Greatest MLB players
* = cheated the game
/ = I am suspicious about
Rankings are before the 2011 season.
/ = I am suspicious about
Rankings are before the 2011 season.
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Most of Babe Ruth's records have been broken. In 1961, not only did Roger Maris break The Babe's 34-year-old record for most home runs in a season with 61* (2001), but Maris' teammate on the '61 Yankees, pitcher Whitey Ford broke the Babe's 43-year-old record for most scoreless innings pitched in a World Series when the Yankees dispatched the Reds that year in the postseason. (When asked how it felt to have beat the Babe's "other" record, Whitey responded, "It was a bad year for the Babe".)
Though Barry Bonds now holds the record for most home runs in a season (73), most home runs in a career (762), highest slugging percentage, most intentional walks, etc., The Babe still must be considered the greatest player who ever graced the game. In addition to his record 12 home run titles, his 13 slugging titles, his six R.B.I. titles, and his solo batting title (.378 in 1924; The Babe placed in the top five hitters in terms of batting average eight times, including a career high of .393 in 1923, when Harry Heilmann hit .403), The Babe won 18, 23 and 24 games as a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 1915, 1916 and 1917, and won the American League E.R.A. title in '16. He set his first home run title in 1918, another year the Sox won the World Series, as a part-time position player and part-time pitcher, notching up 11 homers and nine wins. George Herman Ruth likely will remain the sole player in major league baseball history to win batting, home run, R.B.I., slugging *and* E.R.A. titles, plus eat a dozen hot dogs and drink the better part of a keg of bootleg "needle" beer before suiting up for a game.
From 1914 to 1919, The Babe played for the Boston Red Sox, with whom he appeared on three World's Championship teams. Sold to the New York Yankees by Red Sox owner and theatrical impresario Harry Frazee, he led the-then no pennant American League franchise in Gotham to seven A.L. pennants and four World Series titles from 1920-1934. He played out his string with the Boston Braves in 1935; even a washed-up Babe was still able to pole three circuit clouts in one game before calling it quits after 28 games and six in that last season. The following year, he was one of the inaugural inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Yes, the Babe was mighty, and he did prevail more often than naught except over one opponent: Father Time.
The Babe ended his 22 years in the Big Leagues with 2,873 hits good for a career batting average of .342, 714 home runs, 2,217 R.B.I.s, and 2,174 runs scored in 2,503 games. (From his debut in 1914 through the 1918 season, when he was making his transition to becoming a full time position player, Ruth only appeared in 261 ball games as he was considered the top left-handed pitcher in the American League.) In the record books, Ty Cobb scored more runs and Hank Aaron hit more homers and racked up more R.B.I.s (Interestingly, Hammerin' Hank and The Babe ended their careers with the exact same number of runs scored.), but they played in far more games than the The Babe, with 3,035 and 3,298 games, respectively. Among modern players, Rickey Henderson, who surpassed Cobb's record for runs after 25 years in The Show, played in 3,081 games, and Barry Bonds appeared in almost 3,000 games.
No player ever had the impact, both on and off the field, as did the charismatic Babe. When he died of cancer in 1948, the New York Times headline read, "Babe Ruth/Idol of Millions of Boys/Dead"..342 Avg; 2,873 hits; 714 HR; 2,213 RBI; 2,174 R
Awards/Honors
• AL MVP (1923)
• 2x All-Star selection (1933, 1934)
• 7× World Series champion (1915, 16, 18, 23, 27, 28, 32)
Leaderboards
• 3rd in career HR;
• 2nd in career RBI;
• 10th in career avg;
• 1st in career slugging %;
• 1st in career OBP
• 4th in career runs;
• 40th in career hits;
• 6th in career total bases;
• 3rd in career BB;
• 4th in career extra base hits
Highlights
• Had the career HR record for 53 years;
• Had the single-season HR record for 41 years
Honors
• New York Yankees #3 retired
• Major League Baseball All-Century Team
• Major League Baseball All-Time Team
Last Updated: Before 2012 season- Barry Bonds was born on July 24, 1964 in Riverside, California. He is known for his outstanding abilities on the baseball diamond, where he has won the National League Most Valuable Player Award three times. While playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates he received a cameo appearance in the baseball film "Rookie of the Year". He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates 1986 to 1992 and San Francisco Giants, 1993 to 2007. He was one of the highest paid players in Major League Baseball.*
.298 Avg; 2,935 H; 762 HR; 1,996 RBI; 514 SB
7x MVP; 14x All-Star selection; 10x Gold Glove; 12x Silver Slugger
Leaderboards
• Most single-season homeruns (71)
• Most career homeruns (762)
• Most career walks (2,558)
• Most career intentional walks (688);
• 3rd in career runs;
• 4th in career RBI;
• 4th in career total bases;
• 6th in career slugging %;
• 6th in career on-base %;
• 32nd in career hits;
• 10th in career games;
• 2nd in career extra base hits;
• 33rd in career stolen bases
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Theodore Samuel Williams was born in San Diego, California, on August 30, 1918. He signed a contract at the age of 18 in 1936 with the Boston Red Sox baseball team. He was assigned to their farm team in San Diego. In 1939 he made his Major League Baseball debut, where he set the record for most runs batted in by a rookie with 145. Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941, placing him with baseball's all-time elite. In 1942 Ted won the American League Triple Crown and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he would serve through 1945. In 1946, on his return to baseball, lead the Red Sox to the American League Pennant. The next year he won his 2nd Triple Crown. In 1957 he became the oldest player in history to win a batting crown. Ted retired as a player in 1960, amd hit a homerun in his last at bat. 6 years later he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He became the manager of the Washington Senators in 1969, and resigned three years later in 1972. He is considered by many to be the best hitter in baseball history..344 avg; 2,654 hits; 521 HR; 1,839 RBI
Awards/Honors
• 2x AL MVP (1946, 49)
• 5x ML Major League Player of the Year (1941, 42, 47, 49, 57)
• 19x All-Star selection (1940, 41, 42, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 59², 60, 60²)
• 2x Triple Crown winner (1942, 47)
• 4x AL HR Champion (1941, 42, 47, 49)
• 6x AL Batting Title (1941, 42, 47, 49, 57, 58)
• 4x AL RBI Champion (1939, 42, 47, 49)
• Top 3 in MVP voting (1941, 42, 47, 48, 57)
Leaderboards
• 8th in career avg;
• 2nd in career slugging %;
• 18th in career runs;
• 71st in career hits;
• 18th in career homeruns;
• 14th in career RBI;
• 4th in career BB
Highlights
• Last player to hit .400 batting avg in single season
Honors
• Baseball Hall of Fame (1966) [93.38% (first ballot)]
• Boston Red Sox #9 retired
• Major League Baseball All-Century Team
• Major League Baseball All-Time Team
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Ty Cobb was born on 18 December 1886 in Narrows, Georgia, USA. He was an actor, known for Somewhere in Georgia (1917), The Baseball Revue of 1917 (1917) and Ty Cobb and Grantland Rice Talk Things Over (1930). He was married to Frances Fairbairn Cass and Charlotte Lombard. He died on 17 July 1961 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA..366 avg; 4,189 hits; 1,938 RBI; 2,246 R; 897 SB
AL MVP; won 12 batting titles
Leaderboards
• Most career steals of home;
• 1st in career batting avg;
• 4th in career SB;
• 2nd in career hits;
• 2nd in career runs;
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Lou Gehrig is remembered as baseball's "Iron Horse" and used to own the major league record for the 2,130 consecutive games that he played for the New York Yankees between 1925 and 1939, where he had a .340 career batting average, making him one of the greatest hitters of all time. Henry Louis Gehrig was born in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, New York City on June 19, 1903. His parents, Heinrich and Christina Gehrig, were German immigrants. Of their four children, Lou was the only one who survived to adulthood. Growing up as a mama's boy, Lou lived with his parents until he married at the age of 30. Lou attended New York public schools, including the High School of Commerce, where he excelled in baseball, football and swimming. In his senior year, Lou's school won New York's public school baseball championship. They played Chicago's best high school team at Wrigley Field in 1920. The game was a portrait of what was to come: with the bases loaded and two outs in the 9th inning, Lou crushed a 3-2 pitch over the right field to win the game. To fulfill his parents' dream, Lou enrolled at New York's Columbia University in 1922. Because he had briefly played for a professional baseball club the preceding summer, Lou was barred from athletic competitions at Columbia for a year. After sitting out the year, Lou started on the college's baseball and football squads, earning him the nickname "Columbia Lou." When his father lost his job and his mother fell ill, Lou decided to leave college for a professional baseball career. In June 1923, the New York Yankees signed him to a minor league contract. He was assigned to the team's Hartford, Connecticut, farm club where he played for two seasons. Lou was then inserted into the Yankee lineup on June 1, 1925 substituting for their regular first baseman, Wally Pipp. For the next 14 years, Lou did not miss a single game. Even though Lou made an immediate impression in the majors, leading the American League with 20 triples in his second season, it was in 1927 that this six-foot, 210-pound left-hander blossomed as a slugger. He challenged teammate Babe Ruth for the league's home run title. By the end of the season, Lou had hit 47 home runs to Babe Ruth's 60, earning second place. That year, Lou hit .373 and set a major league record by racking up 175 RBIs. Not surprisingly, Lou was voted the league's Most Valuable Player. He also helped the Yankees to win the 1927 World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. True to his form, Lou had almost decided to sit out the entire series to stay by his ill mother's side. For the next 13 consecutive seasons, Lou knocked more than 100 home runs, and slugged 46 home runs with 184 RBIs in 1931. On June 3, 1932, Lou hit four home runs in one game against the Philadelphia Athletics, setting another major league record. In 1933, Lou married Eleanor Twitchell, who helped him withstand the rigors of professional baseball. On the eve of his 2,000th consecutive game in 1938, Eleanor suggested that Lou was getting compulsive about the streak and advised him to end his career at 1,999 games. Despite his wife's good intentions, Lou would not be deterred and appeared there and at 130 more games. During 1939 spring training Lou began to experience weakness and problems with coordination. On May 2, 1939, Lou's consecutive game streak finally ended when he removed himself from the team. Suspecting something more than his training was making him feel worn out, Lou entered the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for health tests and on June 19, 1939, his 36th birthday, Lou was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a rare incurable muscular disorder which causes the muscular motor functions to degenerate, resulting in atrophying muscles, which in turn can lead to paralysis and ultimately death. New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia named Lou the city's parole commissioner upon his retirement from baseball in 1939, a job he held until his declining health confided him to his bed in early 1941. Lou Gehrig finally passed away from ALS on June 2, 1941 at the age of 37. His universal renown was so great that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis later became known as Lou Gehrig's Disease..340 avg; 2,721 hits; 493 HR; 1,995 RBI
7x All-Star selection; 6x World Series champion; 2x AL MVP; Top 5 in MVP voting 6 other times; MLB All-Century Team; 1934 AL Triple Crown
Leaderboards
• 17th in career batting avg.;
• 58th in career hits;
• 10th in career runs scored;
• 26th in career homeruns;
• 5th in career RBI;
• 16th in career walks
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Walter Johnson was born on 6 November 1887 in Humboldt, Kansas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Baseball Revue of 1917 (1917), Mutual Weekly, No. 35 (1913) and Pathé's Weekly, No. 41 (1913). He was married to Hazel Lee Roberts. He died on 10 December 1946 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.417-279; 2.17 ERA; 3,508 K; 110 Shutouts
2x AL MVP; 3x AL Triple Crown
Leaderboards
• Most career shutouts;
• 2nd in career wins;
• 12th in career ERA;
• 3rd in career innings pitched;
• 9th in career strikeouts;
• 13th in career games started;
• 5th in complete games;
Highlights
• one of ten players to achieve 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Actor
- Soundtrack
Willie Mays was born on 6 May 1931 in Westfield, Alabama, USA. He is an actor, known for About Last Night (2014), Ironside (1967) and The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950). He was previously married to Mae Louise Allen and Margherite Wendell Chapman..302 avg; 3,283 H; 660 HR; 1,903 RBI
24x All-Star selection; 12x Gold Glove winner; WS champion; 2x NL MVP; NL ROY; 2x AS MVP
Leaderboards
• 4th in career HR;
• 7th in career runs;
• 11th in career hits;
• 3rd in career total bases;
• 10th in career RBI;
• 5th in career extra-base hits
Highlights
• 4 HR in a game;
• one of five players to have 8 consecutive seasons with 150+ RBI;
• one of four players with at least 500 HR and at least 3,000 hits;
• one of four players in history to have 3,000 hits, 300 home runs and maintained a .300 average.
Last Updated: Before 2012 season- Stan Musial was born on 21 November 1920 in Donora, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Lillian Labash. He died on 19 January 2013 in Ladue, Missouri, USA..331 avg; 3,630 hits; 475 HR; 1,951 RBI
24x All-Star selection; 3x WS champion; 3x NL MVP
Leaderboards
• 30th in career batting avg;
• 9th in career runs scored;
• 4th in career hits;
• 2nd in career total bases;
• 28th in career HR;
• 6th in career RBI;
• 3rd in career extra-base hits;
Highlights
• one of four players in history to have 3,000 hits, 300 home runs and maintained a .300 average.
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Actor
- Additional Crew
Baseball's all-time home run king, Hank Aaron did more than hit home runs. Sure, Aaron led the National League (NL) four times, he also was a two-time batting champion and led the league in RBIs four times and runs scored three times. He won the NL's Most Valuable Player award in 1957 and has a lifetime batting average of .305. Aaron got his start playing for the Indianapolis Clowns, of the Negro Leagues before signing on with the Milwaukee Braves. He played at their minor league team in Eau Claire, Wis., one of the first black players there, and was brought up by the Braves in 1954. For the next 23 years, Aaron clobbered Major League pitchers. Never a charismatic player, Aaron often let his bat do the talking. He was the subject of intense media scrutiny in 1973-74 when he approached Babe Ruth's hallowed home run record. Aaron received more than 10,000 letters (most of them hate mail and even death threats) during the off-season claiming he should not break the record. Ever the ultimate professional and gentleman, he ignored the insults and slurs and went about the opening season in 1974. On April 8, 1974, Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Ruth's record and in doing so, received the undying support of the fans. He finished with 755 overall before retiring after the 1976 season. Aaron was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1982, and now works in the front office for the Atlanta Braves..303 avg; 3,771 H; 755 HR; 2,297 RBI
25x All-Star selection; WS champion; 3 Gold Gloves; NL MVP
Leaderboards
• Most career total bases (6,856);
• Most career RBI (2,297);
• Most career extra-base hits (1,477);
• 3rd in career hits;
• 3rd in career plate appearances;
• 2nd in career at-bats;
• 4th in career runs scored;
• 2nd in career homeruns
Highlights
• Most consecutive seasons with 150+ hits (17)
• Held the career homerun record for 33 years;
• one of four players with at least 500 HR and at least 3,000 hits;
• one of four players in history to have 3,000 hits, 300 home runs and maintained a .300 average.
Last Updated: Before 2012 season- Baseball was a popular sport in its first 30 years, but it had always lacked one thing: a superstar. The 19th century was full of great players who won great popularity, but one thing the period lacked was a superstar the masses could idolize. The sport eventually did find its first superstar in the form of Christy Mathewson, a handsome, college-educated gentleman who stood as the shining star in the brutal world of early baseball.
Matty, as he was known, seemed to have been the embodiment of Frank Meriwell, the virtuous baseball hero in a popular serial of the time. His only character flaw seemed to have been his arrogance, but his performance on the field justified this arrogance. He had a good grasp of the standard pitches, the fastball, the curve ball and the change-up, and he had perfected a reverse-curve ball that made him one of the most dominating pitchers of the era. It is known today as a screwball, but players back them called it a fade-away, for it seemed to fade away from the hitter's line of sight. He threw all of these pitches with pinpoint precision. To top it off, Mathewson had a degree of intelligence that was almost impossible to find in early baseball. He was book-smart, having been educated at Bucknell College, in a sport where many of the players could barely read and write, and was known to have been a terrific checkers player. And he was smart on the field. It was Christy Mathewson who coined the phrase, "You can learn little from victory. You can learn everything from defeat."
Mathewson was a child of a wealthy farmer. He played an active role during his three years in college, and was a star athlete in three sports. During the summers he would play in various minor-league teams. He was purchased by the Giants, but was released after going 0-3 in his first major league season in 1900. He was later signed by both the Philadelphia Athletics (of the brand-new American League) and the Cincinnati Reds. To complicate things, the Reds mysteriously traded Mathewson to the Giants for the burned-out fireballer Amos Rusie. Forced to decide whether to return to the Giants or enter the American League, Mathewson decided to stick with the latter. He was good but not great in his first two full seasons with the Giants. He pitched a no-hitter, but went 34-34. The Giants manager tried to convert Mathewson to an infielder in 1902, but when new manager John J. McGraw arrived, he encouraged Mathewson to give pitching all he had, and Mathewson delivered. He won at least 30 games in the next three seasons (30, 33, 31) and, alongside Joe McGinnity, led the Giants to consecutive pennants in 1904 and 1905. In 1905 he pitched in his first World Series. Having already pitched a no-hitter, he continued his dominance by hurling three complete game shutouts as the Giants easily topped the A's. Mathewson won a career-high 37 games in 1908, but the one win he couldn't get turned out to be the most important. A playoff game was required between the Giants and the Cubs after they were tied in the regular season (after a legendary game that deserves a thread of its own), as he lost 4-2 to Mordecai Brown. The Cubs went on to win the World Series, and never won again: The Curse of the 1908 Giants (that darned Billy goat gets too much credit.)
Mathewson never failed to win at least 20 games in a staggering 12 consecutive seasons (1903-1914). His 300th win came in his 23-win 1912 season. Needing only 11 wins to get to the milestone after 1911, Mathewson won the first ten games quickly. His 300th career victory came on June 13, 1912 against none other than the Chicago Cubs. He was unable to get even with Brown. Instead, he topped staff ace 'Larry Cheney' for a 4-3 victory. Mathewson teamed up with Rube Marquard to bring the Giants another pennant that year, but suffered a rare mental lapse in the deciding game of the World Series and eventually lost to the Boston Red Sox. After a 24-win season in 1914, Mathewson's arm began fading in 1915, and went 8-14 while pitching half as much as he used to. Mathewson was asked to manage the Reds in the middle of 1916, and so Giants management agreed to trade the fading Mathewson to Cincinnati, where he finally got his revenge for the embarrassing loss to Brown in his 373rd and final career win.
Mathewson continued to manage the Reds after his career ended, and he turned the pitiful Reds from a cellar-dweller to a .500 club. In 1918, he was one of many players (and former players) that enlisted in the Army to fight in the Great War. Mathewson was assigned to train recruits how to put on gas masks, and was unfortunately exposed to mustard gas during a drill, and it permanently injured his lungs. After the war, Mathewson went to coach for the Giants, but was bothered by a nasty cough. Doctors discovered that Matty had contracted tuberculosis, a potentially fatal lung disease. Mathewson moved to a sanitarium, where he stayed for a few years to recuperate. As soon as he showed improvement, Mathewson purchased the Boston Braves in 1923 with James McDonough and Emil Fuchs, the former attorney for the Giants. However, the team was always in dire financial straits, and Fuchs was eventually forced to sell the team when not even bringing Babe Ruth over from the Yankess could turn things around. Matty's health steadily worsened, and eventually he had to return to the sanitarium.
His death crushed not only the baseball world, but also the nation, for they had lost one of their earliest and most beloved sports heroes. Nobody was sadder than John J. McGraw, who loved Mathewson as though he was the son McGraw never had. In 1936, Mathewson was one of the first five men that were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It may be arguable that there were better pitchers than Matty, but there's no denying that Mathewson was one of baseball's finest gentlemen.373-188; 2.12 ERA; 2,502 K
WS champion; 2x Triple Crown winner; 5x strikeout champion; 5x ERA champion; two no-hitters
Leaderboards
• 3rd in career wins;
• 9th in career ERA;
• 3rd in career shutouts;
• 30th in career strikeouts
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - American baseball player, born in Mansfield (now Carnegie), Pennsylvania. His real name was John Peter Wagner. He played semi-professional ball in Ohio and was given a contract (1896) by the Paterson, New Jersey, club before entering (1897) major-league play with the Louisville (Kentucky) club of the National League, Hans (a nickname also much used) soon anchored himself at shortstop with the Pirates. Wagner, called the Flying Dutchman by his fans, came to be regarded as one of the outstanding players of baseball. He led the National League in batting eight times (1900, 1903-4, 1906-9, 1911) had a lifetime batting average of .329 (batting over .200 in 17 consecutive years), made 3,430 base hits, scored close to 1,800 runs, and played in 2,785 games. Wagner, agile though massively built, excelled at fielding; he also led the National League five times in stolen bases. In 1917 he retired from baseball, but returned to the Pirates as coach (1933-52). In 1936 he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame..327 Avg; 3,415 hits; 1,732 RBI; 723 SB
8x NL batting champion; World Series champion
Leaderboards
• 7th in career hits;
• 36th in career Avg;
• 23rd in career runs scored;
• 21st in RBI;
• 10th in career SB
• 3rd in career triples
• 9th in career doubles
• 22nd in career total bases
• 6th in career singles
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Grover Cleveland Alexander was born on 26 February 1887 in Elba, Nebraska, USA. He was married to Aimee Alexander. He died on 4 November 1950 in St. Paul, Nebraska, USA.373-208; 2.56 ERA; 2,198 K
WS champion; 3x Triple Crown winner
Leaderboards
• 3rd in career wins;
• 50th in career ERA;
• 2nd in career shutouts;
• 53rd in career strikeouts
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Actor
- Soundtrack
Joe DiMaggio was simply the greatest all-around baseball player of his era. As a New York baseball legend, "The Yankee Clipper" succeeded superstars Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and preceded Mickey Mantle. In his 13 year career from 1936 to 1951 (which was interrupted by three years spent in the Army during World War Two from 1943-45), DiMaggio won three Most Valuable Player awards and was named to the All-Star team thirteen times.
His 1936 Yankees team won the World Series his freshman year, as it did in 1937, '38 and '39. The four straight wins was a record that would be surpassed by the Yankees team of 1949-53, of which "Joltin' Joe was a member for their first three World Championships, retiring after the 1951 season due to incredible pain that he had stoically endured. Ultimately, he played in 10 World Series, of which the Yankees won an incredible nine. (Only Yogi Berra, his teammate from 1946-51, appeared on more world champions, winning 10 rings in 14 World Series.)
DiMaggio is the possessor of what many consider the one batting record that will never be breached: consecutive games hitting. From May 15 to July 17, 1941, he hit in 56 straight games. DiMaggio beat out the great Ted Williams of the Red Sox for the MVP award that year, even though Ted hit .406. DiMaggio also beat Williams for the MVP in 1947, when "The Slendid Splinter" won his second Triple Crown the year after he had led the Red Sox to their first World Series since Babe Ruth was a pitcher and utility outfielder for the BoSox in 1918. It was the tightest MVP contest in history not ending in a tie: DiMaggio racked up 202 points with eight first place votes while "Teddy Ballgame" collected 201 points with three first place votes. Such was the respect for DiMaggio, whose team won the pennant and the World Series, that he won over a Triple Crown winner! DiMaggio was a flawless outfielder, and considered the major cog that made the Yankees winners. He was the consummate team player in an era (the Depression and World War II) in which cooperation was emphasized to beat the economic doldrums and global fascism. Williams, in contrast, was fabled as a non-conformist and individualist derided for "playing for himself", playing to boost his statistics rather than "taking one for the team". He would not shake the negative associations of not being a "team player" and not winning a World Series until after the Youth Revolution of the 1960s made conformity passé and nonconformity the norm.
In the 1940s, he was easily the most popular man in what was then justifiably called "America's National Pastime". His popularity was so great that the U.S. Army would not let him go overseas during the war, lest he be killed or captured, and thus damage American morale. In 1949, DiMaggio signed with the first six-figure contract in the history of Major League Baseball, when the Yankees signed him for $100,000 per year. That year he was hampered by the bone spurs that would end his career prematurely. Despite excruciating pain, an injured DiMaggio came back from the disabled list to face the Red Sox, who had nearly won the pennant the year previously (losing in a one-game playoff to the Cleveland Indians) and were up by one game with two games left to play against the Yankees.
His injuries would limit him to 76 games that year, but he came back for the series. The torrid hitting of DiMaggio led the Yankees over the BoSox in both games, capturing the pennant (and the first of a record five straight World Series titles) for rookie Yankees manager Casey Stengel. In an era of genuine heroes, DiMaggio was the epitome of the genre. Such was his unique status that he retired after a mediocre 1951 season, in which he hit only .263 with 12 homers and 71 RBIs in 113 games (after hitting .301 with 32 homers and 122 RBIs in 139 games the previous year). Joe DiMaggio did not want to become an average player, playing out his string. He wanted to go out a champion, and he did.
DiMaggio played his entire career in Yankee Stadium, the "House that Ruth Built", so called not only due to the Babe's great popularity, but also because the park was tailored to his left-handed power. DiMaggio was a right-handed hitter in a park that was death to righties: left-center field at Yankee Stadium in 1937 was 457 feet deep (whereas now, it is 399 feet deep). As DiMaggio and Ted Williams aged, it became dogma that while Williams was the better hitter, DiMaggio was the better all-around player. However, it is interesting to note that outside of their home ballparks, DiMaggio out-hit Williams.
In 1969, a poll conducted to coincide with the centennial of major league baseball ranked him as baseball's greatest living player. The great Joe DiMaggio, whom many believe was the most perfect and most complete ballplayer of all time, would continue to be legendary, even if he had not married Marilyn Monroe..325 avg; 2,214 H; 361 HR; 1,537 RBI
13x All-Star selection; 9x WS champion; 3x AL MVP
56-game hitting streak;
Leaderboards
• 43rd in career batting average;
• 10th in career slugging %;
• 73rd in career HR;
• 45th in career RBI
Last Updated: Before 2012 season- Rogers Hornsby was born on 27 April 1896 in Winters, Texas, USA. He was married to Marjorie Bernice Frederick, Jeanette Pennington Hine and Sarah Martin. He died on 5 January 1963 in Chicago, Illinois, USA..358 avg; 2,930 H; 301 HR; 1,584 RBI
2x NL MVP; 2x Triple Crown; WS champion
Batted .400 avg in single-season three times;
Leaderboards
• 2nd in career batting average;
• 50th in career runs scored;
• 35th in career hits;
• 36th in career RBI
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Known for his hitting prowess on offense and his strong, accurate throwing arm on defense, Roberto Clemente carved out a Hall of Fame career over his 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, compiling a .317 lifetime batting average and collecting an even 3,000 hits. He was the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1966 and was voted MVP of the 1971 World Series in which the Pirates defeated the Baltimore Orioles. He was killed in a mission-of-mercy plane crash while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua. Clemente was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 1973, only the second player to have had the required five-year waiting period before being eligible waived..317 Avg; 3,000 hits; 240 HR; 1,305 RBI
15x All-Star selection; 12x Gold Glove winner; NL MVP; 2x WS champion; WS MVP
Leaderboards
• 62nd in career avg;
• 28th in career hits;
• 84th in career runs;
• 102nd in career RBI
• 79th in career extra-base hits;
• 29th in career singles;
• 27th in career triples
• 77th in career total bases
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Mickey Charles Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, on October 20, 1931, the son of a minor-league player who never made it to the big leagues and named him after Major Leaguer Mickey Cochrane. Mickey's father and grandfather -- who also never made it to the majors -- taught him how to play baseball, but more importantly also taught him how to be a switch-hitter.
Mickey grew up during the Great Depression, which hit Oklahoma especially hard. Times were so tough that the only way to play sports as a kid was to play with friends; there were no organized leagues around back then. It was while playing baseball with his friends that Mickey's astonishing talent for the game made itself evident. When he got into high school he played baseball, basketball and football and excelled at all three. Some thought that he would become a football player when he grew up, but Mickey had known what he wanted to be since the age of five: a baseball player, and nothing else. A devastating knee injury almost ruined his chances of getting into that -- or any other -- sport, and would be the beginning of the knee problems that would plague him throughout his career.
He was drafted into the minors at age 18, and while in the Yankee farm system his astounding talent was so obvious that he was jumped from the Class C division directly to the Yankee team itself. When he got there he was given #6, because Yankee management thought he would be the next "superstar" and in line with the other Yankee greats: Babe Ruth (#3), Lou Gehrig (#4), Joe DiMaggio (#5). Mick didn't do well, however, and was sent back down to the minors. After a couple of lackluster games he told his dad he was going to quit, but after giving it some thought he decided to stick with it and soon began to hit again. He was recalled back to the Yankee team (and given #7 this time), and that was when the Mickey Mantle of legend was born. He started in right field before DiMaggio left. During the 1951 World Series Mickey stepped into a water drain in the outfield, a serious injury that affected his playing from that point on.
In his 18-year career he set (and broke) numerous records and, as he himself has said, if he had taken better care of himself -- most of his home runs were hit while he was injured -- he would have broken every record in the book. Even his injuries and his penchant for hard drinking were no match for his mind-boggling talent -- he once hit a home run with one arm, and has admitted that many of his homers were hit while he was not only injured but drunk and / or hung over. In his later years he came to regret the chances he had and missed because of his drinking and partying. He even made a public service message to the kids who idolized him, recounting the kinds of things he had done and the mistakes he had made, and telling them, "Don't be like me." It's doubtful if there ever can be anyone like him; someone like Mickey Mantle comes along only once in a lifetime. He died August 13, 1995 at the age of 64..298 Avg; 2,415 hits; 536 HR; 1,509 RBI
3x AL MVP; 20x All-Star selection; 7x World Series champion; Gold Glove winner; NL Triple Crown winner; top 3 in MVP voting (1952,1960,1961,1964)
Leaderboards
• 16th in career homeruns;
• 7th in career BB;
• 51st in career RBI
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Cy Young was born on 29 March 1867 in Gilmore, Ohio, USA. He was married to Robba Miller. He died on 4 November 1955 in Newcomerstown, Ohio, USA.511-316 2.63 ERA 2,809 K
World Series champion, pitched a perfect game and two no-hitters
Leaderboards
• Most wins (511),
• Most loses (316),
• Most innings pitched (7,354 2/3),
• Most games started (815),
• Most complete games (749)
• 4th in career shutouts
• 20th in career strikeouts
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - In 1949, Mike Schmidt was born in Dayton, Ohio. In 1972, he became a third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. At the start of his career, he was not very good, but, starting in 1974, he could be called a decent player. In 1976, he hit four home runs in a game at Wrigley Field in Chicago against the Cubs. In that stadium, he would hit 50 homers. In '79 he broke the Phillies franchise record for home runs in a season, and the all-time record in '80, when the Phillies won the world series, he surpassed his previous years' homer mark, won the MVP award, a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger for the best offensive and defensive third baseman in the N.L., and also won World Series MVP award. He again won the MVP in '81, and in '86. In 1987, he hit his 500th home run, and retired the next year at 548 homers, 1,595 RBIs, and over 2,000 hits. Even though he retired before the all-star game and didn't have a good season, the fans voted him the all-star starting third baseman. Of course, he did not play..267 avg; 2,234 hits; 548 HR; 1,595 RBI; 1,506 runs
12x All-Star selection; 10x Gold Glove winner; WS champion; 3x NL MVP; 6x Silver Slugger winner
• Hit 4 HR in a game;
Leaderboards
• 69th in career runs;
• 15th in career HR;
• 34th in career RBI;
• 3rd in career assists by 3B
• 17th in career BBs
Considered the best third baseman to play the game.
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Baseball player. He broke into the major leagues with the Red Sox in 1984, posting a 9-4 record. His blazing fastball, consistently clocked in the mid 90s (MPH), have made him one of the games most dominant pitchers. He's a multiple Cy Young award winner. In 1986, he started out 14-0 and ended up at 24-4, leading the Red Sox to the World Series. Set a new major league record by striking out 20 batters in a nine inning game in 1986. Roger has appeared on numerous sports magazine covers.*
354-184; 3.12 ERA; 4,672 K
11x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion; 7x Cy Young winner; AL MVP; AS MVP
Tied for single-game Ks with Kerry Wood by throwing 20 Ks twice; 2x AL Triple Crown winner;
Leaderboards
• 3rd in career Ks;
• 9th in career wins;
Highlights
• won most Cy Young awards;
• One of five pitchers to win Cy Young from both leagues;
• oldest Cy Young winner;
• one of ten players to achieve 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Nolan Ryan was born on 31 January 1947 in Refugio, Texas, USA. He is a producer, known for Facing Nolan (2022), Ryan's Hope (1975) and 1969 National League Championship Series (1969). He has been married to Ruth Ryan since 26 June 1967. They have three children.324-292; 3.19 ERA; 5,714 K
8x All-Star selection; WS champion;
Leaderboards
• Most career no-hitters (7);
• Most career strikeouts;
• 14th in career wins;
• 5th in innings pitched
• 7th in career shutouts
• 2nd in career games started
Highlights
• Most Ks in a 20th century season;
• threw the most one-hitters and threw 18 two-hitters;
• threw 100 mph even after 40;
• one of ten players to achieve 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Jimmie Foxx was born on 22 October 1907 in Sudlersville, Maryland, USA. He was married to Dorothy Anderson Yard and Helen M Heite. He died on 21 July 1967 in Miami, Florida, USA..325 avg; 2,646 H; 534 HR; 1,922 RBI
9x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion; 3x AL MVP; AL Triple Crown
Youngest to hit 500 HR, record stood 68 years until A-Rod broke it in 2007. 42nd in career batting average; 21st in career runs scored; 72nd in career hits; 17th in career HR; 8th in career RBI; 21st in career BB
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Sandy Koufax was born on 30 December 1935 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for 77 Sunset Strip (1958), Michael Shayne (1960) and Shotgun Slade (1959). He has been married to Jane Purucker Clarke since 2008. He was previously married to Kimberly Francis and Anne Heath Widmark.165-87; 2.76 ERA; 2,396 K
7x All-Star selection; 4x WS champion and MVP of 2; 3x Cy Young winner; NL MVP; 3x Triple Crown winner; pitched 4 no-hitters with one being a perfect game
Leaderboards
• 40th in career Ks;
• 94th in career ERA;
• 23rd in W-L %
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - Randy Johnson, who was born on September 10, 1963, in Walnut Creek, California, is a pitcher for the Seattle Mariners. Originally drafted by the Montreal Expos, he was traded to the Mariners on May 25, 1989. He is known for his height (6' 10"), which is the tallest in Major League history, and his speedy fastball (clocked over 100 miles per hour). He is an avid drummer and photographer.303-166; 3.29 ERA; 4,875 K
10x All-Star selection; World Series champion and MVP; AL Cy Young; 4 consecutive NL Cy Youngs; NL Triple Crown; pitched perfect game and a no-hitter
22nd in career wins; 2nd in career strikeouts; 1st in strikeouts per 9 innings; one of ten players to achieve 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Twelve-time All-Star Tom Seaver was, arguably, the greatest pitcher in the major leagues between the retirement of Sandy Koufax and the blossoming of Roger Clemens, who was his teammate on the 1986 Boston Red Sox. Seaver, who won 311 games in his career, likely would have won more if he had been on a powerhouse team like the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, or Cincinnati Reds during the heyday of the Big Red Machine. (He did pitch, and very well, for the Reds towards the end of the Big Red Machine dynasty.) However, he pitched for the anemic hitting Mets, and helped pitch them into two World Series: 1969, which the Mets won in five games over the dynastic Baltimore Orioles of manager Earl Weaver, and 1973, which the Mets lost in seven to the dynastic Oakland A's of owner Charles O. Finley.
A five-time 20-game winner, "Tom Terrific" won a then-record three Cy Young awards, in 1969 (the year he came in #2 in MVP voting), 1973 and 1975. (He ranked in the top five in Cy Young voting eight times). Nine times in his 20-year career he had an Earned Run Average of 2.59 or less, which placed him in the top four of National League pitchers with the lowest E.R.A.s seven times. He led the National League in E.R.A. in 1970, 1971 and 1973, in wins three times ('69, '75 and '79) (he came in second four other times) and in strikeouts five times.
Tom Seaver finished his career with a 311-205 Won-Loss record for a .603 winning percentage, with 61 shutouts and 231 complete games, 3,640 strikeouts and a 2.86 E.R.A. However, that was not the sum of Seaver the player or the man. He was emblematic of new type of player, classy and erudite, with progressive views, rather than the skirt-chasing, drunken troglodytes of the post-dead ball era. (During the Dead Ball era, gentlemanly college graduates like Christy Mathewson were common in baseball.) Seaver helped usher in a new kind of ballplayer, and a new kind of ballgame. It helped make baseball reposition itself as America's past time, until the disastrous strike of 1994 derailed the sport into an era of steroids and souped-up baseballs in an attempt to get more American fannies into the seats under the commissionership of former used-card salesman Bud Selig.311-205; 2.86; 3,640 K
12x All-Star selection; WS champion; 3x NL Cy Young winner; NL ROY; pitched a no-hitter
18th in career wins; 6th in career strikeouts; 7th in career shutouts; one of ten players to achieve 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Mel Ott was born on 2 March 1909 in Gretna, Louisiana, USA. He was married to Mildred Rosina Wattigny. He died on 21 November 1958 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA..304 avg; 2,876 H; 511 HR; 1,860 RBI
12x All-Star selection; WS champion
157th in career batting average; 12th in career runs scored; 39th in career hits; 23rd in career HR; 11th in career RBI; 8th in career BB
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Actor
- Additional Crew
One of baseball's greatest catchers of all time, Yogi Berra appeared in a record 14 World Series while calling the games for the New York Yankees. Berra proved invaluable to the Yankees as evidenced by his three American League Most Valuable Player awards. Berra was also one of the game's best-hitting catchers, hitting 358 homers and hitting a crisp .285 in his career. Berra also proved his worth as one of the smartest men in the game, managing the Yankees and later the New York Mets. He took both teams to the World Series. Lately however, Berra is more known for his fractured witticisms "It ain't over till it's over." Still, if you were to start an all-star baseball team, Berra would be one of top picks for catcher..285 avg; 2,150 H; 358 HR; 1,430 RBI
18x All-Star selection; 13x WS champion; 3x AL MVP
74th in career HR; 62nd in career RBI
Considered by many to be one of the greatest catchers to play the game.
Last Updated: Before 2011 season- Johnny Bench was raised in Binger, Oklahoma, growing up farming cotton and painting propane tanks. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and in 1967 and would go on to have a Hall of Fame career including winning the National League Rookie of the Year, 2 National League MVPs and 2 World Series Championships. He is considered by many to be the best "all around" catcher in baseball history. Following his baseball career, he worked in several other industries including broadcasting, restaurants, entrepreneurship and film/television. From 1980-1985 he hosted his own educational baseball show called "The Baseball Bunch.".267 avg; 2,048 H; 389 HR; 1,376 RBI
14x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion and WS MVP; 10x Gold Glove winner; 2x NL MVP; NL ROY
54th in career home runs; 75th in career RBI
Considered by many to be one of the greatest catchers to play the game.
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Steve Carlton was born on 22 December 1944 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for Married... with Children (1987), 1977 National League Championship Series (1977) and 1980 National League Championship Series (1980). He was previously married to Beverly Ann Brooks.329-244; 3.22 ERA; 4,136 K
10x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion; Gold Glove winner; 4x Cy Young winner; NL Triple Crown winner
11th in career wins; 4th in career strikeouts; 2nd amoung lefties in career wins and strikeouts; one of ten players to achieve 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts
Last NL pitcher to win 25 games and last pitcher to throw 300+ innings in single-season.
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Bob Gibson was born on 9 November 1935 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. He was married to Wendy Nelson and Charline Johnson. He died on 2 October 2020 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.251-174; 2.91 ERA; 3,117 K
9x All-Star selection; 9x Gold Glove winner; 2x WS champion and MVP; 2x NL Cy Young; NL MVP; pitched a no-hitter
Most strikeouts in the World Series (35) and a single World Series game (17); Lowest ERA in a single-season (1.12); 46th in career wins; 14th in career strikeouts
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Jim's mother relocated from New York to California following the death of Jim's adoptive father. Jim was nine years old. His mother subsequently remarried and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where Jim attended high school. He excelled in football, baseball, and basketball. Though offered a basketball scholarship at UCLA, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles at age 18 and received a $50,000 signing bonus. During his pitching career for the Orioles (1965-1984) he won 268 games and became the only pitcher to win a World Series game in each of three different decades. He was voted the Cy Young Award three times. In 1990 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Despite all this, Jim's greatest fame may have come when, beginning in the late 1970s, he appeared in a series of ads for Jockey Underwear modeling various styles of briefs, including the "bikini" variety. At the time, these ads were considered "daring" because of their blatant display of "male beefcake." They certainly added a new meaning to the term "pitcher's mound" and they helped to turn Jim into an overnight sex symbol.268-152; 2.86 ERA; 2,212 K
6x All-Star selection; 3x WS champion; 3x Cy Young winner; 3x Gold Glove winner; pitched no-hitter
35th in career wins; 51st in career strikeouts; 16th in career shutouts
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Warren Spahn was born on 23 April 1921 in Buffalo, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for 1958 World Series (1958), 1948 World Series (1948) and 1957 World Series (1957). He was married to Lorene Southard. He died on 24 November 2003 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA.363-245; 3.09 ERA; 2,583 K
17x All-Star selection; WS champion; Cy Young winner
6th in career wins; 25th in career strikeouts; 6th in career shutouts
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Frank Robinson was born on 31 August 1935 in Beaumont, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Tiger Claws (1992), Arli$$ (1996) and The Cosby Show (1984). He was married to Barbara Ann Cole. He died on 7 February 2019 in Los Angeles, California, USA..295 avg; 2,943 H; 586 HR; 1,812 RBI
14x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion and WS MVP; Gold Glove winner; NL MVP; AL MVP; NL ROY; AL Triple Crown
Only player in history to win MVP in both leagues; 14th in career runs scored; 30th in career hits; 11th in career total bases; 9th in career HR; 20th in career RBI; 23rd in career BB - George Brett was born on 15 May 1953 in Glen Dale, West Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for Modern Family (2009), Fantasy Island (1977) and Arli$$ (1996). He has been married to Leslie Davenport since 15 February 1991. They have three children..305 avg; 3,154 H; 317 HR; 1,595 RBI
13x All-Star selection; WS champion; Gold Glove winner; 3x Silver Slugger; AL MVP
149th in career batting average; 48th in career runs scored; 15th in career hits; 17th in career total bases; 109th in career homeruns; 33rd in career RBI; 14th in career extrabase hits
One of four players in history to have 3,000 hits, 300 home runs and maintained a .300 average. - Tris Speaker was born on 4 April 1888 in Hubbard, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for The Kid from Cleveland (1949), The Baseball Revue of 1917 (1917) and 1915 World's Championship Series (1915). He was married to Mary Frances Cuddihy. He died on 8 December 1958 in Lake Whitney, Texas, USA..345 avg; 3,514 H; 1,529 RBI
AL MVP; 3x WS champion
Record for career doubles (792); 6th in career batting average; 11th in career runs scored; 5th in career hits; 45th in career RBI; 29th in career BB; 54th in career SB; 8th in career singles; 6th in career triples - Actor
- Additional Crew
Hall of Famer Whitey Ford, a mainstay of the New York Yankees dynasty of the 1950s and early '60s, was one of the greatest clutch pitchers of all time. The 10 time All-Star owned six rings for being on World's Championship squads in his 16 years with The Bronx Bombers. (During his time on the Yankees, he went to the fall classic a total of 11 times.) The left-hander put up a 236-106 career won-loss record with an earned run average of 2.75. His remarkable won-loss percentage of .690, third-best all-time, surpasses other all-time greats like 'Spud Chandler', Pedro Martinez, and Babe Ruth. (An outstanding left-handed pitcher with the Boston Red Sox, the Babe set a record for scoreless innings pitched in the World Series. When Ford broke that record during the '61 Series, the very same year that Roger Maris had broken The Sultan of Swat's all-time single-season record for home-runs, Whitey told the press, "It was a bad year for the Babe.")
Born Edward Charles Ford in Astoria, Queens on October 21, 1928, Whitey came up with the 1950 New York Yankees, going 9-1 and winning a game in the World Series. He spent the following two years in the military, then came back in 1953 to post a 18-6 record and lose one game in that year's fall classic. Though Ford only won 20 games twice in his career (going 24-4 in 1961 and 24-7 in '63), he was a consistent winner and more importantly, seldom lost. (Manager Casey Stengel, who oversaw the teams Ford played on from 1950 to 1960, was the man who developed modern concepts of how to use a bullpen, developing the idea of using top-notch relievers in key, situational roles rather in lieu of the old philosophy of using a broken-down starter as a mop-up man. In an era where a starting pitcher still was expected to finish what he had started, Ford averaged only 11 complete games a year, but he racked up 45 shutouts, putting him in the Top Twenty all-time when he retired.) From 1950 through 1962 (the last year that his Yankee dynasty scored their last World Series victory), he was a sterling 10-5 in the post-season, solidifying his reputation as one of the greatest clutch players in the game's history.
In 1966, he was bedeviled with circulatory problems in his left shoulder, necessitating surgery, and he retired after the 1967 season. At the close of his career, he was a two-time ERA champ and twice led the American League in wins. He had won the Cy Young Award in 1961 in a time where there was only one award given for both leagues. While still a player, Whitey served as the Yankees' pitching coach in the 1964 season under his former teammate (and new manager) Yogi Berra and again in the years 1974-75 under new owner George M. Steinbrenner III. He also served as the Yankees' first base coach in 1968, the year after his retirement.
Whitey Ford was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 1974 along with his long-time teammate and best friend Mickey Mantle. The Yankees promptly retired his playing number (#16). Thirteen years later, Whitey was given his own plaque in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park, the ultimate tribute to a Bronx Bomber.236-106; 2.75 ERA; 1,956 K
10x All-Star selection; 6x WS champion being MVP in 1; AL Cy Young winner
61st in career wins; 72nd in career strikeouts; 87th in career ERA- Brooks Robinson was born on 18 May 1937 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He was married to Constance Louise Butcher. He died on 26 September 2023 in Owings Mills, Maryland, USA..267 avg; 2,848 hits; 268 HR; 1,357 RBI
18x All-Star selection; 16x Gold Glove winner; 2x WS champion; AL MVP; WS MVP; AS MVP
Most Gold Glove wins in MLB history; Most assists and zone runs by 3B in MLB history; 2nd in career fielding % as 3B; 4rd in career hits; 80th in career RBI
Considered as one of the greatest defensive third basemen in the history of the game. - Greg Maddux was born on 14 April 1966 in San Angelo, Texas, USA. He is an actor, known for Bored Games (2024), 2001 National League Championship Series (2001) and 1993 National League Championship Series (1993). He has been married to Kathy Ronnow since 7 January 1989. They have two children.355-227; 3.16 ERA; 3,371 K
8x All-Star selection; WS champion; 18x Gold Glove winner; 4 consecutive NL Cy Young winner
8th in career wins; 10th in career strikeouts; 1st in career putouts as pitcher; 11th in career assists as pitcher
Only pitcher to win 15+ in 17 straight seasons; won most Gold Gloves; one of ten players to achieve 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts - Ken Griffey Jr. is considered by many experts to be the best player in baseball. He hit 49 homeruns in '96 and he missed quite a few games due to injury. He is not currently working on anything, except for his part ownership in the All-Star Cafe..284 avg; 2,781 H; 630 HR; 1,836 RBI
13x All-Star selection; 10x Gold Glove winner; 7x Silver Slugger; AL MVP; NL Comeback POY
32nd in career runs; 48th in career hits; 12th in career total bases; 5th in career home runs; 14th in career RBI; 6th in career extra-base hits; 5th in career intentional walks; 9th in career putouts as OF; 4th in career putouts as CF; 2nd in career assists as CF - Pete Rose was born on 14 April 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Babe Ruth (1991), WrestleMania XIV (1998) and Arli$$ (1996). He was previously married to Carol Woliung and Karolyn Rose..303 avg; 4,256 hits; 1,314 RBI; 2,165 R
17x All-Star selection; 3x WS champion; 2x Gold Gloves winner; Silver Slugger winner; NL MVP; WS MVP; NL ROY
Leaderboards
• Most career hits (4,256),
• Most career singles (3,215)
• Most career at bats (14,053),
• Most career plate appearances (15,861)
• Most career games (3,562);
• Most career times on base (5,929)
• 6th in career runs;
• 7th in career total bases
• 2nd in career doubles
• 14th in career BBs
Highlights
• only player to play 5 different positions in AS history;
• one of two players to achieve ten 200+ hit seasons.
Last Updated: Before 2012 season - After attending college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Ozzie Smith was drafted by the San Diego Padres. He played Major League Baseball for 18 years, most notably as the shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is widely believed to be the best defensive shortstop of all time, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2002. Father of 2005 American Idol Top 10 Finalist, Nikko Smith..262 avg; 2,460 hits; 793 RBI; 580 SB
15x All-Star selection; 13x Gold Glove; Silver Slugger; World Series champion
2nd in career assists and most as SS; 10th in career fielding % as SS
Considered as the greatest defensive shortstop in the history of the game. - Carl Yastrzemski, the greatest career-long Red Sox player not named Ted Williams, grew up a Yankees fan on Long Island, where he was born in Southhampton, on August 22, 1939, a week before the outbreak of the Second World War. His father, Carl Sr., a potato farmer back in the days when Long Island real estate was very cheap and supported many farms, loved to play baseball and was good enough to play semi-pro ball. (In his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Carl Jr. would pay tribute to his father, saying he had the talent to be a major leaguer, but had to defer his dream during the Great Depression in order to support his family. He also mentioned his mother, the former Hattie Skonieczny, for all her love and support and sacrifice that had helped him realize his dream.)
Young Carl grew up in Bridgehampton, Long Island, graduating from Bridgehampton High School (Class of 1957), where he set records in multiple sports. He was a career .512 hitter for Bridgehampton High and set the conference record for most points scored by a basketball player, performances that won him an athletic scholarship in both baseball and basketball to Notre Dame University. While a freshman at Notre Dame, he signed a professional baseball contract.
In the pre-draft days of major league baseball, in which a team could sign as many prospects as it could afford, young Carl -- who had played semi-pro ball along with his father -- was offered a Yankees contract. The idea of signing with the perpetual World Champions (the Yankees won the pennant, then an immediate pass to the World Series, all but three times from 1947 through 1964, a span in which they won the series 10 times) did not appeal to Carl Sr., as the Yankees had a deep farm system, abetted by the then-current scouting system which allowed them to stock up on the best prospects. (During the late 1950s, before the team was acquired by Charles O. Finley, the Yankees also used the Kansas City Athletics as a kind of ancillary farm team, siphoning off their best players.) Carl's father preferred a contract offered by Tom Yawkey's Boston Red Sox that would allow his son the time to earn his college degree.
The Red Sox had not been in contention since the early 1950s, but a talented player like Carl could expect to be a starter far sooner with this franchise than he could with the Yankees, who might trade the talented youngster away to a perpetual doghouse dweller like the K.C. Athletics (from whom they acquired Roger Maris). Carl Sr. believed that his son would be better served by the Red Sox than the Yankees. Indeed, his father's hunch paid off: Carl would get to the big leagues by the time he was 21 years old, but he -- like Ted Williams -- would never win a World Series championship, something that eluded the franchise for 85 seasons (1919-2003).
As a member of Raleigh Capitals of the high A-level Carolina League during the 1959 season, Yaz lived up to his reputation as a premier baseball prospect by hitting .377, which lead the league by a whopping 64 points. He won Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors in the Carolina League, then moved on the following year to the Minneapolis Millers of the Triple A International League, the Red Sox's top farm team. As a Miller, he almost won a second batting title. (As a major leaguer, he would win three batting titles and finish second twice.)
The great Ted Williams, #9, retired in 1960, and the next year, the man New England would know and love -- and sometimes revile -- as "Yaz" made his major league baseball debut, taking over left field from the departed "Splendid Splinter", who left baseball with a career batting average of .344. Yaz wore #8, which Red Sox teammate Bill Lee ("The Spaceman") said contributed to his longevity (23 years in the major leagues with one team, a record matched only by Brooks Robinson) as, when lying down on the trainer's table, the "8" morphed into the symbol for infinity. But back at the start of his career, Yaz was criticized for not being a hitter of Ted Williams' caliber.
In fact, during the first three months of his major league career, Yaz was hitting a paltry .220. He asked that Ted Williams, then fishing in New Brunswick, be solicited for advice. Yaz's confidence had been undermined, and he did not think he could play in the major leagues. Williams responded by flying down to Boston and working with the rookie who had replaced him in left for for three days. In his Hall of Fame acceptance speech, Yaz thanked Ted Williams for his mentoring, recalling that #9 "Helped me mentally. Gave me confidence that I could play in the big leagues. I hit .300 for the rest of the season.... (applause) Ladies and gentlemen, no man is an island. He must have a support system which without he cannot function."
Yaz turned out to be an outstanding outfielder (something Ted Williams clearly was not, focusing purely on hitting), leading the American League in assists in his sophomore year and for an additional six years in his career, the last time in 1977, when he won a Gold Glove at the age of 38! As a hitter, he could not rival Williams (whose only rival, in terms of production, was another former Red Sox, the pitcher the Boston club dealt to the Yankees, Babe Ruth, which put the fabled "Curse of the Bambino" on the franchise for three-quarters of a century).
Yaz lead the league in hits and bases on balls in 1963, the year he won the first of his three American League batting titles. But it was not enough for Red Six fans. Williams, who had lost over five years to military service in World War II and the Korean War, won six batting titles, four home run titles, four RBI titles and six times led the league in total bases; in addition, Ted had won two "Triple Crowns" -- the batting average, home run and RBI trifecta. However, in 1967, Yaz would achieve redemption.
In what is widely considered one of the greatest single season performances by any player, Yaz made the Red Sox fans forget Ted Williams by winning his own Triple Crown and leading the Boston Red Sox into the seventh, last and deciding game of the World Series before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1966, the Red Sox had finished 9th in a 10-team league; in '67, they went almost all the way. It was dubbed "The Impossible Dream" pennant (after the song from Man of La Mancha (1972)), and Yaz was indisputably the cog that made the machine work. In addition to winning the American League Triple Crown (the last in major league baseball), he was named Most Valuable Player of the American League.
Yaz would play in one more World Series, the 1975 title match against the Cincinnatti Reds that many call the greatest World Series ever played (the team once again coming up short in the seventh, deciding game), and was the MVP of the 1970 All-Star Game (he was named to the A.L. All-Star time 18 times in his 23-year-long career). When he retired in 1983, Yaz held the American League record for most games played (3,308) and was the only A.L. player to amass 3,000 hits and 400 home runs, finishing up with 3,419 hits and 452 homers to go along with his 1,844 RBI. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1989, his first year of eligibility, with a yes vote from 94% of the voters. He was ranked number 72 on "The Sporting News" List of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999.
Yaz now serves as a roving instructor for the Red Sox..285 avg; 3,419 H; 452 HR; 1,844 RBI
18x All-Star selection; 7x Gold Glove winner; AL MVP
Last batter to win the Triple Crown (1967); 16th in career runs scored; 8th in career hits; 8th in career total bases; 33rd in career homeruns; 12th in career RBI; 6th in career BB - Actor
- Producer
Five-time American League batting champion Wade Boggs ranks with Tony Gwynn of the National League's San Diego Padres as the greatest pure hitters of their generation (1980s through 1990s). In his 18-year career, Boggs racked up 3,010 hits for a career average of .328. This was accomplished in the pre-steroids, doctored-baseball era when baseball parks had more generous dimensions and were more pitcher-friendly than they were today.
Boggs was a member of the 1986 American League Champion Boston Red Sox and the 1996 World's Championship New York Yankees team. The third baseman, who won a Gold Glove for fielding excellence with the Yankees, played in 12 consecutive major league All Star Games from 1985 through 1996. In 2005, he was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility and was enshrined as a Red Sox player..328 avg; 3,010 H; 118 HR; 1,014 RBI; 1,513 R
10x All-Star selection; WS champion; 2x Gold Glove winner; 8x Silver Slugger
Most silver sluggers at 3B; 35th in career batting average; 64th in career runs scored; 25th in career hits- Jackie Robinson is an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the The Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. When the Dodgers signed Robinson, they heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962..311 avg; 1,518 H; 734 RBI; 197 SB
6x All-Star selection; WS champion; MLB ROY; NL MVP
100th in career batting average - Actor
- Producer
Mike Piazza was born on 4 September 1968 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Two Weeks Notice (2002), Constantine the Great and Married... with Children (1987). He has been married to Alicia Rickter since 29 January 2005. They have two children..308 Avg; 2,127 H; 427 HR; 1,335 RBI
12x All-Star selection; 10x NL Silver Slugger; NL ROY; 2nd in MVP voting (1996,1997) and 3rd (2001); Most Silver Sluggers as catcher
41st in career homeruns; 84th in career RBI; 30th in career slugging %
Considered by many to be the greatest hitting catcher to play the game.- Actor
- Producer
Dave Winfield, the hard-hitting, Gold Glove outfielder who put together a Hall of Fame career with the San Diego Padres, the New York Yankees, the California Angels and the Toronto Blue Jays (with which he won a World Series Championship in 1992), Minnesota Twins (1993-1994), and Cleveland Indians (with whom he went to the World Series in 1995), was born October 3, 1951 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The day of Winfield's birth was a storied day in baseball history. Bobby Thomson of the NY Giants, in the third and last game of a three-game playoff with the Brooklyn Dodgers for the National League pennant, bashed a circuit clout in the bottom of the ninth inning to win it all for the Giants, a home run known as "The Shot Heard 'Round the World". (The Giants went on to lose the World Series to the New York Yankees, the team that would figure prominently in Winfeild's life.)
An outstanding athlete at the University of Minnesota, the 6' 6" Golden Gopher Winfield was as coveted by professional basketball teams as he was by Major League Baseball. In 1973, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in baseball, and by the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association and the Utah Stars of the rival American Basketball Assocaition. He was even a draft pick of the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings, even though Winfield had never played college football!
The 12-time All Star who would would never play a game in the minors primarily was a right fielder known for his playing shallow and making dramatic leaps over the outfield wall to steal potential homers from frustrated hitters. Winfield also was possessed of a rifle like arm, the combination of which with his overall outfield play won him seven Gold Gloves for fielding, two in the National League and one in the American League. After batting .308 with 34 homers and 118 RBI in 1979 (good for #3 in the NL Most Valuable Player Award voting), he positioned himself as a coveted player in the new free agent market. After declaring free agency after the 1980 season, he was signed by New York Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III for a phenomenal 10-year contract worth over $20 million, record numbers for the times. Steinbrenner was seeking a replacement for the legendary Reggie Jackson, the fabled "Mr. October", whom he did not plan to resign after the 1981 season.
In Winfield's first season with the Yankees, the strike-shortened 1981 season, playing alongside Jackson and many of the key players who had won four divisional titles, three American League pennants and two World Series since 1976, Winfield had a respectable season, coming in #7 in that year's MVP voting. However, he had a poor World Series, getting one hit in 22 at bats for an .045 average, leading Steinbrenner to later rue the day he let Reggie go, and deriding Winfield as "Mr. May". Their relationship thoroughly deteriorated over the years, as the Yankees consistently failed to make the playoffs, even leading to a scandal that saw Steinbrenner banned for baseball for life (temporarily) in the owner's machinations to discredit Winfield. Winfield later shook off the "Mr. May" sobriquet and won redemption by playing on Toronto's World Series Championship team in 1992, and with the American League Champion Cleveland Indians in 1995. (The Yankees didn't return to the winner's circle until 1996, the year after Winfield retired from baseball.)
In his career, Winfield racked up 3,110 hits, 5,221 total bases, 465 home runs, and 1,833 RBIs. It was a performance good enough to make him a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2002.
As a player and now a baseball executive, Winfield is known for his charitable concerns, with his Dave Winfield Foundation dedicated to helping underprivileged children. In 1994, he won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1994 for his humanitarian activities..283 avg; 3,110 H; 465 HR; 1,833 RBI
12x All-Star selection; WS champion; 7x Gold Glove winner; 6x Silver Slugger; AL Comeback POY
30th in career runs scored; 19th in career hits; 31st in career homeruns; 16th in career RBI- Actor
- Music Department
Extremely likable and popular, Ernie Banks is probably the most popular baseball player to ever put on a Chicago Cubs uniform. He started playing for the Cubs in 1953 and from the moment he hit his first home run, the city of Chicago fell in love with him. Banks started his career as a shortstop before moving to first base. He had four straight seasons of 40 or more home runs and was the National League's Most Valuable Player two consecutive seasons. Banks ended up with a career total of 512 home runs and was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1977..275 avg; 2,583 hits; 512 HR; 1,636 RBI
14x All-Star selection; 2x NL MVP; Gold Glove winner
21st in career homeruns; 28th in career RBI- Juan Marichal was born on 20 October 1937 in Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic.243-142; 2.89 ERA; 2,303 K
10x All-Star selection; AS MVP; threw a no-hitter
53rd in career wins; 45th in career strikeouts; 18th in career shutouts - He made his first major league start in August, striking out 15 St. Louis Browns. A month later, he set an American League rookie record fanning 17 Philadelphia Athletics in a game. Upon completion of his rookie campaign, Feller returned home to Iowa to finish his senior year of high school - his graduation was covered by NBC Radio.
Feller really began to hit his stride after his 19th birthday, rattling off a string of three straight 20-win seasons. It was during this time that Senators' manager Bucky Harris conveyed the following strategy to his players when facing Feller: "Go on up there and hit what you see. If you can't see it, come on back."
Just days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Feller put aside his 3-C draft deferment status and enlisted in the US Navy. With this selfless act, he gave up nearly four seasons of baseball in the prime of his career. But Feller had no regrets.
At the conclusion of the war, Feller returned to the game and picked up right where he left off, averaging more than 19 wins a season over the next six years.266-162; 3.25 ERA; 2,581 K
8x All-Star selection; WS champion; AL Triple Crown winner
37th in career wins; 26th in career strikeouts - 15-time All-Star Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers was one of the premier baseball players of his generation, slugging 399 home-runs and amassing 3,007 hits in those less-statistics crazy times. (In this era, Kaline -- who announced his retirement before his final season of 1974 and stuck to it -- would have come back for another season to hit homer #400, one of the great benchmarks of that time, before steroids and human growth hormone made nonsense to the baseball power-hitting records in the late 1990s.) The winner of 10-gold gloves for fielding excellence, Kaline was greatly respected as an all-around star player with all the tools, like his contemporary Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox, who became the first American League Player to hit 400 dingers and 3,000 hits in 1979.
Kaline, who had the desire to excel at baseball, did not have the desire to upstage Yaz by pointing out that it was something he easily could have done, and was gracious when the Red Sox left fielder set the milestones in 1979. Perhaps Kaline could afford to be generous, for unlike Yaz, who was perpetually a bridesmaid and never a bride when it came to the post-season (Yaz's BoSox even lost the A.L. East pennant to Kaline and Billy Martin's Tigers by Tigers won the 1968 World's Championship. Distinct underdogs to the the same St. Louis Cardinals team, and post-season marvel Bob Gibson, who had beaten Yaz's "Impssible Dream" BoSox the year before and had whipped the last team of the great Yankees Dynasty, the '64 Bronx Bombers of Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard and Whitey Ford, the Tigers made history by staging one of the great upsets in World Series history. The '68 battle royal for the World's Championship was almost as good, and legendary, as the '67 Series, and like the previous match-up of the Cards and the American League contender, it had gone done to the seventh and deciding game. Though the Cardinals were mighty, it was the Tigers behind the pitching of donut-maven Mickey Lolich who prevailed. Al hit .379 with two homers and eight runs batted in during the Series, further establishing his credentials as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Al Kaline had been signed as a "Bonus Baby" by the Tigers in 1953, and under the extant rules of Major League Baseball, had gone straight to the major league team, bypassing the minor leagues. (To justify the bonus, or rather, to limit the payout of large bonuses, MLB required teams signing young players to large bonuses to keep them on the major league roster for part of the year, every year, or lose them.) The 18-year old Kaline came up for a cup of coffee with the Tigers in 1953, and then played a total of 22 seasons for them, a record only surpassed by Yaz for the Red Sox and Brooks Robinson for the Baltimore Orioles, who in those pre-free-agent times, played a total of 23 years for the same team. Kaline blossomed early, winning his first and only batting title in 1955, at the tender age of 20, leading both leagues with a .340 average. Kaline became the youngest player ever to win a batting title, establishing that record by nosing out fellow Tiger Ty Cobb by one day.
Although he never won a Most Valuable Player Award, Kaline ranked in the Top 10 in M.V.P. votes nine times between 1955 and 1967, coming in second in '55 and '63 and third in '56. Never a true power hitter, he was remarkably consistent and steady in his production, hitting a minimum of 25 homers seven times and hitting over .300 nine times, playing primarily in what is becoming known as baseball's second "Dead Ball Era". His superb fielding was a marvel, and he once went 242 consecutive games in the field without committing an error. Kaline was the type of player a general manager dreams of building a franchise around.
Fittingly, Al Kaline was known as "Mr. Tiger" when he retired after the 1974 season. Kaline was the most popular player in the Detroit franchise's history (the dyspeptic Cobb was a greater player and highly respected by Tigers fans, but not particularly beloved). After his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in his first year of eligibility, his number 6 was the first number ever to be retired by the Tigers..297 avg; 3,007 H; 399 HR; 1,583 RBI
18x All-Star selection; WS champion; 10x Gold Glove winner
One of 27 players to get 3,000 hits; 26th in career hits; 41st in career runs scored; 48th in career HR; 38th in career RBI; 44th in career BB - Producer
- Additional Crew
- Executive
Cal Ripken was born on 24 August 1960 in Havre De Grace, Maryland, USA. He is a producer and executive, known for The Fan (1996), Sunday Night Baseball (1990) and Marvel & ESPN Films Present 1 of 1: Genesis (2014). He has been married to Laura Kiessling since October 2018. He was previously married to Kelly Ripken..276 avg; 3,184 H; 431 HR; 1,695 RBI
19x All-Star selection; WS champion; 2x Gold Glove winner; 8x Silver Slugger; 2x AL MVP; AL ROY
Broke Lou Gehrig's 56-year old record for consecutive games played (2,632); 34th in career runs scored; 14th in career hits; 40th in career homeruns; 24th in career RBI
Considered by many to be one of the greatest shortstops in the history of the game.- Five-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young Award winner Gaylord Perry was a right-handed baseball pitcher who won 314 games in his 22-year-long career, earning him election to the Hall of Fame. Perry became notorious, and quite popular, as an unabashed proponent of the spitball, which had been outlawed by major league baseball back in the 1920s. Perry is the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Memorial Award for best pitcher in both the American League (1972 as a Cleveland Indian) and National League (1978 as a San Diego Padre).
Perry retired in 1983 after pitching for eight teams (the San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals). He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991 and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 1999 The Sporting News ranked him 97th on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. The San Francisco Giants retired his uniform number 36 in 2005.314-265; 3.11 ERA; 3,534 K
5x All-Star selection; 2x Cy Young winner; pitched a no-hitter
17th in career wins; 8th in career strikeouts; 16th in career shutouts; one of five pitchers to win a Cy Young from both leagues; one of ten players to achieve 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts - Willie Stargell was born on 6 March 1940 in Earlsboro, Oklahoma, USA. He was married to Margaret Weller, Dolores Parker and Lois Beard. He died on 9 April 2001 in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA..284 avg; 2,232 H; 475 HR; 1,540 RBI
7x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion and WS MVP; NL MVP
28th in career homeruns; 42nd in career RBI - Eddie Mathews was born on 13 October 1931 in Texarkana, Texas, USA. He was married to Elizabeth Busch Burke, Sue Ann, Virjean Lauby and Judy Catherine King. He died on 18 February 2001 in La Jolla, California, USA..271 avg; 2,315 H; 512 HR; 1,453 RBI
12x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion
65th in career runs scored; 133rd in career hits; 21st in career homeruns; 56th in career RBI; 22nd in career BB
Considered one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game. - Rickey Henderson was born on 25 December 1958 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for 1999 National League Championship Series (1999), 1992 American League Championship Series (1992) and MC Hammer: 2 Legit 2 Quit (1991). He has been married to Pam Palmer since 1983. They have three children..279 avg; 3,055 H; 297 HR; 1,406 SB; 2,295 R
10x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion; 3x Silver Slugger; Gold Glove winner; AL MVP; NL Comeback POY
Single-season stolenbases record (130) and career; most runs in career (breaking Ty Cobb's 75 year-old record); most lead-off homeruns (81); broke Babe Ruth's 70 year-old record for career base on balls and held the record for three years; 21st in career hits - There is probably no one who has won over the public in San Diego as much as Tony Gwynn has. While Tony Gwynn the baseball player is worthy of Hall of Fame status, it is Tony Gwynn the human being that endeared himself to many San Diegans.
Born in Los Angeles in 1960, Gwynn grew up in Long Beach where he attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Not only was he a skilled baseball player, he was also good at basketball. Interestingly enough, Gwynn actually chose to play basketball and not baseball during his freshman year at San Diego State University. He twice earned All Western Athletic Conference honors and was eventually drafted by the San Diego Clippers of the National Basketball Association.
In his sophomore year, Gwynn joined the baseball team at SDSU while continuing to play basketball there. It turned out to be a wise decision as Gwynn's baseball credentials were better than those he earned in basketball. He received both All Western Athletic Conference and NCAA All-American honors for his performance as a baseball player.
After college, Gwynn was drafted by the San Diego Padres Major League Baseball club, and played in their minor league system for a couple of years. In the middle of the 1983 season Gwynn joined the Padres for good and had a hall of fame career before retiring from the Padres after the 2001 season. Among his many accomplishments were his eight batting titles, five gold gloves, 3,154 career hits and a career batting average of .336.
One of the attributes that distinguished Gwynn from other players was his relentless work ethic and attention to detail. He routinely studied videos of himself batting, looking for anything that could hamper his performance. His ability to analyze pitchers and determine what pitch they were throwing based on subtleties in their pitching motion was well known. This skill was so good that Padres pitchers often consulted Gwynn to determine if there was anything in their pitching motion that hitters could identify. Teammates wishing to improve their hitting also consulted Gwynn.
Gwynn's character as a human being is another attribute that stands out from other players. While he could have easily pursued more lucrative contracts with other teams, he chose to stay in San Diego throughout his major league career, emphasizing the importance of his family and his connection to the community. He supports the Padres Scholars program and his foundation supports many causes helping needy children in the area.
In an era of inflated contracts, steroids scandals and boorish behavior on the part of several major league ballplayers, Tony Gwynn is a great example of how a baseball player should be both on and off the field.
On June 16, 2014, Gwynn lost his battle with salivary gland cancer. He was 54 years old..338 avg; 3,141 H; 1,138 RBI
15x All-Star selection; 5x Gold Glove winner; 7x Silver Slugger
19th in career batting average; 92nd in career runs scored; 18th in career hits; 9th in career singles - Joe Morgan played major league baseball for 22 seasons. Spending time with the Houston Colt .45's/Astros, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland A's. A two-time National League Most Valuable Player, Joe was part of Cincinnati's famous "Big Red Machine" in the 1970s. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990. Joe is currently lead baseball analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball..271 avg; 2,517 H; 268 HR; 1,133 RBI; 689 SB
10x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion; 5x Gold Glove winner; Silver Slugger; 2x NL MVP; NL Comeback POY
33rd in career runs scored; 5th in career BB; 90th in career hits; 11th in career SB - Nap Lajoie was born on 5 September 1874 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, USA. He died on 7 February 1959 in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA..338 avg; 3,242 H; 1,504 RBI
AL Triple Crown
20th in career batting average; 70th in career runs scored; 13th in career hits; 32nd in career RBI; batted .400 in single-season - George Sisler was born on 24 March 1893 in Manchester, Ohio, USA. He was married to Kathleen Charlotte Holznagle. He died on 26 March 1973 in Richmond Heights, Missouri, USA..340 avg; 2,812 H; 1,175 RBI
AL MVP
Held record for most single-season hits for 84 years; batted .400 in single-season twice; 16th in career batting average; 46th in career hits; 31st in career singles - Ed Walsh was born on 14 May 1881 in Plains, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 26 May 1959 in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA.195-126; 1.82 ERA; 1,736 K
WS champion
Leader in career ERA; 121st in career wins; 97th in career strikeouts - Kirby Puckett was born on March 14, 1960 in Chicago's South Side. He was the youngest of nine children born to William and Catherine Puckett. He was raised in the Robert Taylor Homes housing project, a row of broken-down apartments, which were dubbed "the place where hope dies."
Since there were no baseball fields nearby, Kirby never played Little League baseball. He first practiced baseball by drawing a chalk strike zone on a building wall and repeatedly throwing a ball against it.
Although he earned All-American honors at Calumet High School, Kirby was virtually ignored by pro scouts because of his size. Out of high school, he worked jobs as a Ford plant worker and a census taker. He continued playing baseball in a recreational league.
One August afternoon, he decided to attend a Kansas City Royals tryout camp with 150 other wannabes vying for a dream position. Although the Royals didn't sign him that day, the baseball coach from Bradley University was impressed with Kirby's bat speed and defense. He recruited Kirby to come to Bradley on a scholarship.
In his freshman year, Kirby showed amazing progress. However, following the death of his father, he took more than three weeks off from school, subsequently jeopardizing his scholarship. He thought about quitting baseball and going back home to work in the auto industry. However, he decided to give it one more shot by enrolling at Triton Junior College in nearby River Grove.
After hitting .472 with 16 homers in his final season at Triton, the Minnesota Twins drafted Kirby with the third pick in the 1982 January supplemental draft. He spent only two seasons in the Twins minor league system before making his major league debut on May 8, 1984 against the California Angles. He collected four hits that day, tying a major league record for most hits in a debut game. He would finish the season with a .296 batting average and 31 RBIs, earning him third place in the voting for American League Rookie of the Year.
His breakout season came in 1986 when he batted .328 with 31 homers and won the first of his six gold gloves in center field. The following season, he continued to shine, leading the underdog Twins to their first World Series championship. In 1988, he hit a career-best .356, earning him third place in the MVP voting and a reputation as one of baseball's premier hitters.
However, his career-defining moment came in Game Six of the 1991 World Series against the Atlanta Braves. With the Twins down three games to two, Kirby told his teammates "Jump on my back. I'll carry you." He made good on that promise by taking away a potential game-winning double in the third inning with a spectacular jumping catch and then hitting a game-winning home run in the 11th inning to keep the Twins alive in the series. The Twins would win their second World Series Championship the next day with a Game Seven win.
Even though the Twins would not make it back to the World Series in the following seasons, Kirby continued to put up impressive statistics. He also continued his standing as one of baseball's most recognizable and beloved players. His outgoing personality, hard-working attitude, community involvement, and good rapport with teammates and the media earned him a huge fan-base throughout the country.
However, his fairy tale career came to an end in 1996 after he was forced to retire in spring training with early symptoms of glaucoma. He finished his career with 10-All Star appearances, six Gold Gloves, a .318 batting average, one All-Star Game MVP trophy and two World Series rings.
Despite having his career cut short at a relatively young age (35) and not being able to see out of his right eye, Kirby appeared very optimistic and never expressed any bitterness.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 on the first ballot.
In the following years, Kirby's one-time flawless public image would begin to take a major hit. In February 2002, his wife, Tonya, filed for divorce, claiming that Kirby physically and verbally abused her throughout their marriage, even threatening to kill her on several occasions. Later that same year, he was arrested on charges of groping a woman in a bar restroom, to which he was later acquitted. In addition, there were several negative articles and reports coming out about Kirby's private life which included allegations of numerous extra-marital affairs, sexual misconduct, physical abuse, and lewd public behavior. To escape the burgeoning media backlash, Kirby, whose weight continued to balloon, decided to move to Arizona in the winter of 2003.
He managed to keep a low profile until March 5, 2006 when he suffered a massive stroke. Doctors performed emergency surgery that same day but were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead on March 6, 2006 after being disconnected from life support. He died at the second-youngest age (behind Lou Gehrig) of any Hall of Famer inducted while living.
He is survived by his two adopted children, Kirby Jr. and Catherine, and his fiancée Jodi Olson..318 avg; 2,304 H; 1,085 RBI
10x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion; 6x Gold Glove winner; 6x Silver Slugger
58th in career batting average; 137th in career hits - Hall of Famer Eddie Murrary made his reputation as a hard-hitting first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, a team he helped lead to a World Championship in 1983 and with which he was named American League Rookie of the Year in 1977. In his 21-year career with the O's, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the NY Mets, the Cleveland Indians and the Anaheim Angels, Murray hit 504 home runs and drove in 1,917 RBIs while amassing 3,255 hits and wining three Gold Gloves for fielding. This output made him a first ballot Hall of Famer, into which he was inducted in 2003..287 avg; 3,255 H; 504 HR; 1,917 RBI
8x All-Star selection; WS champion; 3x Gold Glove winner; 3x Silver Slugger; AL ROY
One of four players with at least 500 HR and at least 3,000 hits; 6th in career games played and at-bats; 39th in career runs scored; 12th in career hits; 9th in career total bases; 25th in career HR; 9th in career RBI - Pedro Martinez was born on 25 October 1971 in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic. He is an actor, known for Ponchao (2013), Sunday Night Baseball (1990) and The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... (1999). He has been married to Carolina Cruz since 9 November 2005.219-100; 2.93 ERA; 3,154
8x All-Star selection; WS champion; 3x Cy Young winner; AL Triple Crown winner
76th in career wins; 13th in career strikeouts; one of five pitchers to win Cy Young in both leagues; one of ten players to achieve 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts - Hank Greenberg was born on 1 January 1911 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998), The Kid from Cleveland (1949) and Major League Baseball on ABC (1953). He was married to Linda Douglas and Caral Gimbel. He died on 4 September 1986 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA..313 avg; 1,628 H; 331 HR; 1,276 RBI
5x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion; 2x AL MVP
77th in career batting average; 7th in career slugging %; 95th in career HR; 108th in career RBI - Producer
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Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez was born on July 27, 1975 in Manhattan, New York City, New York and raised in Miami, Florida to Lourdes Nelly Navarro & Victor Rodríguez Castillo. He played 7 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, 3 seasons with the Texas Rangers & 12 seasons with the New York Yankees. He's now the chairman & CEO of A-Rod Corp as well as the chairman of Presidente beer.*
.303 avg; 2,672 H; 613 HR; 1,813 RBI
13x All-Star selection; 10x Silver Slugger; 2x Gold Glove winner; 3x AL MVP; WS champion
Youngest to reach 500 (32y 8d) and 600 (35y 8d) HR; Most seasons (14) with 100+ RBI; 13th in career slugging %; 20th in career runs scored; 65th in career hits; 18th in career total bases; 6th in career HR; 17th in career RBI; 71st in career BB
Last Updated: Before 2011 season- Rollie Fingers was born on 25 August 1946 in Steubenville, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Arli$$ (1996), 1971 American League Championship Series (1971) and 1972 World Series (1972). He is married to Lori Harden. They have two children. He was previously married to Suzanne Michele Frost, Danielle Lamar and Jill Cutler.114-118; 2.90 ERA; 1,299 K; 341 S
7x All-Star selection; 3x WS champion and 1 MVP; AL MVP; AL Cy Young; 4x Relief Man of Year
10th in career saves; one of 21 pitchers with at least 300 saves - Actor
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Roy Campanella was born on 19 November 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Lassie (1954), Roogie's Bump (1954) and 1956 World Series (1956). He was married to Roxie Joynes, Ruthe Willis and Bernice Ray. He died on 26 June 1993 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA..276 avg; 1,161 H; 242 HR; 856 RBI
8x All-Star selection; WS champion; 3x NL MVP- Actor
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Rod Carew was born on 1 October 1945 in Gatun, Canal Zone, Panama. He is an actor, known for George Lopez (2002), 1970 American League Championship Series (1970) and Babe Ruth (1991). He has been married to Rhonda Fedden since 22 December 2001. He was previously married to Marilynn Levy..328 avg; 3,053 H; 1,015 RBI
18x All-Star selection; AL MVP; AL ROY
36th in career batting average; 81st in career runs scored; 22nd in career hits- Goose Goslin was born on 16 October 1900 in Salem, New Jersey, USA. He died on 15 May 1971 in Bridgeton, New Jersey, USA..316 avg; 2,735 H; 1,609 RBI
All-Star selection; 2x WS champion
31st in career RBI; 53rd in career hits; 73rd in career runs scored - Jerome "Dizzy" Dean is regarded as one of the finest pitchers in baseball history. He took four consecutive strikeout titles, led the National League in complete games pitched for four straight seasons, and won two games for the Cardinals in the 1934 World Series--his brother Paul 'Daffy' Dean won the other two. Dean's career was brought up short in 1937 when he was hit by a line drive that broke his toe. He had to change his pitching style in order to keep off the broken toe, resulting in his causing permanent injury to his throwing arm. He spent the last years of his career with the St. Louis Browns, and retired in 1947 (after pitching a four-inning shutout).150-83; 3.02 ERA; 1,163 K
4x All-Star selection; WS champion; NL MVP; top 2 in MVP voting (1935,1936) - Paul Molitor was born on 22 August 1956 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. He is an actor, known for Falling for You (1995), Monday Night Baseball (1976) and Sunday Night Baseball (1990). He has been married to Destini since 14 February 2004. They have two children. He was previously married to Linda Kaplan..306 avg; 3,319 H; 1,307 RBI; 504 SB
7x All-Star selection; WS champion and WS MVP; 4x Silver Slugger
18th in career runs scored; 9th in career hits; 37th in career stolen bases - Ralph Kiner was born on 27 October 1922 in Santa Rita, New Mexico, USA. He was an actor, known for The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950), The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg (1998) and Greats of the Game (1985). He was married to Ann Benisch, Diann Shugart, Barbara George and Nancy Chaffee. He died on 6 February 2014 in Rancho Mirage, California, USA..279 avg; 1,451 H; 369 HR; 1,105 RBI
6x All-Star selection
69th in career homeruns - Grove was the star pitcher of the late 1920-early 1930 he had a competitive spirit matched by few if any, it was this spirit that enabled grove to capture 300 major league wins mostly for Philadelphia and Boston American league. During a stretch of seven years lefty won at least twenty games while leading the league in era or strike outs. His 1931 season is one of the best as he went 31-4 the last American league pitcher to win 30 plus games in a season until Denny McLain went 31-6 in 1968.300-141; 3.06 ERA; 2,266 K
6x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion; AL MVP; 2x Triple Crown winner
23rd in career wins; 47th in career strikeouts; 71st in career shutouts - Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Al Simmons was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is known for The Christmas Orange (2003), The Goose (2018) and What a Day! (1993)..334 avg; 2,927 H; 307 HR; 1,827 RBI
3x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion
23rd in career batting average; 67th in career runs scored; 35th in career hits; 34th in career total bases; 19th in career RBI- Eddie Collins was born on 2 May 1887 in Millerton, New York, USA. He died on 25 March 1951 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA..333 avg; 3,315 H; 1,300 RBI; 744 SB
AL MVP; 4x WS champion
27th in career batting average; 15th in career runs scored; 10th in career hits; 103rd in career RBI; 8th in career SB; 18th in career BB; 3rd in career singles - Mariano Rivera was born on 29 November 1969 in Panama City, Panama. He has been married to Clara since 9 November 1991. They have three children.74-55; 2.23 ERA; 1,051 K; 559 S
11x All-Star selection; 5x WS champion and MVP in 1; 5x AL Relief Man winner
All-time leader in post-season saves; 2nd in career saves; Most consecutive seasons with 25+ saves (14); one of 21 players with 300 saves; one of five players with 400 saves; one of two players with 500 saves
Considered by many to be the greatest closer of all-time.
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Joe Jackson was born on 16 July 1889 in Pickens County, South Carolina, USA. He was married to Katherine Wynn. He died on 5 December 1951 in Greenville, South Carolina, USA..356 avg; 1,772 H; 785 RBI
WS champion
3rd in career batting average - Willie Keeler was born on 14 September 1890 in Vernon, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for The Cock-Eyed World (1929). He died on 17 January 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA..341 avg; 2,932 H; 1,719 RBI
Batted .400 in a single-season; 14th in career batting average; 25th in career runs scored; 33rd in career hits; 5th in career singles; NL record for consecutive games with hit (45); Record eight consecutive seasons with 200 hits (1894-1901) that stood 108 years until Ichiro broke it in 2009. - Mickey Cochrane was born on 6 April 1903 in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, USA. He was married to Mary. He died on 28 June 1962 in Lake Forest, Illinois, USA..320 avg; 1,652 H; 832 RBI
2x All-Star selection; 3x WS champion; 2x AL MVP
56th in career batting average - Lou Brock was born on 18 June 1939 in El Dorado, Arkansas, USA. He was married to Jacqueline Layne, Virginia Daniels and Katie Hay. He died on 6 September 2020 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA..293 avg; 3,023 H; 900 RBI; 938 SB
6x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion; NL Comeback POY
44th in career runs scored; 23rd in career hits; 2nd in career stolen bases; Broke Billy Hamilton's 77 yr old record for most stolen bases and held the record for 12 years until Rickey Henderson broke it; Held the record for single-season stole bases for eight years until Rickey Henderson broke it. - Duke Snider was born on 19 September 1926 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Rifleman (1958), The Trouble with Girls (1969) and Pastime (1990). He was married to Beverly Null. He died on 27 February 2011 in Escondido, California, USA..295 avg; 2,116 H; 407 HR; 1,333 RBI
8x All-Star selection; 2x WS champion
46th in career HR; 85th in career RBI - Carl Hubbell was born on 22 June 1903 in Carthage, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Big Leaguer (1953), Sports Quiz (1944) and Pennant Chasers (1940). He was married to Julia Stanfield and Lucille Harrington. He died on 21 November 1988 in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.253-154; 2.98 ERA; 1,677 K
9x All-Star selection; WS champion; 2x NL MVP
44th in career wins; 116th in career strikeouts; 63rd in career shutouts - Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Derek Jeter was born on 26 June 1974 in Pequannock, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Other Guys (2010), Anger Management (2003) and The Icons that Built America. He has been married to Hannah Jeter since 9 July 2016. They have four children..313 avg; 3,003 H; 1,159 RBI
12x All-Star selection; 5x WS champion and WS MVP; 5x Gold Glove winner; 4x Silver Slugger; AL ROY
Most hits in Yankees history; most hits in a career by a shortstop; one of six players with 2,700 hits, 1,500 runs, 220 homers, 300 steals, and 1,000 RBIs; >80th in career batting average; 24th in career runs scored; 27th in career hits; 21st in career singles, 28th player to hit 3,000
Last Updated: 7/10/11- Frank Thomas was born on 27 May 1968 in Columbus, Georgia, USA. He is an actor, known for Mr. Baseball (1992), Married... with Children (1987) and Baseball's Hottest Stars (1993). He has been married to Megan Celba since 11 November 2005. They have two children. He was previously married to Elise Silver..301 avg; 2,468 H; 521 HR; 1,704 RBI
5x All-Star selection; 4x Silver Slugger; 2x AL MVP; AL Comeback POY
One of four players to have at least a .300 batting average, 500 HR, 1,500 RBI, 1,000 runs and 1,500 walks in career.
18th in career HR; 22nd in career RBI; 10th in career BB; 71st in career runs scored - Ivan Rodriguez was born on 27 November 1971 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. He is an actor, known for Garden of Death (1974), Little Big League (1994) and Arli$$ (1996). He was previously married to Maribel Rivera./
.298 avg; 2,817 H; 309 HR; 1,313 RBI
14x All-Star selection; 13x Gold Glove winner; 7x Silver Slugger; AL MVP; WS champion
Most games caught in career; most Gold Gloves for catcher; 45th in career hits; 21st in career doubles; 116th in career HR; 93rd in career RBI
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Phil Niekro was born on 1 April 1939 in Blaine, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for World Championship Wrestling (1985), 1969 National League Championship Series (1969) and 1982 National League Championship Series (1982). He was married to Nancy Lee Farrand. He died on 26 December 2020 in Flowery Branch, Georgia, USA.318-274; 3.35 ERA; 3,342 K
5x All-Star selection; 5x Gold Glove winner; pitched a no-hitter
16th in career wins; 11th in career strikeouts; one of ten players to achieve 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts; MLB record 121 wins after age 40- Reggie Jackson is a baseball Hall of Famer nicknamed "Mr. October" because of his great World Series status. He hit 3 homeruns in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, the most homeruns ever by one player in a World Series game. He currently works for the New York Yankees.262 avg; 2,584 H; 563 HR; 1,702 RBI
14x All-Star selection; 5x WS champion, MVP in 2; 2x Silver Slugger; AL MVP
13th in career homeruns; 80th in career hits; 23rd in career RBI; struckout most times in career (2,597); 30th in career bases on balls - Mark McGwire was born on 1 October 1963 in Pomona, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Mad About You (1992), 1992 American League Championship Series (1992) and WCW Monday Nitro (1995). He has been married to Stephanie Slemer since 20 April 2002. They have five children. He was previously married to Kathlene Hughes.*
.263 avg; 1,626 H; 583 HR; 1,414 RBI
12x All-Star selection; WS champion; Gold Glove winner; AL ROY
Record for most HR in rookie season; AB per HR ratio (10.61); held the single-season HR record for three years; 8th in career slugging %; 10th in career HR; 67th in career RBI; 38th in career BB - In the pre-steroids era, the most fearsome home-run hitter in the American League not named Babe Ruth (Mickey Mantle was a switch-hitter) was named Harmon Killebrew. The surname seemed to fit, as the husky Harmon certainly "killed" the ball, launching many massive moon-shots in old-time ball-yards that took the breath away of fans, both home and away. His nickname in baseball, fittingly, was "The Killer". Since 1934 (when the Babe went over to the National League Boston Braves, no other player has hit more home runs in the American League than has Killebrew, and only Hammering Hank Aaron, and the Say-Hey Kid ('Willie Mays' (qv in the National League and the dual-league Frank Robinson (Robby won Most Valuable Player Awards in both the National League with the Reds and in the A.L. with the Orioles) surpass him in total number of circuit clouts until the first of the new lively ball sluggers, Mark McGwire, overcame him in 2001.
Harmon Killebrew led the American League six times in home-runs and finished in the top three four other times during his 22-year career. Signed as a bonus baby by the Washington Senators, the precursor to the Twins, he first graced a major league roster in 1954, when he was 18. Under then-extant major league baseball rules, bonus babies like Killebrew and the Brooklyn Dodgers' Sandy Koufax had to be kept on a major league roster. Killebrew didn't finally come into his own until 1959, when the 23-year old slugged 42 dingers to win his first home-run crown after just 13 games and hitting none the year before.
All but one year of Killebrew's career mostly was spent with the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins (the team was relocated to Minneapolis in 1961). Ironically, it was in one of his off-years, when he only played 113 games and slugged only 25 home runes, that Killebrew and the Twins made it the 1965 World Series. They lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers team of fabled pitchers Don Drysdale and (former Bonus Baby and all-time great) Sandy Koufax. Killebrew's Twins also won two divisional titles, in 1969 under manager Billy Martin (when Killebrew won his only Most Valuable Player Award, leading the A.L with 49 home runs and 140 R.B.I.) and in 1970.
In 1973, the 37-year-old Killebrew was injured and played in only 69 games, and his power was gone. He was the oldest player still active in the American League at the age of 38 in 1974, his last with the Twins, and in 1975, when he played out his string with the Kansas City Royals.
Killebrew's 573 home runs ranks him #2 all-time in the A.L. behind Ruth and ahead of Reggie Jackson, his partner in a Minnesota car dealership. For one year, in 1972 when he surpassed Mickey Mantle on the All-Time list of major league home run hitters, he was ranked #4 in Major League Baseball's record books, before being surpassed by Frank Robinson the following year. Thereafter, for a generation, Killebrew ranked as the #5 home run hitter in big league ball from 1974 through 2000. What is remarkable was that his accomplishment was done during what is now referred to as the "Second Dead-Ball Era" of the 1960s, when pitchers had the upper hand over hitters, and batting averages were much lower than they are now.
Despite his awesome slugging and 1,584 career R.B.I., the keepers of the flame of baseball immortality, the Base-Ball Writers of America, kept Killebrew out of the Hall of Fame for five years, holding his low career batting average of .256 against him. Finally, justice was served and "The Killer" was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984..256 avg; 2,086 H; 573 HR; 1,584 RBI
13x All-Star selection; AL MVP
11th in career HR; 36th in career RBI; 15th in career BB; one of 23 players to achieve more than 500 HR and more than 1,500 RBI in career - Lefty Gomez was born on 26 November 1908 in Rodeo, California, USA. He was married to June O'Dea. He died on 17 February 1989 in Greenbrae, California, USA.189-102; 3.34 ERA; 1,468 K
7x All-Star selection; 5x WS champion; 2x Triple Crown winner
138th in career wins; 193rd in career strikeouts - Robin Roberts was born on 30 September 1926 in Springfield, Illinois, USA. He was married to Mary Ann Kalnes. He died on 6 May 2010 in Temple Terrace, Florida, USA.286-245; 3.41 ERA; 2,357 K
7x All-Star selection
28th in career wins; 42nd in career strikeouts; 29th in career shutouts - Ryne Sandberg was born on 18 September 1959 in Spokane, Washington, USA. He has been married to Margaret Koehnemann since 19 August 1995. They have five children. He was previously married to Cindy White..285 avg; 2,386 H; 282 HR; 1,061 RBI
10x All-Star selection; 9x Gold Glove winner; 7x Silver Slugger; NL MVP - Richie Ashburn was born on 19 March 1927 in Tilden, Nebraska, USA. He was married to Herberta Cox. He died on 9 September 1997 in New York City, New York, USA..308 avg; 2,574 H; 586 RBI
6x All-Star selection
122nd in career batting average; 82nd in career hits; 6th in career putouts as outfielder (6,089) - Goose Gossage was born on 5 July 1951 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. He has been married to Cornelia Lukaszewicz since 28 October 1972. They have three children.124-107; 3.01 ERA; 1,502 K; 310 S
9x All-Star selection; WS champion; AL Relief Man of Year
One of 21 players to record 300 saves; 18th in career saves - Albert Pujols was born on 16 January 1980 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is an actor, known for Foodie Love (2019), Marvel & ESPN Films Present 1 of 1: Genesis (2014) and Sunday Night Baseball (1990). He has been married to Deidre Pujols since 1 January 2000. They have four children./
.331 avg; 1,900 H; 408 HR; 1,230 RBI
9x All-Star selection; WS champion; 3x NL MVP; 6x Silver Slugger; 2x Gold Glove winner; NL ROY
30th in career batting average; 4th in career slugging %; 26th in career hits; 45th in career HR; 127th in career RBI
Last Updated: Before 2011 season - Bruce Sutter was born on 8 January 1953 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Jayme Leigh Shank. He died on 13 October 2022 in Cartersville, Georgia, USA.68-71; 2.83 ERA; 861 K; 300 S
6x All-Star selection; WS champion; Cy Young winner; 4x Relief Man of Year
21st in career saves; one of 21 pitchers with at least 300 saves - Hal Newhouser was born on 20 May 1921 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was married to Beryl Margaret Steele. He died on 10 November 1998 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA.207-150; 3.06 ERA; 1,796 K
7x All-Star selection; WS champion; 2x AL MVP; AL Triple Crown
100th in career wins; 88th in career strikeouts - Hall of Famer Billy Williams, who made his reputation as an outstanding hitter as a left fielder for the Chicago Cubs, was born on June 15, 1938, in Whistler, Alabama. He made his major league debut with the Cubs on August 6, 1959, and in his first full season, won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1961. In his 16 years with the Cubbies, was named to six All-Star teams.
Noted for his consistency, in 18 years (he finished his career with the Oakland A's in 1975 and '76, playing in the American League Championship series against the Boston Red Sox in '75) he racked up 2,711 hits for a .290 career average to go along with 426 home runs and 1,475 RBI. In 1972, he led the N.L. with a .333 batting average while hitting 37 dingers (third best in the league) and driving in 122 runs (second in the league). For this performance, he was named "Sporting News" Player of the Year. He was also noted for his durability: He held the N.L. record for consecutive games played with 1,117, a mark since surpassed by Steve Garvey.
Williams was enshrined in the Hall of Fame by the vote of the Baseball Writers of American in 1987..290 avg; 2,711 H; 426 HR; 1,475 RBI
6x All-Star selection; NL ROY
86th in career runs scored; 60th in career hits; 36th in career total bases; 42nd in career HR; 53rd in career RBI - Carlton Fisk, a 6' 2" 220 lbs. product of Bellows Falls, Vermont who was raised across the Connecticut River in neighboring Charlestown, New Hampshire, crouched and hit his way to the Hall of Fame in a career played entirely with the Sox: The Boston Red Sox (1969, 1971-1980) and the Chicago White Sox (1981-1993). Along the way, he set major league records for most games played and most home-runs hit by a catcher.
Although he attended Charlestown High School, the teenage Carlton played baseball for the American Legion team in his birth place of Bellows Falls. After graduation, he attended the University of New Hampshire, where he played baseball but also was a star starter on the U.N.H. basketball team. Drafted by the home-town BoSox, he eventually made it up to The Show for a cup of coffee in 1969, but his Major League career was put on hold by more seasoning in the minors and by a military commitment. When he finally established himself in the majors for good in 1972, after another cup of joe in '71, he proved spectacular. He won Rookie of the Year honors and a Gold Glove as catcher while tying Joe Rudi for the American League lead in triples with nine. (He is the last catcher to lead that category.)
A brilliant "quarterback" in terms of calling pitchers, and an extremely tough athlete to boot who was not adverse to jumping over then-unprotected railings into the stands to try to catch foul balls, Fisk quickly established himself as the best-all around catcher in the American League bar one: Thurman Munson of the hated New York Yankees, who became his rival and doppelganger. Fisk and Munson became involved in a long-standing feud, only ended by Munson's death in airplane accident in 1979, that drew in the players on both teams. is also known for his longstanding feud with New York Yankee counterpart Thurman Munson. In the days when catchers blocked the plate with their entire bodies, risking injury in a way no multi-millionaire would today, it wasn't uncommon for a player caught short-stepped before the plate, the catcher with the ball in the mitt ready to make the tag, to try to bull his way through with a tackle or block to try to dislodge the ball from the catcher's mitt, and thus turn a sure out into a scored run. (The greatest and most infamous example of this was when Pete Rose ran over Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game.) On August 1, 1973 at Fenway Park, during a tie game, Munson attempted to score on a missed bunt attempt in the top of the ninth. Munson, the unstoppable force, barreled into Fisk, the unmovable object, which ignited a 10-minute bench-clearing free-for-all that characterized match-ups between professional sports teams from the two cities in the 1980s. Another brawl was ignited when Fisk, the unmovable object, stopped Lou Piniella at the plate during a May 2, 1976 game at Yankee Stadium. Not appreciating Sweet Lou's attempt to score, Fisk hit him with the ball and Piniella hit back, igniting another bench-clearing brawl that was followed by yet another after Bill Lee, who was pitching that day, had words with Yankee third baseman Graig Nettles. It ended badly for the BoSox, as Lee -- a precious commodity as a left-hander who had won 17 games each of the previous three seasons -- suffered a separated left shoulder and missed a part of the season. The Yankees went on to win the American League pennant, just one year after the BoSox had played in the World Series.
The coming of free agency resulted in Fisk and other Red Sox players who wanted to be paid what they felt they were worth falling out of favor with BoSox management. When Red Sox co-owner Haywood Sullivan mailed Fisk's contract for the 1981 season one day after the mandatory deadline, the catcher was declared a free agent and signed with the Sox of Chicago. It was while with the ChiSox that Fisk set his career records, though he chose to go into the Hall of Fame as a BoSox, a New Englander at heart 'til the end..269 avg; 2,356 H; 376 HR; 1,330 RBI
11x All-Star selection; Gold Glove winner; 3x Silver Slugger; AL ROY
66th in career HR; 87th in career RBI - Hoyt Wilhelm was born on 26 July 1922 in Huntersville, North Carolina, USA. He died on 23 August 2002 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.143-122; 2.52 ERA; 1,610 K; 227 S
8x All-Star selection; WS champion; threw a no-hitter
34th in career saves - Rafael Palmeiro was born on 24 September 1964 in Havana, Cuba. He is an actor, known for Little Big League (1994), Arli$$ (1996) and Chasing 7. He has been married to Lynne since 14 December 1985. They have two children.*
.288 avg; 3,020 H; 569 HR; 1,835 RBI
4x All-Star selection; 3x Gold Glove winner; 2x Silver Slugger
One of four players with at least 500 HR and at least 3,000 hits; 31st in career runs scored; 24th in career hits; 10th in career total bases; 12th in career HR; 15th in career RBI; 31st in career BB