in Los Angeles against white players and had more experience."

Baker was more outspoken than Banks.

"One day we were coming back home after a game, and [Baker] said, 'All these guys are angry with you,' and I said, 'For what?'" Banks said. "He said, 'You're hustling too much, you're showing everybody up.'

"I said, 'I thought you're supposed to play hard,'" Banks said. "I said, 'What should I do?' He said, 'Keep on doing it.' He was a very bright guy. He was the brightest guy I've ever been around. He allowed me to learn from my own experiences."

Since both Baker and Banks were shortstops, the Cubs decided to move Baker to second base, because they felt he could make the adjustment easier. The next season, 1954, they were regulars in the Cubs' lineup and the first black double-play combination in the Major Leagues.

Here is the boxscore for the September 17, 1953 game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs from the September 18, 1953 edition of the New York Times:

Banks would play for the Chicago Cubs 19 seasons, retiring after the 1971 campaign. Banks would be inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 with 83.8% of the vote (321/383 ballots).

- Click here to access Ernie Banks' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access Gene Baker's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the article Banks grew from early Baker influence: First two black Cubs players formed tight bond by Carrie Muskat from MLB.com dated April 13, 2012

Brooks Robinson September 17, 1955

The player that many believe is the best defensive third-baseman in the history of the game made his debut for the Baltimore Orioles on September 17, 1955 against the Washington Senators at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore. Unlike the previously profiled Collins, Musial and Banks, Robinson's debut and start to his Major League career was inauspicious to say the least. The article Brooks Robinson by Maxwell Cates from the SABR Baseball Biography Project goes into the problems facing Robinson at the point of his debut:

After graduating from Central High School in 1955, Robinson and his parents considered several baseball offers before signing with Baltimore Orioles scout Arthur Ehlers for $4,000. The Orioles were a lowly organization at the time, just a season removed from their transfer from St. Louis. Ehlers used the organization’s position to convince Robinson that “with us, you have the chance to move up faster than with probably any other club.”

Robinson began his professional career in York, Pennsylvania, with a reputation as a weak hitter. Even the public address announcer for the Piedmont League club did not take the prospect seriously, announcing him as Bob Robinson in his first plate appearance. Years later Robinson credited Paul Richards for seeing his “raw ability and for [refusing] to listen to the people that didn’t think I’d ever hit in the big leagues.” Robinson batted .091 (2-for-22) in a brief September call-up.

“I thought Paul was kidding when he had me watch the kid work out one day,” recalled teammate Gene Woodling. “He couldn’t hit, he couldn’t run, and his arm wasn’t that strong.” Robinson spent the next four years splitting time between the major and minor leagues.

Here is the boxscore for the September 17, 1953 game between the Washington Senators and the Baltimore Orioles from the September 18, 1953 edition of the New York Times:

Its funny to read about how Robinson was considered a prospect that couldn't hit, run and didn't have a strong arm knowing now that he is considered by many as being the best third-baseman to ever play the game. You have any doubts? Robinson won 16-straight Gold Gloves at 3rd from 1960-1975 and 15-straight All-Star appearances from 1960-1974. Robinson would retire on August 13, 1977. Robinson would be inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 with 92% of the vote (344/374 ballots).

Not bad for a a prospect that couldn't hit, run and didn't have a strong arm. ;)

- Click here to access Brooks Robinson's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the article Brooks Robinson by Maxwell Cates from the SABR Baseball Biography Project 

I'm curious. Are there any other days on the calendar where a number of future Hall of Famers debuted on the same day in different years? If you know of any, please feel free to email me at baseballsiscokidstyle@gmail.com or send me a tweet at @BaseballSisco.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

A Quartet of Hall of Famers Debut on September 17th Part I

On this day in Baseball History September 17: A number of future Hall of Famers made their Major League debuts on September 17th. Here we go

Eddie Collins September 17, 1906

Playing as "Sullivan", Collins made his debut at Shortstop for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago. Why did he play under an alias? The article Eddie Collins by Paul Mittermeyer from the SABR Baseball Biography Project sheds some light:

In the summer of 1906, Eddie played for a succession of semipro clubs--Plattsburgh, Rutland, and Rockville--before his professional career was discovered, thus invalidating his senior year eligibility at Columbia. The summer was not to be a total loss, however. While honeymooning, Andy Coakley, pitcher with the Philadelphia A's, happened to see Collins playing for Rutland. Coakley sent word of the youngster to Connie Mack, who dispatched backup catcher Jimmy Byrnes to develop an in-depth scouting report. When Byrnes confirmed the pitcher's observations, Mack signed Collins to a 1907 contract, but not before Collins obtained a written promise that Mack would not send him to the minor leagues without his consent. John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants, had been aware of the budding prospect but declined to offer him a trial. 

At Connie Mack's suggestion, Collins made his major league debut under the alias of Eddie T. Sullivan on September 17, 1906, at Chicago's South Side Park. He played that first game at shortstop behind Rube Waddell, who completely subdued Eddie in batting practice. Nonetheless, "Sullivan" managed to reach Chicago's Big Ed Walsh for a bunt single in his first-ever at-bat. Six fielding chances were executed flawlessly that day, though Eddie's tenure at short was not to last. 

Collins was back in class at Columbia shortly after the Mackmen completed their Western tour, having played six games with the Athletics. 

Here is the boxscore for the September 17, 1906 game between the Philadelphia Athletics vs. the Chicago White Sox from the September 18, 1906 edition of the New York Times:

Collins would graduate from Columbia University and play for a total of twenty-five seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago White Sox retiring in 1930. Collins would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 with 77.7% of the vote (213/274 ballots).

- Click here to access Eddie Collins' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the Eddie Collins page from the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Stan Musial September 17, 1941

The player that one day would be knows as "The Man" made his professional debut in Right-field with the St. Louis Cardinals on September 17, 1941 against the Boston Braves in the second game of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The article Stan Musial by Jan Finkel from the SABR Baseball Biography Project describes the effect Musial's debut had on the Cardinals:

Clearly ready for the big leagues, he made his debut with the Cardinals on September 17, getting his first hit, a double, as St. Louis swept a doubleheader from Boston, 6-1 and 3-2. In 12 games he hit .426, nailed his first home run, a two-run shot off Pittsburgh's Rip Sewell at Forbes Field in the second game of a doubleheader on September 23, and as a bonus struck out just once in 47 at-bats. In spite of Musial's contributions, the Cardinals came up 2.5 games short of the pennant-winning Dodgers in a wild finish to a close race.

Given Musial's performance, it is difficult to see why the Cardinals waited until mid-September to bring him up. Talking to Donald Honig for Baseball When the Grass Was Real, Johnny Mize provided a cynical explanation for the delay:

"In '41 [Enos] Slaughter collided with Terry Moore, and Slaughter broke his shoulder. Here we're fighting the Dodgers for a pennant. [Branch] Rickey said we didn't have anybody in the minor leagues to help us. Then in September he brings up Musial. Why didn't he bring Musial up earlier? That's what all the players wanted to know. We might have gone ahead and won the pennant. I'll tell you what the talk used to be about Rickey: Stay in the pennant race until the last week of the season, and then get beat. I heard some talk to the effect that that was what he preferred. That way he drew the crowds all year, and then later on the players couldn't come in for the big raise for winning the pennant and maybe the World Series. I don't know if it's true or not, but that was the talk."

Here is the boxscore for the second game of the September 17, 1941 doubleheader between the Boston Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals from the September 18, 1941 edition of the New York Times:

Musial never looked back and put in a 22-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Stan Musial would retire after the 1963 season and would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 with 93.2% of the vote (317/340 ballots).

- Click here to access Stan Musial's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the Stan Musial page from the National Baseball Hall of Fame

My next post will focus on the other two future Hall of Famers that would make their debut on September 17th.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

Paul Molitor Gets Hit Number 3000 on September 16, 1996

On this day in Baseball History September 16, 1996: Three years to the day when Dave Winfield hit his 3000th hit, Paul Molitor of the Minnesota Twins becomes the first member of the 3000th hit club to do so by hitting a triple in the top of the fifth innings against pitcher Jose Rosado of Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City. In doing so, Molitor became the 21st member of the 3,000 hit club. The boxscore of the September 16, 1996 game between the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals is from The 3,000 Hit Club exhibit of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Here is the 3,000 hit club at the time Molitor joined the club:

1. Unknown Cap Anson
2. 06/09/1914 Honus Wagner
3. 09/27/1914 Nap Lajoie (first game of the doubleheader)
4. 08/19/1921 Ty Cobb (second game of the doubleheader)
5. 05/17/1925 Tris Speaker
6. 06/03/1925 Eddie Collins
7. 06/19/1942 Paul Waner
8. 05/13/1958 Stan Musial
9. 05/17/1970 Hank Aaron (second game of the doubleheader)
10. 07/18/1970 Willie Mays
11. 09/30/1972 Roberto Clemente
12. 09/24/1974 Al Kaline
13. 05/05/1978 Pete Rose
14. 08/13/1979 Lou Brock
15. 09/12/1979 Carl Yastrzemski
16. 08/04/1985 Rod Carew
17. 09/09/1992 Robin Yount
18. 09/30/1992 George Brett
19. 09/16/1993 Dave Winfield
20. 06/30/1995 Eddie Murray

Molitor would finish his career with 3,319 hits and currently sits at number ten on the All-Time hit list. Molitor would retire after the 1998 season and would be inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004 with 85.2% of the vote (431/506 ballots).

Molitor would join long time teammate Robin Yount both on the 3,000 hits club and in the Hall of Fame. Yount joined the 3,000 hit club in 1992 and the Hall of Fame in 1999.

According to pages 128-129 of the book The 50 Most Dynamic Duos in Sports History: Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Hockey (2012) by Robert W. Cohen:

In their 15 years of teammates, Yount and Molitor combined for 4,736 hits and 2,605 runs scored. Those 4,736 hits represent the third-highest total even compiled by two teammates (Honus Wagner and Fred Clarke amassed 5,279 hits for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1987-1915 and Paul and Lloyd Waner tallied 4,994 safeties for that same franchise from 1927-1940). Between them Yount and Molitor appeared in a total of eight All-Star Games as members of the Brewers. They placed in the league's top five in runs scored a total of eight times and finished in the top five in hits a total of 10 times.

Will we ever see a pair of teammates come up virtually at the same time and put up the consistent numbers that Robin Yount and Paul Molitor did for 15 season? Its hard to say with the way free agency and player trades work today. I guess we will have to wait and see if that can happen within the next generation of young players coming up in the league.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:

- Click here to access Paul Molitor's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access Robin Yount's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Dave Winfield Gets Hit Number 3000 on September 16, 1993

On this day in Baseball History September 16, 1993: Slugger Dave Winfield of the Minnesota Twins strokes a single against Oakland A's closer Dennis Eckersley in the bottom of the ninth inning to join the 3,000 hit club. In doing so, Winfield becomes the 19th member of the 3,000 hit club. According to the online exhibit The 3,000 Hit Club by the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

Winfield, the second member of the 3,000-Hit Club to have never played a day in the minors (Al Kaline was the first), was the first member of the Club to reach the plateau at an indoor stadium.

The boxscore of the September 16, 1993 game between the Oakland A's and Minnesota Twins  is from The 3,000 Hit Club exhibit of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Here is the 3,000 hit club at the time Winfield joined the club:

1. Unknown Cap Anson
2. 06/09/1914 Honus Wagner
3. 09/27/1914 Nap Lajoie (first game of the doubleheader)
4. 08/19/1921 Ty Cobb (second game of the doubleheader)
5. 05/17/1925 Tris Speaker
6. 06/03/1925 Eddie Collins
7. 06/19/1942 Paul Waner
8. 05/13/1958 Stan Musial
9. 05/17/1970 Hank Aaron (second game of the doubleheader)
10. 07/18/1970 Willie Mays
11. 09/30/1972 Roberto Clemente
12. 09/24/1974 Al Kaline
13. 05/05/1978 Pete Rose
14. 08/13/1979 Lou Brock
15. 09/12/1979 Carl Yastrzemski
16. 08/04/1985 Rod Carew
17. 09/09/1992 Robin Yount
18. 09/30/1992 George Brett

Winfield would finish his career with 3,110 hits and retired at the end of the 1995 season. He would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 with 84.5% of the vote (435/515 ballots).

Winfield was one of my favorite Baseball players of all-time and I'm glad he was able to join the greats in the Hall of Fame. In this age of super prospects, I don't think that we'll ever see a player to not play a game in the Minor Leagues before being promoted to the Majors. That might be a safe bet to make. What do you think? Agree? Disagree?

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco

#baseballsisco

#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:

- Click here to access Dave Winfield's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Lloyd and Paul Waner First Brother Duo To Go Back-to-Back on September 15, 1938

On this day in Baseball History September 15, 1938: Brother duo and future Hall of Famers Lloyd and Paul Waner are the first brother duo to hit back-to-back home runs in Baseball History. They did so while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates against Cliff Melton of the New York Giants. The brothers known as known as Little Poison (Lloyd) and Big Poison (Paul) hit their back-to-back shots in the top of the fifth inning at the Polo Grounds with two outs. The New York Times article Pirates Rout Giants With Five Homers, Lead Idle Cubs by 3 Games by John Drebinger from September 16, 1938 doesn't make much mention of the event aside from five homers being hit in the game with two by Paul and one by Lloyd.

Here is the boxscore to the Pittsburgh Pirates vs New York Giants game on September 15, 1938 from the September 16, 1938 edition of the New York Times:

It would be seventy-five year later that a brother duo would hit back-to-back homers. B.J. and Justin Upton went back-to-back against Colorado Rockies pitcher Jon Garland on April 23, 2013.

Will we go another 75 years before we see another brother duo go back-to-back?

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

- Click here to access Lloyd Waner's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access Paul Waner's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the article Waner Brothers by Max Nichols from the Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
- Click here to access the article Pittsburgh Poison: An appreciation of the Waner brothers by Lawrence Richards from the National Pastime Museum website

Willie Mays Reaches The 500 Home Run Plateau September 13, 1965

On this day in Baseball History September 13, 1965: Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants hits his 500th career home run making him the fifth player to reach the 500 home run plateau. Mays led the fourth inning against Houston Astros starter Don Nottebart with a drive into the center-field stands at the Houston Astrodome. At this time in Baseball History, the 500 home run club was a small one made up of the following members:

1. Babe Ruth August 11, 1929
2. Jimmie Foxx September 24, 1940
3. Mel Ott August 1, 1945
4. Ted Williams June 17, 1960

Mays would become the first African-American and first former Negro Leaguer to reach the 500 home run plateau. Here is the boxscore for September 13, 1965 match up between the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Astros:

Mays would finish the 1965 season with a league leading 52 home runs and would pass Mel Ott on both the All-Time Home Run list and the National League home run list on May 4, 1966. Mays would remain the National League All-Time hit list until he was passed by Hank Aaron on June 10, 1972.

Mays would retire after the 1973 season with the New York Mets and would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 with 94.7% of the vote (409/432 ballots).

Mays truly was one of the best in the game. A player truly worth of the five-tool label. Players come and go, but there will only ever be one Willie Mays.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Willie Mays' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Mickey Mantle Hit The Ball OUT of Tiger Stadium September 10, 1960

From The Cards
That Never Were

On this day in Baseball History September 10, 1960: At Briggs Stadium (later known as Tiger Stadium) in Detroit, Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees strides to the plate with two men on base and two outs against Detroit starter Paul Foytack in the seventh inning. Mantle being a switch hitter took his place in the left-hand hitter box.

Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto described Mantle's swing as "putting good wood on the ball" as Mantle swung at the 2-0 offering by Foytack and put the ball over the right field roof of Briggs Stadium. Let me repeat that, he hit the ball OVER the roof of Briggs Stadium. The ball landed at a lumberyard across the street. Though not measured at the time, a measurement "after the fact" estimated that the ball traveled a distance of 643 feet. The article Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs by Lewis Early from The Mick.com describes the story in detail about Mantle's homer and the measurement:

Detroit's Tiger Stadium (the name was changed from Briggs Stadium) was a favorite Mantle hunting ground for legendary home run blasts. On September 10, 1960, with two out and two on in the seventh, Mickey worked the count to 2-0. Righty Paul Foytack fired a fastball right into the Mick's killing zone and he jumped on it. He crushed a spectacular drive that easily cleared the right-field roof (something Mickey had done several times by this point in his career), crossed Trumbull Avenue and landed at the base of a shed in the Brooks lumberyard across from the ballpark.

For spectators that day it was another of many tape measure homers Mantle hit during his career. For the Yankees the win - coupled with a Baltimore Orioles loss - put them back in first place in a tight pennant race. This overshadowed the magnitude of Mickey's blast in the stories that appeared in newspapers the next day. That plus the fact that spectacular Mantle home runs were becoming somewhat commonplace. So much so that Yankees' PR director Bob Fishel (Red Patterson's successor), who had many other duties, couldn't keep up with every tape measure blast Mantle hit. For that matter, Fishel wasn't with the Yankees in Detroit on that trip, so there was no one to emphasize to the press what Mickey had accomplished, and the Tigers certainly had no motivation to point it out.

But this one turns into quite a story a quarter of a century later. As told by Mark Gallagher in his excellent book, Explosion!, Dr. Paul Susman, a true Mantle fan, was convinced that this home run was special. As part of Dr. Susman's research for Gallagher's book, he went to Detroit to see if he could get the necessary information to calculate the exact distance the ball traveled.

It turns out that the story of Mickey's historic drive was well known at Brooks Lumber. Paul Borders, a Brooks employee, saw exactly where the ball landed. Susman and fellow researcher Robert Schiewe calculated the distance through Schiewe's use of the Pythagorean Theorem. The result was a prodigious 643 feet. This is the longest home run to have actually been measured from the point it was hit to the point at which it landed. Although it was measured after the fact, the point of impact was well-known and we believe this distance to be completely reliable. This is no computer estimate. This is the distance the ball traveled in the air from home plate to the place where it landed. The Guinness Book of Sports Records notes it as the longest home run in a major league game to be measured "after the fact." It is the longest home run ever hit in a major league game where it was possible to get the exact measurement. Considered along with the Bovard Field homer, it demonstrates that Mickey's unheard of home run distances are no flukes.

Now as the article Tigers beaten 5-1 by John Drebinger in the New York Times of September 11, 1960 states:

In one of Mantle's two previous clouts over this same roof, Foytack was also the victim. That occurred on June 18, 1956. Mantle's second one was hit off of Jim Bunning on Sept. 17, 1958.

Prior to that, only one homer cleared that Detroit rampart and this took place more than twenty-one years ago. (Ted) Williams did it on May 4, 1939.

Here is the box score for the September 10, 1960 game between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers from the September 11, 1960 New York Times:

Mantle would go on to hit a total of 536 homers over an 18-year career. In doing so, Mantle sits at the top of the list of the most home runs by a switch-hitter in the history of the game (Eddie Murray is second with 504 homers). Mantle would retire in 1968 and would be inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 with 88.2% of the vote (322/365 ballots).

Ok, let me rant for a minute. How the hell does Mickey Mantle not get at least 90% of the vote for induction. We're talking about Mickey "F'n" Mantle here. You ever get into a discussion with a person who believes that the Hall of Fame should have less members and their criteria is "If you have to think about someone being a Hall of Famer then they shouldn't be in"? If I'm going by that, the Mick is a no-brainer. You don't have to think if the Mick was a Hall of Famer. He was. HE IS!!! Bar none. His getting 88.2% of the vote is downright embarrassing. Mays got 94.6% of the vote (409/432 ballots) and in my mind, I think Mays and Mantle goes hand-in-hand. I know the Yankees dominated during Mantle's time with the era, so the Yankees hate must have been really strong. LOL. Getting off the soapbox now.

Many people wonder if we'll ever see a player like Mickey Mantle. Switch-hitting aside, I think Mike Trout is as close as we'll get this generation to a player of Mantle's caliber. Now only time will tell if Trout will continue on the pace he's playing at to make this a fair comparison.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Mickey Mantle's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the article Mickey Mantle's 10 Longest Home Runs by Lewis Early from The Mick.com
- Click here to access Distance of Longest Batted Baseball from The Physics Factbook Edited by Glenn Elert -- Written by his students from the Physics Factbook website