Runs and Bases: the 1950's (part one)

[SWC75]

BEISU BORU

(This article is based on my reading of a book called “The Chrysanthemum and the Bat” (1977) by Robert Whiting, “Japanese Baseball: a Statistical Handbook” (1999) by Daniel E. Johnson and an article entitled “Japanese Baseball” by Yoichi Nagata and John B. Holway that appeared in the 1989 edition of “Total Baseball”, as well as internet sources)

When General MacArthur took control of Japan after the war, he ordered that Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, which had been used as an ordinance dump, be cleared off and cleaned up so the stadium could be used for baseball. The story goes that MacArthur felt that the inherent democratic nature of the sport, with everyone getting their turn at bat, would help the Japanese rebuild their nation as a modern democracy.

But the sport was hardly new to Japan. It had existed for decades and was already established as one of the two most popular sports in the country, (along with sumo wrestling), by the 1930’s. The game had been introduced to Japan in the 1870’s by Professor Henry Wilson, a visiting teacher at Tokyo University and was first played by students in kimonos and sandals. The Japanese called the sport “beisu boru” or yaku (“yok-yoo”, or “field ball”).

It’s progression as similar to that of college football in the US, not fueled by town teams that became city teams as in baseball but by teams representing schools. This is still an area of great popularity: Whiting reports that the annual high school championship tournament in Tokyo draws 400,000 fans. He equates it to the enthusiasm of around the Stanley Cup or even the World Cup. College games draw crowds of 60,000. Thomas Boswell included in his list of reasons baseball is better than basketball that baseball has no cheerleaders: in Japan they do and the atmosphere is games is more akin to that of a college football game than a professional baseball game.

The first American team to visit to play Japanese teams was the University of Wisconsin in 1909. They won three one-run games before breaking through for an 8-0 win in the final. In 1913 the Chicago White Sox and new York Giants made a world tour and stopped in Japan, playing games against Japanese college teams. Big League all-star teams came in 1922, 1931 and 1934. The latter tour was remarkable for two things, one of which was unknown until years later. One was the performance of Eiji Sawamura, a high school pitcher who struck out Charlie Gehringer, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx consecutively. Gehrig came back to hit a solo home run that won the game 1-0. Sawamura was later killed in World War II and is considered a Japanese national hero. The Japanese version of the Cy Young award is named after him. The second thing is that a reserve catcher for the Americans, Moe Berg, was taking a lot of home movies of Tokyo. When the war broke out, he offered them to the OSS, (the first version of the CIA), to help aid the US attacks on that city. OSS then employed the multi-lingual Berg as a spy in Europe during the war.

The great success of these tours convinced their sponsor, media magnate Matsutaro Shoriki to form a professional baseball team, which he called the “Tokyo Giants”. Since his company as called the Yomiuri Newspaper, they have bene known throughout their history as the Yoriumi Giants and are the New York Yankees of Japanese baseball. To give his Giants someone to play, (someone to beat, actually), he urged other Japanese companies to form professional teams. Japanese professional teams tend to be “company” teams. American tourists are forever having it explained to them that the “Nippon Ham Fighters” do not fight hams or fight with hams: the Nippon Ham company is sponsoring a team called the “Fighters”. “Oh….”

After an informal schedule in 1936, Japanese Central League was open for business in 1937. Remarkably, they managed to continue playing this American sport through 1944. It was impossible in 1945 but the league was revived in 1946 and challenged by a rival league, the Pacific League, in 1950. That year was the beginning of the Japan Series, their version of the World Series.

It has been the Japanese dream ever since to have their champion take on the US Major League champions in a true “World Series”. There is no question that the game’s development there has exceeded that of any country outside the United States. In 1966 the Mexican League champions, the Mexico City Tigers, took a tour of Japan and lost all 13 games, including four one-sided defeats at the hands of the Yomiuri Giants. The Japanese expressed contempt for them as “the worst team we’ve ever seen”.

American teams had begun having post season tours of Japan again in 1951 with another team of All-Stars, (Joe DiMaggio hit his last ever home run there). They began sending actual major league teams on an irregular basis with the New York Giants going 12-1-1, (they have ties due to a curfew). The New York Yankees were a sensation in 1955 going 15-0-1. The Brooklyn Dodgers went a “lethargic” 14-4-1 in 1956. The St. Louis Cardinals did better in 1958 with 14-2-2. Stan Musial was a big hit. The Giants were back in 1960, going 11-4-3. The Tigers showed up in 1962 and went 12-4-2.

“It was obvious to any American observer that Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Al Kaline and company were not exactly at peak form for the games. Most of the players were somewhat rusty and, unwilling to risk injury in meaningless games, scarcely played with reckless abandon. The post season trip was considered a vacation for the players and their wives.” (Whiting)

That gave the players a built-in excuse for the occasional loss. After all, they’d just completed a long season. But so had the Japanese players. And, if the Japanese players want to win more because they had more to prove, isn’t that to their credit. Something more formal was needed to get the Americans to take the contests seriously. Commissioner Ford Frick suggested an annual series against the American Triple A champions. That was rejected, (and would have been a terrible idea: there was no Junior World Series at the time anyway and any team that was sent to Japan would have been emaciated due to call-ups.). An enterprising Japanese writer suggested the Japanese champs play the last place team in the majors. If they lost, at least it would be a major league team. If they won, they would be play the second worst team in the majors the next year and eventually, if they kept winning, they’d play the US champs. As that meant it would take 24 years to play the US champs, (and they’d have to win every year), the idea was rejected.

The Japanese were excited when the Dodgers were scheduled to come back to Japan in 1966. They’d won the 1965 World Series and were favored to beat the Orioles in the 1966 series. But they got swept and then stumbled through a 9-8-1 record in their Japan tour, which they undertook without Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, (Sandy was about to announce his retirement in any case). The Cardinals came in 1968 in an identical situation, (having won the 1968 series but losing to the Tigers in ’68) and won 13 of 18 games. It happened a third time with the 1971 Orioles, who won 12 games and lost 2 with 4 ties. Significantly, they were 8-0-3 against the Yomiuri Giants , who were in an incredible 9 year run of Japan Series championships. In 1974 Major League baseball had the disdain to send the Mets, who finished 20 games under .500 that year, not including their 9-7-2 record in Japan. In 1978 the remands of the Big Red Machine went 14-2-1. In 1981 the Kansas City Royals went 9-7-1 and in 1984 the forth place Orioles went 8-5-1. There’s been a series of All-Star games since and t Major league All-Stars have gone 43-20-7.

In the wake of this the Japanese have concentrated on the Olympics. They won the Gold as a demonstration sport in LA in 1984 and losing the final to the US in Seoul in 1988. It was a formal Olympic sport in 1992-2008 and the Japanese won Bronze in Barcelona in 1992, Silver in Atlanta in 1996, and the Bronze in 2004 at Athens.

With that door closed, attention turned to the World Baseball Classic, a pre-season event involving professionals intended to become baseball’s version of the World Cup. At first was every three years and Japan won the first two in 2006 and 2009. Now it’s every four years. Japan finished third in 2013. The US, as usual not taking these things seriously, finished fourth in 2009 and that’s been it. Hopes that baseball will become a truly international sport like soccer and basketball are on hold until the US gets serious about the competition- and stopped calling our championship “The World Series”.

In the meantime, the Japanese have “invaded” the Major Leagues, sending top players like Ichiro Suzuki over here to prove that that can play at a major league elvel and even buying majority ownership in the Seattle Mariners.

 

[SWC75]

GAIJIN

The Japanese teams have been reluctant to employ gaijin, (foreigners), due to the traditional insular nature of the country. This was accentuated after the war when Americans were understandably not very popular. But the desire to win triumphed again over prejudice and by the 60’s many American players, most of them margin major leaguers or minor leaguers could be seen in Japanese uniforms. Veteran major league players were even more prized and several came over after their major league careers were basically over. But the success of American players, particularly when compared to what they accomplished or could do at that point in America, seemed to certify the inferiority of Japanese ball. And their behavior in some cases didn’t do relations between the nations any good. Here are the stories of some prominent foreign players in Japan:

Victor Starffin wasn’t Japanese. But he wasn’t American, either. His parents came over from Russia after the revolution. Victor discovered the sport and became “the greatest Russian baseball player of all time”. Somebody has to be. A pitcher, he won 303 games and lost 177, his finest season coming in 1939, when he went 42-15 with 282 strike-outs and a 1.73 ERA for Shoriki’s Giants. He pitched until 1955. When the Giants were in American for spring training everyone assumed he could speak English because of his looks but at a restaurant he told the waitress “I am a chicken”. He was killed in 1957 when his car lost a battle with a train. “The exact circumstances of the incident are debated to this day, with speculation ranging from a simple accident to suicide or drunk driving.” (Wikipedia)

Henry “Bozo” Wakabayashi was the son of a Japanese immigrant to Hawaii. He went 243-141 with an ERA of 1.99 from with a high of 30-7 in 1939 for the Osaka Tigers. He also had over 2,000 career hits as a batter. He later became the Tigers manager and “was a baseball ambassador for decades”.

Wally Yonamine was another Hawaiian of Japanese descent who was a member of the 1947 San Francisco 49ers. Yes, the 49ers. He rushed for 74 yards, caught Frankie Albert’s passes for 40 more, retuned 9 kicks and made an interception. He was the first player of Asian ancestry to play pro football. His football career ended when he broke his wrist playing amateur baseball in Hawaii. When he recovered he decided to continue playing baseball, not football and moved to Japan in 1951 to do it. The Nisei, (Americans of Japanese descent who fought for America in the War- but typically in Europe, not in the Pacific war), were highly unpopular in Japan and Wally was called the “Jackie Robinson of Japan” for bucking the double prejudices against both Americans and Nisei. He was also similar to Robinson in that eh introduced the slashing style of baserunning Robinson was also famous for. He also introduced the practice of “taking out” second basemen on possible double plays, which horrified the Japanese, who considered this to be a dirty play. It helped that he hit .354 in a partial first season, then .344, leading the league with 104 runs scored in his first season. After 12 years he retired with a .311 lifetime batting average and became the manager of the Chunichi Dragons.

One thing he could never do is meet the Emperor and shake hands with him. But he finally got to do so on a trip to Los Angeles: ““The audience was in a small room with eight others,” he added. “When we were introduced, I automatically stuck my hand out because I was in Los Angeles. And he shook my hand! The empress talked with my wife for over five minutes! As they were walking out of the room, the empress looked at me and took a practice swing! There she was, the empress in the nice kimono and all that, giving me this batting stance!” (New York Times).

Harris McGalliard was a Californian who played ball at USC and in the minor leagues. He was playing for a predominately Nisei team that toured Japan in 1935 and made some friends there. When the Japanese League was formed in 1936, he was invited to come over to Japan to play in the new league. The Japanese had trouble pronouncing his name so he started using “Bucky Harris”, which was also the name of a prominent major league player and manager. They had fall and spring seasons at the beginning and he played in six such season over three years, winning a League MVP award in 1937 for the fall season.

He returned to the US when tensions got high and wound up working for Army intelligence in the Phillippines. “Bucky started interviewing one prisoner and suddenly a look of recognition came over the prisoner's face. "You're Bucky Harris, aren't you?" the prisoner asked. McGalliard brightened. He recognized the prisoner as a catcher he had once played against. Much of the interviewing, thereafter, was done by the prisoners, who were interested in the Scotsman who had once been the best baseball player in their country.” (Baseball Reference.Com) He was a .255 lifetime hitter in the minors but hit .309 in Japan. Quote: "Over there I was a big shot, [laughs] over here I was nothing"

Larry Raines was a former Negro League player who played for the Hankyu Braves when he got out of the military service. The Braves were like the Dodgers when they broke the color line in that they were willing to employ foreign players more than the other teams and thus forced the “integration” of Japanese baseball after the war. (Thank you, Hankyu!). He was a speedster who stole 61 bases to lead the league in 1953 and then 45 the next while hitting .337. That was his ticket to the big leagues and he wound up playing for the Indians in 1957-58 after a couple of years in Indianapolis. Then he fell back into the high minors before finally returning to Hankyu in 1961 for one last season. He does not seem to have bene a relative of Tim Raines.

Oklahoman Joe Stanka pitched for the White Sox briefly in the pennant winning year of 1959, winning a couple of games. The Nanaki Hawks became interested base on his minor league record and expected him to win 20 games a year for them. He only went 17-12 his first year but he did got 26-7 for them in 1964 and was named MVP. He wound up with a seven year record of 100-72.

Jim Marshall was a PCL power hitter in the late 50’s, (25-30/year for Oakland and then Vancouver) who signed with the Chunichi Dragons and didn’t disappoint, hitting 78 in three seasons, (1963-65). But he only battled .268. He’d been a .275 hitter in the minors so the level of Japanese baseball was improving. Jim played the equivalent of two major league seasons for several teams and hit .242 with 29 homers.

Darryl Spencer had been a minor league slugger in the Giant’s chain, then played 10 season as a rather big major league infielder, (6-3 210), hitting .244 with 105 home runs for four teams. Then he went over to Japan and slugged 36, then 38 home runs in his first two seasons. He wound up with 152 in 7 seasons, batting .275. The Japanese referred to him as a “monster”.

George Altman had actually been a big-league star, briefly with the Cubs, hitting .303 with 27 homers and 96 RBIs in 1961 and .318 with 22 homers the next year. But he faded after that and appeared through in 1968 when he hit only .111 at age 35. But he found new life in Japan, He hit .320 with 34 home runs and 100 RBI his first year. His best year was 1971 when he was .320-39-103. He was still playing in 1975 at age 42 and finally retired after eight season in Japan, having hit .305 with 205 home runs. “He credited martial arts training for baseball success in Japan.” (Wikipedia.) Per Robert Whiting, he even continued playing after cancer surgery that caused him to lose 20 pounds.

There were some “Ugly Americans” Don Newcombe and Larry Doby both signed with the Chunichi Dragons. Both had been major league stars so it caused quite a sensation. But both were way over the hill and out of shape. And they said they were coming to Japan only for “good will” purposes. Newk only pitched 4 innings. They found him more useful as a batter. He hit .262 with 12 home runs in 81 games, mostly at first base. But it wasn’t what the Dragons had been looking for from the first-ever Cy Young award winner, (at first one award was given for both leagues). One club official described him as “running as if he were carrying two pianos”. Doby hit .225 with 10 home runs. But he had one moment of glory. Per Whiting, “”Doby once astounded everyone when he hit a 500 foot home run over the center field fence in the teeth of a typhoon wind. The Japanese had never seen such a blast.” Neither had anyone else.

Dick Stuart came to the Taito Whales in 1967 after a major league career in which he had hit 227 home runs for the Pirates and the Red Sox, including 42 in one season, (He had a 66 home run year in the low minors). “Dr. Strangeglove” hit .280 with 33 home runs his first year but slumped to .217 with 16 home runs the next. Thanks to that and his lousy fielding, he was benched and asked for his release. He returned for the states and played briefly for the Angels in 1969, an apparently significant development. It was lauded as the first time a player had come back from Japan and played in the majors. Apparently they’d forgotten about Larry Raines, (above).

Other noted players came over and flopped. Johnny Logan, the shortstop on the braves’ pennant winners of 1957-58, hit .189, including a 38 at bat hitless streak. , a Japanese record. 1965 AL MVP Zoilo Versalles joined the Hiroshima Carp and hit exactly what Logan did. Chico Fernandez had been a 20 homer man in Detroit, (1962) but he wasn’t a 20 hit man in 1965 for the Hanshin Tigers, (he got 16 of them and hit .144). Davey Johnson, after his 43 home run year in Atlanta, was imported to replace Japanese National hero Shigeo Nagashima after he retired from the Yomiuri Giants. He hit .197 and the Giants finished last after 9 straight championships. Gigantic Frank Howard came over in 1974 for $80,000. People wondered how many home runs he might hit in Japan. He came to bat twice, got no hits and injured his knee and returned home. That was $40,000 per at bat. (Actually that would be $20 million for 500 at bats, so it’s not far off what we pay now. )

The Japanese had to adopted several American words because of their fascination with America’s national sport. One word they use is a “Pepitone”. It’s a reference to an American import who does nothing to respect or assimilate Japanese culture and little to his credit on the field, either. “He arrived with double-length shoulder hair, got a headache from bumping his head on low hotel room doors, complained about the food and high prices, played 14 games, hit .163, developed a ‘bad leg’ and refused to play- but discoed into the morning. He finally flew home, leaving his roommate a $2,000 phone bill.” (Total Baseball).

Robert Whiting: “Joe Pepitone stands alone. During his brief stay in Japan…he managed to arouse the ire of more people than any American player before or since…..His shoulder-length hair and Wyatt Earp moustache made him conspicuous enough but after a squabble about having his own hotel room on road trips, refusing to carry his bag, and once reporting without his baseball shoes, the (Yakult) Atoms began to show some concern. After appearing in 14 games, batting .163 and hitting one home run, Pepitone arrived at the park one day for a double-header and announced that he could not play. He had severe headaches, he complained and blurred vision. It seemed the doorway of his apartment was too low and every time he went out he hit his head. He was ‘too ill’ even to pinch hit. Shortly thereafter, he was grumbling that his ankle was bothering him. There was something wrong with his Achilles tendon and he didn’t know if he could return to action. Soon, Pepitone stopped going to the ballpark altogether and startled the Atoms by making a return trip to the US- returning a month later.

The Atoms were not completely unaware of what was going on and someone suggested to Pepitone that they might be having him followed in order to check up on their $150,000 investment. Pepitone responded by developing a limp and then, realizing this wasn’t enough (since the limp magically disappeared at night), had a knee-high cast put on the leg. Finally, with a month to go in the season, Pepitone returned home for good”

Whiting describes a Japanese cartoon show of the time: “”The burley, hirsute American spits contemptuously into the dirt and steps into the batter’s box. He towers over the frail youth out on the mound as he waves his gigantic bat back and forth. His red eyes narrow, he sneers triumphantly. Glaring out to the mound, he emits a low, menacing snarl and growls “Come on baby!”

The count is tsu-nasshingu, (no balls and two strikes), The hulking foreigner lashes two pitches completely out of the stadium, both foul by inches. The young Japanese hurler…standing out on the mound looks childlike and fragile. He stares at the massive, leering figure and pales. His knees begin to shake and he wonders if he has the strength to throw another pitch. But then, magically, the words of his high school coach come back to him, “Otoko dattara yareru, (If you’re a you can do it!) Simple words but they somehow strengthen his resolve.

Tightening his lips, he toes the rubber, goes into his wind-up and lets fly with every ounce of strength he has. Halfway to the batter, the ball rises two feet, then drops sharply, then does three loops as it crosses the plate. The monster in the batter’s box lets out a terrible groan as he swings with all hit might and misses. Spinning around, he falls to the ground with a tremendous crash.” That gives you an idea of how the Japanese viewed American imports in the 70’s.

There were some “handsome Americans”. Don Blasingame came over as a .258 hitting journeyman infielder and hit .274 in three season before becoming an assistant manager and eventually manager of the Nankai Hawks. He “learned to speak good Japanese, was cheerful to his teammates and popular with the fans”.

When Clete Boyer came over to play for the Taiyo Whales with teammate John Sipin, he said in an interview “I’d like to take this opportunity to tell Japanese fans that Johnny and I are not in Japan for the money. I could still get a job in the states and so could he. …John and I are here because we like Japan and because we want to help out in any way we can and because we want to play against the best.” Whiting: “He was one of the hardest working players on the field – modest, unassuming and a dedicated team player. He had a quiet dignity and a deep sense of personal responsibility to the younger players… His manager described him: Boyer-san is like a samurai in the way he treats the other players. He takes them out in the evenings He looks after them. He coaches them. He must get very tired.”

Leron and Leon Lee were brothers, (Uncles of Cubs star Derrick Lee) who had spectacular careers for the Lotte Lions. Leron hit .320 with 283 home runs while Leon hit .309 with 268 homers. TB: “Both were considered “Good Gaijin” (good foreigners) who learned the language and interpreted for other American players.” Willie Kirkland hit .240 in the majors with 148 home runs, mostly for the Giants and then the Indians before moving to Japan and playing 6 seasons for the Hanshin Tigers in which he put up almost the same numbers: .246 with 126 home runs. Whiting: “Kirkland didn’t need an interpreter. He knew when practices began. He knew the bus and train schedules. He was never late and he never complained. “ TB: (He) “joked with fans in the outfield and thrilled them with long distance blasts-three in one game against the hated Giants.”

I scanned the lists of yearly stats in Johnson’s book looking for familiar names. There were a lot of career minor league sluggers like Stan Palys (PCL HR champion in 1962 with 33), Lou Jackson (Hit 31 for Toronto of the IL in 1963), Dave Roberts, (led the PCL in 1965 with 38), Clarence Jones, (33 homers in the Northwest league in 1964), Adrian Garrett, (led the PCL with 43 in 1971), Hal Breeden, (led the IL with 37 in 1970), Rick Lancellotti, (41 homers for Buffalo in 1979), Randy Bass, (hit 36 homers for Denver in 1979 and 37 the next year) and future Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, (30 for Albuquerque in 1974). Jackson died in Japan at age 33. Baseball reference.com: “In '68, Jackson collapsed at home plate one day. The next year he died of pancreatitis. An alcoholic, he was known as a hustling, defensively-minded outfielder.” Roberts hit 183 homers in Japan, 40 in one season. Jones topped that with 246. He was one home run short of hitting 30+ in seven straight years. Garret hit 102 home runs in three years with the Hiroshima Carp, with a high of 40. Breeden matched this his first year with Hanshun and hit 37 the next year. Lancelotti hit 39 for the Carp in 1987, (but only batted .218). Bass became a huge star in Japan, batting .337 with 202 homers, including 54 in one season, (pitchers walked him so that he wouldn’t beat Sadaharu Oh’s record of 55). Manuel hit .303 with 189 homers in 6 seasons, with a high of 48.

I see an amazing number of ex-Syracuse Chiefs: Bobby Mitchell, (1969-71), Jim Lyttle (1968-69), Terry Whitfield (1974-76), Tony Soliata, (1969-72), Greg “Boomer” Wells (1978-81), Willie Upshaw (1979-80), Rob Ducey (1987-91), and Cecil Flelder (1986). Mitchell became a Nippon Ham-Fighter, hitting as many as 36 homers in a season. Lyttle, a speedster type here, became a slugger for the Hiroshima Carp, twice hitting 33 homers in a year. Whitfield hit 38 homers for the Seibu Lions in 1983. Soliata was another Fighter, hitting 45 homers his first year and 44 the next. He’d hit 49 in the Carolina league but never hit more than 19 for us. Boomer never hit more than 20 for us but slugged 40+ for the Hankyu Braves three times. Willie Upshaw hit 33 for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in 1989. Ducey hit 51 in two years for the Fighters in 1995-96. Fielder, (Prince’s Dad), hit .302 with 38 dingers for Hanshin in 1988 before returning to the states to become the first 50+ home run guy in 17 years for the 1990 Tigers.

I also noticed several other former major leaguers of note, including Willie Davis, Felix Millan, Don Buford, Wes Parker, Roy White, Warren Cromartie, Johnny Ray, Mike Easler, Ben Ogilvie, Bill Madlock, Larry Parrish, Glenn Davis, Jesse Barfield, Bob Horner and Mel Hall. Davis played for the Chunichi Dragons and something called the Crown Lighter Lions at ages 37 and 28 and hit .297 with 43 homers and 22 steals over two seasons. Millan hit .306 over three seasons with he Yokohama Taiyo Whales, (ages 34-36). Don Buford played for two different teams in four years (ages 36-39) and hit .270 with 66 homers and 65 steals. Wes Parker batted .301 in one season (age 34) with the Nankai Hawks. Roy White played three years for the Yomiuri Giants, (36-38), and hit .283 over all with seasons of 29 home runs and 18 steals. Cromartie had a tremendous career in Japan, playing 7 years for the Giants, (age 30-36). He’d played 9 seasons for the Expos and hit .280 with 60 home runs. For the Giants he hit .321 with 171 home runs. Then he returned stateside to hit .313 for the Royals in 69 games before retiring at age 37. Johnny Ray was a .290 hitter in 10 years in the majors but only hit .269 for the Yakult Swallows, (ages 34-35). That was tough to swallow. Easler hit .302 with 26 homers for the Fighters in the equivalent of two seasons, (ages 37-38). Ogilivie hit .306 with 46 homers over two seasons, (38-39) with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. Four -time NL batting champion Madlock could only hit .263 for the Lottle Lions at age 37. Parrish hit 256 homers in the majors and then 70 in two years (age 35-36) for two different teams in Japan. Davis was something of a disappointment after 190 homers in the states, hitting only 28 in two seasons with Hanshin, (34-35). Barfield played one year for the Giants and hit 26 home runs but only batted .215 at age 33. Horner hit .327 with 31 homers for the Swallows at the age of only 29 but spurned a $3 million offer to stay. Mel Hall played three seasons and hit .278 with 64 homers (age 32-34). "We just don't look fearsome out there in pink and white." - Hall, commenting on his 1994 uniform with Chiba Lotte”.

Total Baseball lists both American player’s observations of playing in Japan and the Japanese view of them.

Americans say that:
- Japanese managers conduct spring training like boot camp, overwork their pitchers, bench players in midgame for one error, overemphasize home runs, resent advice, are too conservative and won’t let Americans excel.
- Japanese players take a half hour batting practice every day, don’t miss signs, don’t dive for fly balls, won’t break up double plays, don’t block the plate, don’t backhand grounders, don’t chew tobacco, carry their own bags and shine their shoes.
- Japanese pitchers throw sidearm and underhand more than in the States, have good curves but mediocre fastballs, won’t throw brushback pitchers, throw 300-500 pitches a day just to stay in shape and (thus) burn out early. (This interests me because I’d heard that Japanese pitchers coming to play in the Major Leagues sometimes have trouble adjusting to our pitching rotations, which have them pitching more often than they normally would: the TB article is from 1989, so things may have changed. )
- Japanese fans eat sushi instead of hot dogs at the game and throw foul balls back.

Japanese say that American players are over-paid, stuck-up and out of shape, won’t work hard, don’t follow orders, play dirty baseball, bait the umpires, are quick to punch opponents, look down of the Japanese, won’t learn the language, don’t like Japanese food, won’t carry their own bags and won’t shine their own shoes.

 

[SWC75]

SAMURAI BASEBALL

Richard Whiting describes what he calls a “Samurai Code of Conduct for Baseball Players” in Japan:

1) The player must be a total team member. He talks about showing up for practice sessions and work-outs at all times of the year, preferably early. It helps if he becomes a loyal customer of the team’s corporate sponsor as well. If you are a “Ham Fighter, you’d better like ham.

2) The player must follow established procedure. The coaches are treated like the masters of judo and karate: they are older, wiser and more experienced and so you must do things their way. “The batter must stand at the plate with his elbows close to his body and his feet not too far apart. He must have a sharp, even swing that just meets the ball as it comes over the plate. He must never ‘bail out’ or swing from the heels…In America, excellence is equated with getting results no matter how unorthodox the form. In Japan it is more important to conform to a set way of doing things .”

3) The player must undergo hard training. “In a Japanese camp, the coaches make the decisions- how many miles a player must run, what exercises he needs to do, how many swings a batter should take, how many pitches a pitcher should throw. Everyone trains together following identical procedures with martial precision.” The American concept of ‘playing your way into shape’ is heresy in Japan.

4) The player must play “For the team”. That means you don’t worry about your own stats. It also means “Player should not dwell on personal illness or fatigue. Those who are tired or injured must do their best to play at peak efficiency anyway for nothing is as important as the success of the team.”

5) The player must demonstrate “Fighting Spirit” You need to learn the team’s fight son. “While most Americans believe that skill, conditioning and experience make a winning athlete, Japanese believe that deficiencies in any of those areas can be compensated for by the kind of fierce, competitive drive that leads a player to disregard his own safety and health. …a mediocre player with fighting spirit can become a good player and a good player with fighting spirit can become a great one. “

6) The player must behave like a gentleman on the field. Ironically, the Japanese consider taking out a second baseman, running over a catcher, throwing brushback pitches, arguing with the umpire or brawling not to be examples of a “fighting spirit”. To them that is “dirty play”.

7) The player must not be materialistic. “This article is usually invoked at contract time…..A professional ballplayer should not allow ideas about money to pollute his mind.”

8) The player must be careful about his comments to the press. Do not “tell it like it is.”

9) The player must follow the rule of sameness. “There is an old saying: The nail that sticks up will be hammered down.” Do not be ‘colorful’. They also don’t like long hair or beards.

10) The player must behave like a good Japanese off the field. Even if you aren’t one. “This means, among other things, that there should be no carousing at night in bars and cabarets, no fooling with girls and no gambling.” Don’t be a “Pepitone”!!!

11) The player must recognize and respect the team pecking order. “At the top of the pyramid is the owner…The manager is the general who runs the overall campaign…The coaches are staff officers.” One manager decided that his team wasn’t showing enough “fighting spirit” and instructed them to slide head first into every base they advanced to- even on walks. They did.

12) The player must strive for team harmony and unity. ”The good team is like a beautiful Japanese Garden. Every tree, every rock, every blade of grass has its place. The smallest part ever so slightly out of place destroys the beauty of the whole.”

Obviously these dictums are no problem for American players. Not.

Total Baseball (speaking in 1989), and Whiting, (1977), discuss some other differences. The average Japanese player is, (was) 5-11 170 and makes the equivalent of $55,000 a year. The average American player is (was) 6-1 190 and makes $200,000/years. The Pacific League averages 21,000 fans a game, the Central League 31,000. The Yomiuri Giants average 46,000. Half the teams played on artificial turf and they built their first domes stadium in 1988, the Tokyo Dome. Ten of the twelve teams are in two metropolitan areas: Tokyo-Yokohama and Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto. Japanese fences are shorter. Major league parks average 330 down the lines and 405 to center. Sadaharu Oh hir most of his 868 home runs at Korakuen Stadium, which was 298 down the lines and 388 to deepest center. This article estimates that about half of Japanese ballparks are of major league size:
http://www.baywell.ne.jp/users/drlatham/baseball/news/essays/oh.htm
The balls are smaller, too, which means they might be able to be hit farther. But season is also shorter: 130 games. And they do ties. No extra innings.

The Japanese, of course, care more about their own players than what the Americans do or think. Here are their favorites:

Eiji Sawamura- As an 17 year old in 1934 he struck out four Hall of Famers in a row: Gehringer, Ruth, Gehrig and Foxx during their famous tour. He lost the game 0-1 when Gehrig hit a late home run. Sawamura became a national hero. Late Connie Mack offered him a contract to pitch in America but anti-American feeling was beginning to run high and Sawamura turned it down with some rather harsh language. Instead Sawamura pitched for the team that became the Yomuiri Giants and went 63-22 with a 1.74 ERA, with 3 no-hitters and a 33-10 record in 1937. The war intervened and Sawamura was killed when his ship was torpedoed in 1944. The Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award is the Eiji Sawamura Award.

Here is a SABR article on Sawamura’s confrontation with Babe Ruth what followed:
http://www.baywell.ne.jp/users/drlatham/baseball/news/essays/oh.htm

Tetsuharu Kawakami- The Japanese love to give players exalted nicknames. “The Georgia Peach” and “The Say Hey Kid” are not enough. Kawakami was “The God of Batting”. He had the highest batting average in Japanese history with .377 in 1951, (on the whole, Japanese batting averages seem slightly subdued compare to the top American averages). He hit .313 in a twenty year career with the Giants, (1938-58). He then became their manager and won 11 pennants in 14 years and 9 Japanese Series in a row from 1965-73. The most consecutive championships by any American professional sports team is 8 in a row by the Boston Celtics. The Yankees and Montreal Canadiens have both won 5 championships in a row. The Packers hold the NFL record with 3 in a row, which they’ve done twice.

Osamu Mihara and Shigeru Mizuhara were two managers who were compared to the legendary samurai, Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro, who had a famous duel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasaki_Kojirō
Mihara was known as “The Magic Manager”. They went to rival high schools and then rival colleges. In 1931 Mizuhara was pitching when Mihara stole home to win the collegiate title in front of 65,000 people. They played together for the Japanese All-Stars against the American all-Stars in 1934. Then became rivals again in the new Japanese Professional Baseball League. Mihara joined the service when the fighting began while Mizuhara continued playing and was MVP in 1942. Eventually he was drafted and wound up a Russian POW, an experience that ended his playing days. Mihara became the Giant’s manager and led them to the championship in 1949. Mizuhara was released by the Russians and showed up in training camp with the announcement “I am Mizuhara. I have returned”. He was immediately made manager. Mihara left to manage the Nakanishi Lions. Mizuhara managed the Giants to championships in 1951-53 and 1955. But Mihara built his team into champions, beating Mizuhara’s Giants in the Japan series from 1956-58, including a comeback from an 0-3 deficit in the latter year. In 1960, he took over the Taiyo Whales, who had finished last for 6 straight years and beat the Giants out by 4 ½ games for the pennant and swept the Daimai Orions in the series for his fifth championship. Mizuhara may have been Mizuhara but Mihara was Mihara.

Futoshi Nakanishi- Leo Durocher called him “The Japanese Hack Wilson”. Like Hack, he was short and squat: 5-8 but 205 with great power. He hit a 530 foot homer in 1953 that was considered the longest in Japanese history. He had 36 homers and 36 steals that season and led the Pacific league in RBIs and runs scored. He missed the Triple Crown by four points, hitting .314. In 1955 he won the batting tile and the home run title but came up one short in RBIs: .332-35-98. In 1956 he led in homers, (29), and RBIs, (95), but barely missed the batting title, .3246 to .3251 In 1958 he again won the batting and home run titles but missed the RBI title by one: .314-23-84. He never did win the Triple Crown and became one of several Japanese stars to suffer shortened careers by adhering to the ethic of playing through injuries. When he finally quit he’d hit .307 lifetime with 244 home runs- the exact career numbers of Hack Wilson.

Katsuya Nomura- An incredible iron-man. He played from 1954 to 1980 and caught 2,918 games- more than 1,000 more than Bob Boone, the US record holder. . he also hit 657 home runs, including 52 in 1963. He won the triple crown in 1965(.320-42-110), with the help of Japanese pitchers who walked American Daryl Spencer, (who wound up with 38). He learned much of what he knew from his idol, Roy Campanella when the Dodgers toured Japan in 1956. “An intelligent catcher, Nomura played each game in his head, pitch by pitch, the night before. Batters swore he could read their minds.”

Sachio Kinugasa- Another iron man who broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record a decade before Cal Ripken did. H stopped at 2,215 so Cal owns the world record at 2,632. He also topped Gehrig in home runs at 504 but wasn’t as great an all-round hitter, hitting only .270 lifetime. Kinugasa is a “GI Baby”, (his father was black, and Kinugasa said He’s like someday to find his father. A teammate said, “Keep playing like that and your father will find you.”

Isao Harimoto- He was born in Korean but raised in Hiroshima and was being carried outside the city by his mother when the bomb hit. Per TB, “She shielded him but his sister was killed”. He grew up to be the first Japanese player to get 3,000 hits. Two of his fingers got severally burned and he started out as Japan’s Pete Gray, at least in practice. “For five years his coach pitched 500 balls a day to him and Harimoto took 500 one-handed swings a day until suddenly, at the age of 25, he found he could get around even against Yutaka Enatsu, perhaps the fastest pitcher ever in Japan. ….Harimoto used a ‘level-up’ swing- the bat was level until it hit the ball, then went sharply up in the follow-through.“

Yutaka Fukumoto- The Ty Cobb of Japan, stealing 1,062 in his career and leading the league 13 straight times, with a high of 106 in 122 games. He also led the league in runs scored 10 times, triple 8 times, walks 6 times, hits 4 times and doubles 3 times. The Hankyu braves won six pennants in his career and insured his legs for a half million dollars. Don Blasingame said he would have stolen on Johnny Bench.

Masaichi Kaneda- The only Japanese pitcher to win 400 games, (exactly: 400-298), he was called “The Emperor”, a name the Japanese don’t bestow lightly. In 1958 he went 31-14. His team, the Yakult Swallows, were 27-54 without him. He broke Walter Johnson’s strike-out mark by almost 1,000 (4,490) before Nolan Ryan broke Kaneda’s mark by over 1,000. But Kaneda’s mark of 64 consecutive scoreless innings.

Kazauhisa Inao- He was known as “Tetsu Wan”, or “Iron Arm”. But he became a poster-boy for Japanese pitcher burn-out. From 1957-59 he went 35-6, 33-10 and 30-15. In 1958 he won four games in the Japan Series, leading the Nishitetsu Lions to a 4-3 win over the Yomiuri Giants. Two years later he topped that with an incredible 42-14 with 353 strike-outs and a 1.69 ERA. He started having arm problems, made a comeback as a relief pitcher and finished 276-137.

Tadashi Sugiura- But the greatest season a Japanese pitcher ever had was Sugiura’s in 1959. He was a sizzling 38-4 with 336 strike-outs and a 1.40 ERA. He also won all four games in the Japan Series as the Nanaki Hawks swept the Giants, 4-0.(Yes, he pitched in every game of the series.) His arm gave out, as well, and he finished 187-106.

Yutaka Enatsu- In 1968, he struck out amazing 401 batter sin 329 innings. He was 20 years old at the time. He seemed to have a hex on the Yomiuri Giants, the only pitcher who could get out Nagashima and Oh consistently. TB: “Enatsu was a free spirit who rebelled against the strict samurai-style workouts, saying he wanted to save himself for the season- the way they worked him, he was probably right. To dramatize his revolt one spring, he lay down in the outfield and went to sleep while the other pitchers ran. “ He had elbow trouble and came back as “Japan’s greatest relief ace” , eventually setting records with 34 saves in a seasons and 193 for a career.

Masanori Murakami- The Nankai Hawks decided to send some players to train in the US minor leagues. They played for the San Francisco Giants’ farm team Fresno of the California League in 1964. Murakami was a big hit. He pitched well, (11-7), and did things like bowing to fielders who had made good plays behind him. He had a perpetual smile on his face. He was supposed to return to Japan but the Giants considered him to be their property and called him up. He made his debut in Shea Stadium before 50,000 fans and pitched one shut=put inning in relief. Over two seasons he went 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA and 100 strike-outs in only 89 innings. But the Hawks had challenged the Giants for the right to his services and he returned to Japan, having been the first Japanese player to ever play in the major leagues, the precursor to Ichiro Suzuki, HIdeki Matsu, Hideo Nomo, Daisuke Matsuzaka and others decades later. When he returned to Japan he was expected to re-write the record book but didn’t, going 103-82, causing many to wonder how big the difference really was between the Japanese and US Leagues.

Shigeo Nagashima- The most famous Japanese player to the rest of the world is Sadaharu Oh but the big name in Japan was Shigeo Nagashima. Nagashima’s numbers were excellent: he hit .305 lifetime with 444 home runs. He led the league in home runs twice, RBI’s five times, six batting titles and five MVPs, a pretty good haul for someone with Oh on his team all but one of those years. He was called “Mr. Giant and “The Burning Man” for the intensity of his play. “His years of greatness coincided with Japan’s dramatic economic surge, a period of national pride he seemed to symbolize.

He hit the most famous home run in Japan’s history. In 1959 the Emperor and Empress attended their first baseball game but let it be known that they would be leaving precisely at 9:40. At precisely 9:40 Nagashima hit the game winning “sayonara”, (walk-off) home run. He was also the first baseball player granted an audience with the emperor.

Whiting: “To describe specifically what the name Shigeo Nagashima means to the Japanese would be impossible…Of all sports heroes in the world, only Brazil’s Pele can approach Nagashima’s stature….On the field he could run, throw and hit with power and he displayed a youthful exuberance seldom seen among players who, with samurai stoicism, kept their emotions under tight control. As a third baseman, Nagashima had no peers. He had the cat-like quickness of a Brooks Robinson plus a lightening arm. At bat his timing was superb. He was an aggressive hitter who thrived on pressure. When there was a crucial game to be won, it was usually Nagashima’s bat that powered the Giants to victory in the late innings.”

When Oh had his greatest season in 1964, the big story of the year was Nagashima’s marriage after years of speculation over who would get the honor of being his wife. Ten years later Oh won an unprecedented second straight triple crown but again the big story was Nagashima, who decided to retire and did so in a ceremony compared to Lou Gehrig Day at Yankee Stadium, complete with a tearful speech and fans begging him to keep playing.

It’s often said that Nagashima, who batted fourth behind Oh, was Gehrig to Oh’s Ruth. In terms of popularity it was the opposite. TB: “Even Oh admitted that Nagashima was the first Japanese to realize that the game belongs to the fans. Early on, Oh realized that he would never be able to rival Nagashima in popularity and that he would have to concentrate on setting records instead.”

Sadaharu Oh- And set records he did. Nagashima may have been the most popular player but there can be no doubt who was the greatest Japanese player of all time. Sadaharu Oh is the world home run king with 868 in 22 seasons, over 100 more than Barry Bonds, (and his head remained the same shape). He set the Japanese single-season record of 55 in 1964. He also hit 51 in 1973 and 50 in 1977 at age 37. He topped the 40 mark ten other times. He won 15 home run titles, including 13 in a row and led the league in RBIs and runs scored 13 times each. He hit .301 lifetime with 2,170 RBIs and 1,970 runs scored. He was walked 2,390 times. Clete Boyer said he combined the strength of Aaron and the eyes of Williams.

TB: “Oh’s homers were the result of his samurai dedication, his mastery of the martial arts of aikido and kend, (swordsmanship), and thousands of hours of work with his devoted coach Hiroshi Arakawa…Akido taught Oh patience at the plat. Kendo taught him hip action, a downward swing (the fastest path to the ball), and focusing ’ki’, or energy, from the shoulders to the “sweet” part of the bat.”

Oh is famous for lifting his right leg as the pitch came toward him. He was taught to do this by Arakawa. He’d had a hitch in his wing and by lifting his leg, it disappeared. He’s been compared to Mel Ott but Ott used to kick his leg out. Oh’s leg goes straight up:
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/pics/Ott_Mel.gif

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20050630180237/uncyclopedia/images/d/dd/Sadaharu_Oh.jpg

Here’s an article that tries to estimate what Oh’s numbers would be if he played in America:
http://baseballguru.com/jalbright/analysisjalbright12.html (part one)

http://baseballguru.com/jalbright/analysisjalbright13.html (part two)

Hank Aaron vs. Sadaharu Oh:
It was 1974 and Hank won 10 homers to 9. And article about the contest:
http://baseballguru.com/jholway/analysisjholway35.html

Last year Oh’s home run record was finally broken, and by a gaijin, although not an American:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wladimir_Balentien
The Japanese will find, as the Americans did that a player’s reputation is based on more than numbers and that when a famous player’s records get broken, he isn’t forgotten. He’s remembered.

Maybe it is time Cooperstown looked to great players who played their baseball in other countries to determine if some of them belong in the Hall of Fame. Maybe instead of the “National” Baseball Hall of Fame it should become the “International” Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

[SWC75]

RUNS AND BASES

1950 National League

Runs Produced
Del Ennis PHI 187
Carl Furillo BRO 187
Stan Musial STL 186
Duke Snider BRO 185
Earl Torgeson BOS 184
Ralph Kiner PIT 183
Gil Hodges BRO 179
Bob Elliott BOS 177
Enos Slaughter STL 173
Jackie Robinson BRO 166

Bases Produced
Ralph Kiner PIT 447
Stan Musial STL 423
Duke Snider BRO 417
Earl Torgeson BOS 406
Del Ennis PHI 386
Andy Pafko CHI 377
Eddie Stanky NY 370
Gil Hodges BRO 364
Jackie Robinson BRO 351
Sid Gordon BOS 348

1950 American League

Runs Produced
Vern Stephens BOS 239
Yogi Berra NY 212
Walt Dropo BOS 211
George Kell DET 207
Joe DiMaggio NY 204
Bobby Doerr BOS 196
Vic Wertz DET 195
Dom DiMaggio BOS 194
Larry Doby CLE 187
Phil Rizzuto NY 184

Bases Produced
Al Rosen CLE 406
Vic Wertz DET 389
Joe DiMaggio NY 387
Vern Stephens BOS 387
George Kell DET 379
Eddie Yost WAS 379
Larry Doby CLE 378
Yogi Berra NY 377
Phil Rizzuto NY 375
Bobby Doerr BOS 374

1951 National League

Runs Produced
Stan Musial STL 200
Monte Irvin NY 191
Ralph Kiner PIT 191
Gil Hodges BRO 181
Sid Gordon BOS 176
Jackie Robinson BRO 175
Alvin Dark NY 169
Duke Snider BRO 168
Carl Furillo BRO 168
Pee Wee Reese BRO 168

Bases Produced
Ralph Kiner PIT 472
Stan Musial STL 457
Gil Hodges BRO 409
Jackie Robinson BRO 393
Monte Irvin NY 388
Earl Torgeson BOS 376
Duke Snider BRO 369
Bobby Thomson NY 369
Sid Gordon BOS 357
Sam Jethroe BOS 355

1951 American League

Runs Produced
Ted Williams BOS 205
Gus Zernial PHI 188
Minnie Minoso CHI 178
Eddie Robinson CHI 173
Dom DiMaggio BOS 173
Eddie Joost PHI 166
Eddie Yost WAS 162
Irv Noren WAS 160
Al Rosen CLE 160
Vic Wertz DET 153

Bases Produced
Ted Williams BOS 440
Eddie Yost WAS 373
Eddie Joost PHI 371
Minnie Minoso CHI 368
Eddie Robinson CHI 358
Gus Zernial PHI 357
Al Rosen CLE 348
Dom DiMaggio BOS 344
Larry Doby CLE 334
Vic Wertz DET 334

1952 National League

Runs Produced
Del Ennis PHI 177
Stan Musial STL 175
Hank Sauer CHI 173
Bobby Thomson NY 173
Enos Slaughter STL 163
Jackie Robinson BRO 160
Gil Hodges BRO 157
Duke Snider BRO 151
Alvin Dark NY 151
Red Schoendienst STL 151

Bases Produced
Stan Musial STL 414
Hank Sauer CHI 379
Ralph Kiner PIT 371
Jackie Robinson BRO 367
Gil Hodges BRO 363
Bobby Thomson NY 350
Solly Hemus STL 339
Del Ennis PHI 334
Sid Gordon NY 329
Duke Snider BRO 326

1952 American League

Runs Produced
Al Rosen CLE 178
Larry Doby CLE 176
Yogi Berra NY 165
Eddie Robinson CHI 161
Mickey Mantle NY 157
Jackie Jensen WAS 155
Eddie Joost PHI 149
Gus Zernial PHI 147
Dave Philley PHI 144
Minnie Minoso PHI 144

Bases Produced
Al Rosen CLE 380
Larry Doby CLE 376
Mickey Mantle 370
Eddie Joost PHI 351
Eddie Robinson CHI 349
Eddie Yost WAS 344
Ferris Fain PHI 339
Minnie Minoso CHI 334
Bobby Avila CLE 327
Yogi Berra NY 323

1953 National League

Runs Produced
Duke Snider BRO 216
Stan Musial STL 210
Roy Campanella BRO 204
Eddie Mathews MIL 198
Jackie Robinson BRO 192
Gil Hodges BRO 192
Alvin Dark NY 191
Jim Gilliam BRO 182
Ralph Kiner CHI 181
Gus Bell CIN 177

Bases Produced
Stan Musial STL 469
Duke Snider BRO 468
Eddie Mathews MIL 463
Ralph Kiner PIT 390
Roy Campanella BRO 388
Ted Kluszewski CIN 382
Jim Gilliam BRO 372
Gus Bell CIN 368
Gil Hodges BRO 362
Alvin Dark NY 351

1953 American League

Runs Produced
Al Rosen CLE 217
Mickey Vernon WAS 201
Minnie Minoso CHI 193
Ray Boone DET 182
Mickey Mantle NY 176
Larry Doby CLE 165
Yogi Berra NY 161
Jackie Jensen WAS 161
Nellie Fox CHI 161
Gil McDougald NY 155

Bases Produced
Al Rosen CLE 460
Mickey Vernon WAS 382
Gus Zernial PHI 372
Minnie Minoso CHI 358
Eddie Yost WAS 358
Larry Doby CLE 349
Ray Boone DET 333
Dave Philley PHI 327
Eddie Robinson PHI 318
Harvey Kuenn DET 318

1954 National League

Runs Produced
Stan Musial STL 211
Duke Snider BRO 210
Ted Kluszewski CIN 196
Gil Hodges BRO 194
Willie Mays NY 188
Gus Bell CIN 188
Ray Jablonski STL 172
Red Schoendienst STL 172
Wally Moon STL 170
Del Ennis PHI 167

Bases Produced
Duke Snider BRO 468
Stan Musial STL 463
Willie Mays NY 451
Ted Kluszewski CIN 446
Gil Hodges BRO 412
Eddie Mathews NIL 410
Hank Sauer CHI 365
Wally Moon STL 365
Pee Wee Reese BRO 350
Ralph Kiner CHI 349

1954 American League

Runs Produced
Minnie Minoso CHI 216
Mickey Mantle NY 204
Yogi Berra NY 191
Larry Doby CLE 188
Jackie Jensen BOS 184
Mickey Vernon WAS 167
Bobby Avila CLE 164
Jim Busby WAS 156
Nellie Fox CHI 156
Chico Carrasquel CHI 156

Bases Produced
Minnie Minoso CHI 399
Mickey Mantle NY 392
Ted Williams BOS 381
Jackie Jensen BOS 375
Larry Doby CLE 367
Mickey Vernon WAS 356
Eddie Yost WAS 343
Yogi Berra NY 341
Bobby Avila CLE 333
Ray Boone DET 328

Cumulative Rankings
(10 points for finishing 1st in a league, 9 for second, etc.)

Run Production

Honus Wagner (1897-1917) 137
Ty Cobb (1905-28) 126
Cap Anson (1871-97) 119
Lou Gehrig (1923-39) 111
Babe Ruth (1914-35) 109

Stan Musial (1941-63) 103
Sam Crawford (1899-1917) 96
Rogers Hornsby (1915-37) 89
Ted Williams (1939-60) 88
Mel Ott (1926-47) 85

Tris Speaker (1907-28) 81
Joe Medwick (1932-48) 79
Joe DiMaggio (1936-51) 77
Nap Lajoie (1896-1916) 77
King Kelly (1878-93) 76

Hugh Duffy (1888-1906) 75
Eddie Collins (1906-30) 74
Dan Brouthers (1879-1904) 73
Jimmie Foxx (1925-45) 72
Sherry Magee (1904-19) 68

Bobby Veach (1912-25) 66
Charlie Gehringer (1924-42) 66
Jim O’Rourke (1872-1904) 64
Ed Delahanty (1888-1903) 60
Johnny Mize (1939-53) 57

Base Production

Ty Cobb (1905-28) 129
Babe Ruth(1914-35) 125
Lou Gehrig (1923-39) 120
Honus Wagner (1897-1917) 112
Tris Speaker(1907-28) 110

Mel Ott (1926-47) 107
Stan Musial (1941-63) 106
Rogers Hornsby (1915-37) 98
Ted Williams(1939-60) 96
Jimmie Foxx (1925-45) 96

Cap Anson (1871-97) 91
Billy Hamilton (1888-1901) 89
Eddie Collins (1906-30) 89
Harry Stovey (1880-93) 88
Sam Crawford (1899-1917) 86

Dan Brouthers (1879-1904) 83
Ed Delahanty (1888-1903) 79
Jim O’Rourke (1872-1904) 73
Max Carey (1910-29) 73
Roger Conner (1880-97) 70

Joe DiMaggio (1936-51) 69
Sherry Magee (1904-19) 66
Johnny Mize (1936-53) 64
Ralph Kiner (1946-55) 63
Jesse Burkett (1890-1905) 63

Comment: The most ranking points a player can accumulate in a five year period in a category is 50: leading the league all five years. Stan Musial shot up the rankings by getting 46 ranking points in run production and 47 in base production. He’s still got 8 seasons to do to try to catch Wagner, (who is ahead of him 34 run production points) and Cobb, (who is 23 base production points ahead). But older players tend to miss more games so it will be difficult. Ted Williams lost momentum due to breaking his collarbone in 1950, being in the military service for most of the 1952 and 1953 seasons. He’ll have some productive seasons ahead but, again, will miss a lot of games. The last famous player to miss significant amounts of time to military service will be Willie Mays, who missed most of the 1952 and the entire 1953 seasons, something which will also limit his run at the leaders. There were still top players starting out in the Negro Leagues, such as Mays, Ernie Banks and Henry Aaron But a whole generation of players was coming up who would not have these limitations.

 

[SWC75]

THE PLAYERS

This was the era of the great comparisons. The Yankees, Dodgers and Giants were at the height of their rivalries and their fans loved to argue about not just their teams but about the players at each position. Now that period- and those arguments- is remembered with great nostalgia. There’s no better example of this than Terry Cashman’s son “Willie, Mickey and the Duke”:
This song came out at a time when football had taken over the number one spot as the nation’s favorite sport and basketball was coming on. It helped people appreciate the original national pastime.

When the song came out a friend of mine wondered who the Duke was. He knew of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays but not of DUKE SNIDER. The three of them were the greatest center fielders of the day, baseball’s glamour positon and all three played in New York for teams that won championships and they gave their names and images to the era. But Snider’s image faded a bit. He’d begun his career before Willie and Mickey, (1947 vs. 1951: he was five years older, having been born in 1926), ended it sooner (1964 vs. 1968 and 1973), and his numbers weren’t quite as good, (.295 with 407 home runs vs. .302 with 660 and .298 and 536).He never won the MVP. He wasn’t elected to the Hall of Fame until 1980, sixteen years after he retired. Willie and Mickey were first ballot Hall of Famers and won 5 MVPs between them.

Here is a list of numbers from various seasons of Willie, Mickey and the Duke. See if you can tell which belong to the Duke:

.345BA 41HR 8SB 110RBI 118RS
.306BA 37HR 8SB 99RBI 127RS
.309BA 43HR 9SB 136RBI 126RS
.304BA 49HR 18SB 141RBI 13RS
.341BA 41HR 6SB 130RBI 120RS
.319BA 51HR 24SB 127RBI 123RS
.317BS 52HR 9SB 112RBI 118RS
.321BA 31HR 16SB 107RBI 109RS
.353BA 52HR 10SB 130RBI 132RS
.336BA 42HR 16SB 126RBI 132RS
.365BA 34HR 16SB 94RBI 121RS
.317BA 54HR 12SB 128RBI 131RS

There are four from each player. You can, as Casey Stengel used to say, look then up. I think it makes the point that at their peak, they were comparable players. Snider did not remain at his peak for as long.

Edwin, (he real name), first made a name for himself at Compton High School in LA as a football quarterback who could throw the ball 70 yards. He was also the leading scorer on the basketball team, beating out Pete Rozelle. But his future was in baseball and he signed with the Dodgers and played in their farm system. He showed flashes of both talent and temper. He enlisted in the Navy and stayed for 18 months. There’s a story that he would bet hit shipmates that he could throw a baseball the length of a submarine – about 300 feet-without it hitting anything until it reached the end and that he won those bets. He returned to the Dodgers system where Branch Rickey considered him one of the best talents he had seen, except for a lack of acquaintance with the strike zone. Rickey assigned George Sisler to coach him and he corrected that, for the most part.

Snider went on to become the most consistent run producer for the Boys of Summer. He would have been the unquestioned star of the team if the team didn’t also include the iconic Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella, perhaps the best catcher of all time. They won four MVPs between them. The combination of high expectations and lack of recognition brought out Snider’s lack of maturity. SABR: “His teammates considered Snider a crybaby, a pouter with a personality problem, and a spoiled mama’s boy. Finally even Reese, the mild-mannered team captain, denounced Snider’s behavior, telling him to grow up and stop his moaning.”

He did and had a stretch of five consecutive 40+ home run seasons. He also hit 11 World Series homers and had 26 RBIs in 26 career games. He was a consistent .300 hitter and a superb center fielder with one exception: “Snider’s one defensive shortcoming was with groundballs; he rarely charged them despite repeated admonitions from Reese. Word quickly spread around the league. Runners would not even hesitate at second on a groundball to the outfield, consistently taking the extra base when the ball was hit to Snider, despite his strong throwing arm.”

Despite being a native of Los Angeles, the move to LA didn’t help Snider. The Dodgers moved from intimate Ebbet’s Field into the Los Angeles Coliseum. Actually, they moved into a corner of it. A chain-link screen was set up in what became left field, a sort of unglamorous version of the Green Monster, 250 feet away, (at first the Dodgers wanted two screens- a ball over the first would be a ground rule double and over the second would be a home run but earthquake regulations prevented the erection of a screen in the stands).. They tried to make up for its closeness by putting the right field fence 440 feet from home plate. You practically needed a passport to catch a fly ball to the warning track. Duke was a left handed hitter and his home run output plunged from 40 home runs for fife straight years to 15. He was still able to hit, (.312 the first year and .308 the second) but his big power years were over.

He was also hampered by back and leg injuries sustained in an auto accident, (even there he was overshadowed by Roy Campanella, who became a figure of great public sympathy for his more serious injuries). He also hurt his arm trying to win a bet that he could throw a baseball out of the Coliseum. The Dodgers finally moved out of the massive arena for the baseball-purposed gem of Dodger Stadium. But that was in a valley where the air was dead and the ball couldn’t carry. By this time Duke was 35 and a shadow of the player he had been. The Dodgers traded him to the Mets in 1963, a homecoming of sorts but to a comically bad team after years of being in championship contention. The final ignominy was a trade to the Giants for the 1964 season. Not only did he have to put on the uniform of the hated rival but he was now a reserve outfielder behind his old rival, Willie Mays. He played 91 games, hit .210 with 4 home runs and retired. He went on to become a broadcaster for the Padres and then the Expos, (he’s played in Montreal in the late 40’s. He was finally elected to the Hall of Fame and then Cashman’s tune came out and he was once again linked to Willie and Mickey as an equal.

The second great debate was between the two great catchers, ROY CAMPANELLA and YOGI BERRA. The way you tell the defensive importance of a positon is to check the willingness of mangers to play players who contribute little offensively to the team in that spot. Pitchers are obviously the most valuable but pitching is a team sport. A staff of 10-12 players carries the load. Shortstops used to be a positon where a non-hitter could play regularly because he makes the most difficult plays in the infield. That spot and catching were the rivals for the position where managers would be most willing to play offensively unproductive players. These days managers want offense from their shortstop. But they are still willing to have weak-hitting catchers because they are involved in every play, prevent passed balls, throw out runners, guard the plate and handle pitchers. There’s no other fielder who does more than that or even as much. A catcher who does those things well and can hit is automatically going to be one of the most valuable players in the league. If his team wins the pennant, there’s your MVP. The Yankees and Dodgers both had that kind of catcher and each of them won three MVP awards, more than Willie, Mickey and the Duke combined for.

Looking at their records, the difference between them is consistency. Campy in his MVP years, (every odd one from 1951-55) hit .325 with 33 homers and 108 RBIs, .312 with 41 homers and 142 RBIs and .318 with 32 homers and 107 RBIs. At his best, he was probably the greatest catcher in major league history, (Josh Gibson was the greatest ever). But he followed up each of those years with .269-22-97, .207-19-51 and .219-20-73.

It’s difficult for a catcher to maintain high offensive production because of the many injuries they suffer. They are noted for playing with pain because the team needs them in there. In 1952 a foul tip chipped a bone in his left elbow. He played with it for ten days before it had to be put in a cast. In 1954 he injured his left wrist breaking up a double play in spring training and suffered nerve damaged that caused numbness and made it hard to grip the bat. In 1956 he broke a thumb when it got hit by a bat.

There were complaints that the pudgy Campanella wasn’t always in shape, either. But he was amazingly agile and durable, (in the Negro Leagues he’s said to have caught four games in one day!). He also had the greatest throwing arm any catcher ever had. He threw out 57% of the baserunners who attempted to steal on him, the highest percentage ever.

Casey Stengel was once asked for the secret of his success. He said it was because he never played a game without “my man”. He didn’t elaborate but the writer looked at the box scores and realized that Casey always got Berra into the game, either catching, playing left field, pinch-hitting, etc. he was Stengel’s “man”. Berra’s MVPs were in 1951, 1954 and 1955. His best year statistically was actually 1950, (.322-28-124). He never hit for quite as much power as Campanella in his best years but he still accumulated 358 lifetime home runs and had over 100 RBI’s five times. He never seemed to have a bad season, despite the dangers of his positon. He hit at least .271 fifteen times, never hit more than 30 homers but hit over 20 eleven times. He had at least 80 RBIs eleven times in a row.

Of course he didn’t have to start his career in the Negro Leagues and didn’t get paralyzed in an auto accident. But he was still a key player for 14 pennant winning teams who won 10 World Series, both the most of any player in history.

Bill James, in his first Historical Baseball Abstract, chose Campenella the greatest catcher in major league history in peak value and Berra the greatest in career value. “If Roy Campanella had been healthy for three or four more years, there would be no doubt about who was the greatest catcher of all time….Yogi Berra was more valuable to his team over the course of his career than any other catcher.” In his new HBA, James doesn’t use peak or career value. He has Yogi #1, then Johnny Bench #2, then Roy at #3.

PHIL RIZZUTO grew up in Brooklyn and was a Dodger fan. In 1935, he heard the Dodgers were holding try-outs and he showed up with hopes of being signed by them. He was the smallest man in camp but the fastest. Still, Dodger manager Casey Stengel told him to “go get a shoeshine box”. He played well in high school and got a try-out in Yankee Stadium before their famous scout Paul Kritchell in 1937. On his recommendation, they signed Phil despite his lack of size. He worked his way up the Yankee chain, hitting .347 on 201 hits, stealing 35 bases and scoring 124 runs for their Kansas City farm team in 1939. He was named Minor League Player of the Year. He took over shortstop from the fading Frank Crosetti in 1941 and remained their shortstop for 15 years, except for his war service. He not only won the AL MVP award in 1950 but finished second in 1949. He’s the only MVP to lead his league in sacrifice bunts.

He was a superior fielder. Jerry Coleman who played second base next to him for eight years: ““He didn’t have a great arm, but he had a great pair of hands and he never made a mistake. . . . The only other shortstops I’d put in his class were Ozzie Smith and Luis Aparicio.” Stengel was glad he wasn’t at a shoeshine stand: “the greatest shortstop I ever saw. He can’t hit with Honus Wagner, but I’ve seen him make plays that old Dutchman couldn’t.” RIzzuto set records for consecutive games and fielding chances without an error. He was well appreciated by contemporary observers, not only faring well in the MVP voting but also winning the Hickok Belt and the nation’s top professional athlete in 1950. He was in five all-star games and was named the major league’s best shortstop by the Sporting News every year from 1950-53. He was even the first “mystery guest” celebrity on the premiere show of “What’s My Line?”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJaMgC5ht0k

But all good things come to an end. Unfortunately, Phil’s playing career came to a painful one. Wikipedia: “Late in the 1956 season, the Yankees re-acquired Enos Slaughter, who had been with the team in 1954–55, and asked Rizzuto to meet with the front office to discuss adjustments to the upcoming postseason roster. They then asked Rizzuto to look over the list of Yankee players and suggest which ones might be cut to make room for Slaughter. For each name Rizzuto mentioned, a reason was given as to why that player needed to be kept. Finally, Rizzuto realized that the expendable name was his own. He called former teammate George Stirnweiss, who told him to refrain from "blasting" the Yankees because it might cost him a non-playing job later. Rizzuto said many times that following Stirnweiss' advice was probably the best move he ever made.”

Indeed it was. He became the Yankee’s broadcaster for the next 40 seasons. That kept his name alive and eventually got him into the Hall of Fame in 1994. Bill James discusses the campaign to get him into Cooperstown at length in his book “The Politics of Glory”. He cites it as an example of how a Hall of Fame campaign can snowball. When Phil “retired” from playing ball, James points out, “Many articles were written then, summarizing Rizzuto’s fine career. None of them, that I have ever seen, suggested that he might be a Hall of Famer.”

James felt that PEE WEE REESE’S credentials were actually much better. ironically, It was the election of Reese in 1984 that began the campaign to get Rizzuto in, since they had been exact contemporaries and, with their alliterative names, they had been linked so many times in debates over who was superior. While Rizzuto played from 1941-56 with three years in the service, Reese played from 1940-58 and also missed three years in the service. Reese played in 505 more games, had a batting average that was slightly worse, (.269 vs. .273), but hit 126 home runs vs. 38, stole 232 bases to 149, produced 1,615 more bases and 695 more runs. He was a ten time all-star and the captain of the great Brooklyn Dodger teams. He was never MVP but finished in the top ten in the voting 8 times and was an All-star 10 times.

Bill James has determined who he thinks would have won Gold Gloves before the awards began, (1957). He credits Rizzuto with four of them, Reese with 3. He calls Reese “the best career leadoff man among the shortstops”. In his first HBA, he said “While Rizzuto might have been a great player, strong evidence does not survive in the statistics: the case for Reese is much better…Reese’s offensive stats are quite a bit better.”

Just as Rizzuto could have been a Dodger, Reese could have been a Red Sox. He was playing for the Louisville Colonels of the American Association when the Red Sox bought the club. Joe Cronin was Boston’s player-manager and didn’t feel like retiring so he had no interest in Reese, who played the same positon. Pee Wee wound up with the Dodgers, who also had a shortstop-manager in Leo Durocher. But Leo was willing to step aside for Reese, who became one of the iconic Dodgers of the era.

Reese’s involvement in gaining acceptance for the black players on the team has been well documented. At his funeral in 1999, former Dodger reliever Joe Back said "Pee Wee helped make my boyhood dream come true to play in the majors, the World Series. When Pee Wee reached out to Jackie, all of us in the Negro League smiled and said it was the first time that a white guy had accepted us. When I finally got up to Brooklyn, I went to Pee Wee and said, 'Black people love you. When you touched Jackie, you touched all of us.' With Pee Wee, it was No. 1 on his uniform and No. 1 in our hearts."


Two third basemen playing for teams named after Native Americans began great careers in the early 50’s. One was able to sustain it: the other not. AL ROSEN was born in 1924 and spent four years in the Navy before his baseball career ever got underway. He became lieutenant and “navigated an assault boat in the initial landings on Okinawa in the bitter battle for that island”, (Wikipedia). Then he spent several years in the Indian’s farm system behind Ken Keltner, the guy who ended Joe DiMaggio’s famous hitting streak. He finally got his shot in 1950 and took full advantage of it, hitting .287 with 100 walks, 37 homers, 116 RBIs and 100 runs scored. He slipped a bit the next two years but led the Al in RBIs with 105 in 1953.

Then, in 1953, he had what Bill James considers “probably the greatest season that any third baseman ever had. He hit .336 with 43 home runs, 145 RBIs, drew 85 walks, led the league in RBI by 30, led the league in assists, double plays and total chances per game. He lost the Triple Crown on the last day of the season, becoming the first man to be unanimously chosen MVP.” He also led the league with 115 runs scored. In his new HBA, James points out that Rosen’s “career average of RBI per game played (111 RBI per 162 games), is the best of any third baseman in history”.

SABR: “Rosen, an expert boxer, took no guff from anyone on the playing field and players avoided most confrontations with him. One time, someone on the Chicago White Sox called Rosen a Jew bastard. Rosen walked over to the Chisox dugout and calmly asked whoever called him that name to step forward. No one accepted his invitation.”

After 1953, Rosen’s numbers started to fade due to injuries, including a back injury he received in an auto accident, (baseball players in cars….). When the Indians wanted to reduce his salary after the 1956 season, he decided to retire at age 32.

EDDIE MATHEWS came on the scene in 1952, the last year of the Boston Braves. He had a promising first season at age 20, hitting 25 home runs but batting only .242. The next year, (also 1953), he had another one of those the greatest season a third baseman ever had, hitting .302 with 47 home runs, 135 RBIs and 110 runs scored. He finished second in the MVP voting to Roy Campanella. But he was first in the hearts of his new fans in Milwaukee and appeared, swinging mightily, at a ball on the cover of the first ever Sports Illustrated in 1954 in what is now an iconic image:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9d/Sportsillustrated_firstissue.jpg

He had better luck with his health than Rosen and went on to a career that has been compared to Mike Schmidt’s. He hit over 40 home runs four times and wound up with 512. He led the league in walks four times and batted .271 lifetime. He had 100+ RBIs five times and scored 100 runs eight times. Mike was the better fielder and got 3 MVP’s. Eddie never did get one, having to compete with Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Ernie Banks and his own teammate, Hank Aaron who came to overshadow him.

But Bill Jenkinson noticed him. He lists Eddie as the #29 power hitter of all time. Like Mickey Mantle, (who was born a week after Eddie in 1931), Mathew’s biggest clout came in 1953. He hit a ball at Wrigley Field that “cleared the third step-up atop the right the right centerfield bleachers and flew 500 feet.” He also hit a 485 foot “to a hill beside the grandstand in right” in Milwaukee in 1955, a 475 footer “onto towering grandstand roof in right” in Pittsburgh in 1960 and many others. Oh, and Mrs. Bill James listed Eddie as the “handsomest player of the 1950’s”, tied with Mickey Mantle.

Besides being a power-hitting first baseman for an “Indian” team in the 1950’s, Eddie shared another trait with Al Rosen. SABR: “He was one of the toughest men in the National League and drew almost as much attention for his fighting prowess as for his hitting. On August 1, 1954, after Brooklyn pitcher Clem Labine hit Milwaukee’s Joe Adcock in the head with a fastball, the Braves’ Gene Conley retaliated by knocking down Jackie Robinson. Later that inning, Robinson slid into third with his spikes high and found himself in a fistfight with Mathews. In August of 1960, Frank Robinson of the Cincinnati Reds slammed into Eddie at third and received the same response. “Eddie hit him with three punches that not even Muhammad Ali could have stopped,” recalled teammate Warren Spahn years later. “Eddie was a tough competitor and a tough guy. He didn’t back down from anybody.” Another beanball war against the Dodgers in 1956 ended with Eddie pummeling rookie pitcher Don Drysdale.”

“With Eddie, you never worried about anything,” said former Braves teammate Lew Burdette. “If somebody charged the mound when you were pitching, you knew he was going to be there. Eddie used to tell me, ‘Let the son of a gun charge you and get the hell out of the way.’” Mathews’ tenacity, as well as his willingness to protect his teammates at all times, made him one of the most respected players in the National League during the 1950s.” Al and Eddie: both could hit with power.


The final comparison is between EDDIE JOOST and EDDIE YOST. Eddie Joost played shortstop for 17 for the Reds, Red Sox and A’s. He only hit .239 lifetime but drew tons of walks, as many as 149 in a season. His lifetime on base percentage was .361. He also hit for some power with 134 lifetime home runs. Eddie Yost played third base for 18 years for the Senators, Tigers and Angels. He hit only .254 lifetime but walked even more than Joost, leading the league in walks six times and accumulating a .394 lifetime on base percentage. He too, had some power with 139 home runs. I assume they were two different people but it’s hard to tell.

 

[Opus]

THE PLAYERS

This was the era of the great comparisons. The Yankees, Dodgers and Giants were at the height of their rivalries and their fans loved to argue about not just their teams but about the players at each position. Now that period- and those arguments- is remembered with great nostalgia. There’s no better example of this than Terry Cashman’s son “Willie, Mickey and the Duke”:
This song came out at a time when football had taken over the number one spot as the nation’s favorite sport and basketball was coming on. It helped people appreciate the original national pastime.

When the song came out a friend of mine wondered who the Duke was. He knew of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays but not of DUKE SNIDER. The three of them were the greatest center fielders of the day, baseball’s glamour positon and all three played in New York for teams that won championships and they gave their names and images to the era. But Snider’s image faded a bit. He’d begun his career before Willie and Mickey, (1947 vs. 1951: he was five years older, having been born in 1926), ended it sooner (1964 vs. 1968 and 1973), and his numbers weren’t quite as good, (.295 with 407 home runs vs. .302 with 660 and .298 and 536).He never won the MVP. He wasn’t elected to the Hall of Fame until 1980, sixteen years after he retired. Willie and Mickey were first ballot Hall of Famers and won 5 MVPs between them.

Here is a list of numbers from various seasons of Willie, Mickey and the Duke. See if you can tell which belong to the Duke:

.345BA 41HR 8SB 110RBI 118RS
.306BA 37HR 8SB 99RBI 127RS
.309BA 43HR 9SB 136RBI 126RS
.304BA 49HR 18SB 141RBI 13RS
.341BA 41HR 6SB 130RBI 120RS
.319BA 51HR 24SB 127RBI 123RS
.317BS 52HR 9SB 112RBI 118RS
.321BA 31HR 16SB 107RBI 109RS
.353BA 52HR 10SB 130RBI 132RS
.336BA 42HR 16SB 126RBI 132RS
.365BA 34HR 16SB 94RBI 121RS
.317BA 54HR 12SB 128RBI 131RS

There are four from each player. You can, as Casey Stengel used to say, look then up. I think it makes the point that at their peak, they were comparable players. Snider did not remain at his peak for as long.

Edwin, (he real name), first made a name for himself at Compton High School in LA as a football quarterback who could throw the ball 70 yards. He was also the leading scorer on the basketball team, beating out Pete Rozelle. But his future was in baseball and he signed with the Dodgers and played in their farm system. He showed flashes of both talent and temper. He enlisted in the Navy and stayed for 18 months. There’s a story that he would bet hit shipmates that he could throw a baseball the length of a submarine – about 300 feet-without it hitting anything until it reached the end and that he won those bets. He returned to the Dodgers system where Branch Rickey considered him one of the best talents he had seen, except for a lack of acquaintance with the strike zone. Rickey assigned George Sisler to coach him and he corrected that, for the most part.

Snider went on to become the most consistent run producer for the Boys of Summer. He would have been the unquestioned star of the team if the team didn’t also include the iconic Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella, perhaps the best catcher of all time. They won four MVPs between them. The combination of high expectations and lack of recognition brought out Snider’s lack of maturity. SABR: “His teammates considered Snider a crybaby, a pouter with a personality problem, and a spoiled mama’s boy. Finally even Reese, the mild-mannered team captain, denounced Snider’s behavior, telling him to grow up and stop his moaning.”

He did and had a stretch of five consecutive 40+ home run seasons. He also hit 11 World Series homers and had 26 RBIs in 26 career games. He was a consistent .300 hitter and a superb center fielder with one exception: “Snider’s one defensive shortcoming was with groundballs; he rarely charged them despite repeated admonitions from Reese. Word quickly spread around the league. Runners would not even hesitate at second on a groundball to the outfield, consistently taking the extra base when the ball was hit to Snider, despite his strong throwing arm.”

Despite being a native of Los Angeles, the move to LA didn’t help Snider. The Dodgers moved from intimate Ebbet’s Field into the Los Angeles Coliseum. Actually, they moved into a corner of it. A chain-link screen was set up in what became left field, a sort of unglamorous version of the Green Monster, 250 feet away, (at first the Dodgers wanted two screens- a ball over the first would be a ground rule double and over the second would be a home run but earthquake regulations prevented the erection of a screen in the stands).. They tried to make up for its closeness by putting the right field fence 440 feet from home plate. You practically needed a passport to catch a fly ball to the warning track. Duke was a left handed hitter and his home run output plunged from 40 home runs for fife straight years to 15. He was still able to hit, (.312 the first year and .308 the second) but his big power years were over.

He was also hampered by back and leg injuries sustained in an auto accident, (even there he was overshadowed by Roy Campanella, who became a figure of great public sympathy for his more serious injuries). He also hurt his arm trying to win a bet that he could throw a baseball out of the Coliseum. The Dodgers finally moved out of the massive arena for the baseball-purposed gem of Dodger Stadium. But that was in a valley where the air was dead and the ball couldn’t carry. By this time Duke was 35 and a shadow of the player he had been. The Dodgers traded him to the Mets in 1963, a homecoming of sorts but to a comically bad team after years of being in championship contention. The final ignominy was a trade to the Giants for the 1964 season. Not only did he have to put on the uniform of the hated rival but he was now a reserve outfielder behind his old rival, Willie Mays. He played 91 games, hit .210 with 4 home runs and retired. He went on to become a broadcaster for the Padres and then the Expos, (he’s played in Montreal in the late 40’s. He was finally elected to the Hall of Fame and then Cashman’s tune came out and he was once again linked to Willie and Mickey as an equal.

The second great debate was between the two great catchers, ROY CAMPANELLA and YOGI BERRA. The way you tell the defensive importance of a positon is to check the willingness of mangers to play players who contribute little offensively to the team in that spot. Pitchers are obviously the most valuable but pitching is a team sport. A staff of 10-12 players carries the load. Shortstops used to be a positon where a non-hitter could play regularly because he makes the most difficult plays in the infield. That spot and catching were the rivals for the position where managers would be most willing to play offensively unproductive players. These days managers want offense from their shortstop. But they are still willing to have weak-hitting catchers because they are involved in every play, prevent passed balls, throw out runners, guard the plate and handle pitchers. There’s no other fielder who does more than that or even as much. A catcher who does those things well and can hit is automatically going to be one of the most valuable players in the league. If his team wins the pennant, there’s your MVP. The Yankees and Dodgers both had that kind of catcher and each of them won three MVP awards, more than Willie, Mickey and the Duke combined for.

Looking at their records, the difference between them is consistency. Campy in his MVP years, (every odd one from 1951-55) hit .325 with 33 homers and 108 RBIs, .312 with 41 homers and 142 RBIs and .318 with 32 homers and 107 RBIs. At his best, he was probably the greatest catcher in major league history, (Josh Gibson was the greatest ever). But he followed up each of those years with .269-22-97, .207-19-51 and .219-20-73.

It’s difficult for a catcher to maintain high offensive production because of the many injuries they suffer. They are noted for playing with pain because the team needs them in there. In 1952 a foul tip chipped a bone in his left elbow. He played with it for ten days before it had to be put in a cast. In 1954 he injured his left wrist breaking up a double play in spring training and suffered nerve damaged that caused numbness and made it hard to grip the bat. In 1956 he broke a thumb when it got hit by a bat.

There were complaints that the pudgy Campanella wasn’t always in shape, either. But he was amazingly agile and durable, (in the Negro Leagues he’s said to have caught four games in one day!). He also had the greatest throwing arm any catcher ever had. He threw out 57% of the baserunners who attempted to steal on him, the highest percentage ever.

Casey Stengel was once asked for the secret of his success. He said it was because he never played a game without “my man”. He didn’t elaborate but the writer looked at the box scores and realized that Casey always got Berra into the game, either catching, playing left field, pinch-hitting, etc. he was Stengel’s “man”. Berra’s MVPs were in 1951, 1954 and 1955. His best year statistically was actually 1950, (.322-28-124). He never hit for quite as much power as Campanella in his best years but he still accumulated 358 lifetime home runs and had over 100 RBI’s five times. He never seemed to have a bad season, despite the dangers of his positon. He hit at least .271 fifteen times, never hit more than 30 homers but hit over 20 eleven times. He had at least 80 RBIs eleven times in a row.

Of course he didn’t have to start his career in the Negro Leagues and didn’t get paralyzed in an auto accident. But he was still a key player for 14 pennant winning teams who won 10 World Series, both the most of any player in history.

Bill James, in his first Historical Baseball Abstract, chose Campenella the greatest catcher in major league history in peak value and Berra the greatest in career value. “If Roy Campanella had been healthy for three or four more years, there would be no doubt about who was the greatest catcher of all time….Yogi Berra was more valuable to his team over the course of his career than any other catcher.” In his new HBA, James doesn’t use peak or career value. He has Yogi #1, then Johnny Bench #2, then Roy at #3.

PHIL RIZZUTO grew up in Brooklyn and was a Dodger fan. In 1935, he heard the Dodgers were holding try-outs and he showed up with hopes of being signed by them. He was the smallest man in camp but the fastest. Still, Dodger manager Casey Stengel told him to “go get a shoeshine box”. He played well in high school and got a try-out in Yankee Stadium before their famous scout Paul Kritchell in 1937. On his recommendation, they signed Phil despite his lack of size. He worked his way up the Yankee chain, hitting .347 on 201 hits, stealing 35 bases and scoring 124 runs for their Kansas City farm team in 1939. He was named Minor League Player of the Year. He took over shortstop from the fading Frank Crosetti in 1941 and remained their shortstop for 15 years, except for his war service. He not only won the AL MVP award in 1950 but finished second in 1949. He’s the only MVP to lead his league in sacrifice bunts.

He was a superior fielder. Jerry Coleman who played second base next to him for eight years: ““He didn’t have a great arm, but he had a great pair of hands and he never made a mistake. . . . The only other shortstops I’d put in his class were Ozzie Smith and Luis Aparicio.” Stengel was glad he wasn’t at a shoeshine stand: “the greatest shortstop I ever saw. He can’t hit with Honus Wagner, but I’ve seen him make plays that old Dutchman couldn’t.” RIzzuto set records for consecutive games and fielding chances without an error. He was well appreciated by contemporary observers, not only faring well in the MVP voting but also winning the Hickok Belt and the nation’s top professional athlete in 1950. He was in five all-star games and was named the major league’s best shortstop by the Sporting News every year from 1950-53. He was even the first “mystery guest” celebrity on the premiere show of “What’s My Line?”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJaMgC5ht0k

But all good things come to an end. Unfortunately, Phil’s playing career came to a painful one. Wikipedia: “Late in the 1956 season, the Yankees re-acquired Enos Slaughter, who had been with the team in 1954–55, and asked Rizzuto to meet with the front office to discuss adjustments to the upcoming postseason roster. They then asked Rizzuto to look over the list of Yankee players and suggest which ones might be cut to make room for Slaughter. For each name Rizzuto mentioned, a reason was given as to why that player needed to be kept. Finally, Rizzuto realized that the expendable name was his own. He called former teammate George Stirnweiss, who told him to refrain from "blasting" the Yankees because it might cost him a non-playing job later. Rizzuto said many times that following Stirnweiss' advice was probably the best move he ever made.”

Indeed it was. He became the Yankee’s broadcaster for the next 40 seasons. That kept his name alive and eventually got him into the Hall of Fame in 1994. Bill James discusses the campaign to get him into Cooperstown at length in his book “The Politics of Glory”. He cites it as an example of how a Hall of Fame campaign can snowball. When Phil “retired” from playing ball, James points out, “Many articles were written then, summarizing Rizzuto’s fine career. None of them, that I have ever seen, suggested that he might be a Hall of Famer.”

James felt that PEE WEE REESE’S credentials were actually much better. ironically, It was the election of Reese in 1984 that began the campaign to get Rizzuto in, since they had been exact contemporaries and, with their alliterative names, they had been linked so many times in debates over who was superior. While Rizzuto played from 1941-56 with three years in the service, Reese played from 1940-58 and also missed three years in the service. Reese played in 505 more games, had a batting average that was slightly worse, (.269 vs. .273), but hit 126 home runs vs. 38, stole 232 bases to 149, produced 1,615 more bases and 695 more runs. He was a ten time all-star and the captain of the great Brooklyn Dodger teams. He was never MVP but finished in the top ten in the voting 8 times and was an All-star 10 times.

Bill James has determined who he thinks would have won Gold Gloves before the awards began, (1957). He credits Rizzuto with four of them, Reese with 3. He calls Reese “the best career leadoff man among the shortstops”. In his first HBA, he said “While Rizzuto might have been a great player, strong evidence does not survive in the statistics: the case for Reese is much better…Reese’s offensive stats are quite a bit better.”

Just as Rizzuto could have been a Dodger, Reese could have been a Red Sox. He was playing for the Louisville Colonels of the American Association when the Red Sox bought the club. Joe Cronin was Boston’s player-manager and didn’t feel like retiring so he had no interest in Reese, who played the same positon. Pee Wee wound up with the Dodgers, who also had a shortstop-manager in Leo Durocher. But Leo was willing to step aside for Reese, who became one of the iconic Dodgers of the era.

Reese’s involvement in gaining acceptance for the black players on the team has been well documented. At his funeral in 1999, former Dodger reliever Joe Back said "Pee Wee helped make my boyhood dream come true to play in the majors, the World Series. When Pee Wee reached out to Jackie, all of us in the Negro League smiled and said it was the first time that a white guy had accepted us. When I finally got up to Brooklyn, I went to Pee Wee and said, 'Black people love you. When you touched Jackie, you touched all of us.' With Pee Wee, it was No. 1 on his uniform and No. 1 in our hearts."


Two third basemen playing for teams named after Native Americans began great careers in the early 50’s. One was able to sustain it: the other not. AL ROSEN was born in 1924 and spent four years in the Navy before his baseball career ever got underway. He became lieutenant and “navigated an assault boat in the initial landings on Okinawa in the bitter battle for that island”, (Wikipedia). Then he spent several years in the Indian’s farm system behind Ken Keltner, the guy who ended Joe DiMaggio’s famous hitting streak. He finally got his shot in 1950 and took full advantage of it, hitting .287 with 100 walks, 37 homers, 116 RBIs and 100 runs scored. He slipped a bit the next two years but led the Al in RBIs with 105 in 1953.

Then, in 1953, he had what Bill James considers “probably the greatest season that any third baseman ever had. He hit .336 with 43 home runs, 145 RBIs, drew 85 walks, led the league in RBI by 30, led the league in assists, double plays and total chances per game. He lost the Triple Crown on the last day of the season, becoming the first man to be unanimously chosen MVP.” He also led the league with 115 runs scored. In his new HBA, James points out that Rosen’s “career average of RBI per game played (111 RBI per 162 games), is the best of any third baseman in history”.

SABR: “Rosen, an expert boxer, took no guff from anyone on the playing field and players avoided most confrontations with him. One time, someone on the Chicago White Sox called Rosen a Jew . Rosen walked over to the Chisox dugout and calmly asked whoever called him that name to step forward. No one accepted his invitation.”

After 1953, Rosen’s numbers started to fade due to injuries, including a back injury he received in an auto accident, (baseball players in cars….). When the Indians wanted to reduce his salary after the 1956 season, he decided to retire at age 32.

EDDIE MATHEWS came on the scene in 1952, the last year of the Boston Braves. He had a promising first season at age 20, hitting 25 home runs but batting only .242. The next year, (also 1953), he had another one of those the greatest season a third baseman ever had, hitting .302 with 47 home runs, 135 RBIs and 110 runs scored. He finished second in the MVP voting to Roy Campanella. But he was first in the hearts of his new fans in Milwaukee and appeared, swinging mightily, at a ball on the cover of the first ever Sports Illustrated in 1954 in what is now an iconic image:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9d/Sportsillustrated_firstissue.jpg

He had better luck with his health than Rosen and went on to a career that has been compared to Mike Schmidt’s. He hit over 40 home runs four times and wound up with 512. He led the league in walks four times and batted .271 lifetime. He had 100+ RBIs five times and scored 100 runs eight times. Mike was the better fielder and got 3 MVP’s. Eddie never did get one, having to compete with Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Ernie Banks and his own teammate, Hank Aaron who came to overshadow him.

But Bill Jenkinson noticed him. He lists Eddie as the #29 power hitter of all time. Like Mickey Mantle, (who was born a week after Eddie in 1931), Mathew’s biggest clout came in 1953. He hit a ball at Wrigley Field that “cleared the third step-up atop the right the right centerfield bleachers and flew 500 feet.” He also hit a 485 foot “to a hill beside the grandstand in right” in Milwaukee in 1955, a 475 footer “onto towering grandstand roof in right” in Pittsburgh in 1960 and many others. Oh, and Mrs. Bill James listed Eddie as the “handsomest player of the 1950’s”, tied with Mickey Mantle.

Besides being a power-hitting first baseman for an “Indian” team in the 1950’s, Eddie shared another trait with Al Rosen. SABR: “He was one of the toughest men in the National League and drew almost as much attention for his fighting prowess as for his hitting. On August 1, 1954, after Brooklyn pitcher Clem Labine hit Milwaukee’s Joe Adcock in the head with a fastball, the Braves’ Gene Conley retaliated by knocking down Jackie Robinson. Later that inning, Robinson slid into third with his spikes high and found himself in a fistfight with Mathews. In August of 1960, Frank Robinson of the Cincinnati Reds slammed into Eddie at third and received the same response. “Eddie hit him with three punches that not even Muhammad Ali could have stopped,” recalled teammate Warren Spahn years later. “Eddie was a tough competitor and a tough guy. He didn’t back down from anybody.” Another beanball war against the Dodgers in 1956 ended with Eddie pummeling rookie pitcher Don Drysdale.”

“With Eddie, you never worried about anything,” said former Braves teammate Lew Burdette. “If somebody charged the mound when you were pitching, you knew he was going to be there. Eddie used to tell me, ‘Let the son of a gun charge you and get the hell out of the way.’” Mathews’ tenacity, as well as his willingness to protect his teammates at all times, made him one of the most respected players in the National League during the 1950s.” Al and Eddie: both could hit with power.


The final comparison is between EDDIE JOOST and EDDIE YOST. Eddie Joost played shortstop for 17 for the Reds, Red Sox and A’s. He only hit .239 lifetime but drew tons of walks, as many as 149 in a season. His lifetime on base percentage was .361. He also hit for some power with 134 lifetime home runs. Eddie Yost played third base for 18 years for the Senators, Tigers and Angels. He hit only .254 lifetime but walked even more than Joost, leading the league in walks six times and accumulating a .394 lifetime on base percentage. He too, had some power with 139 home runs. I assume they were two different people but it’s hard to tell.

I admit I hate(d) the Yankees but watched them on WPIX as I grew up because of the team of Rizzuto, White, and Frank Messer. They made the game fun, especially when the Yankees lost. Good that Phil took the high road and didn't complain when they replaced him on the roster with 'Country'. Holy cow.