The sport that evokes more nostalgia among Americans
than any other is baseball. So many people play the game as children (or play
its close relative, softball) that it has become known as “the national
pastime.” It is also a democratic game. Unlike football and basketball,
baseball can be played well by people of average height and weight. Although
the rules remain the same, baseball is a far different game than it was at its
inception.
It may not be the most popular sport anymore at this
time, but there is something about baseball that always captivates, said Jimm
Hendren, the ultimate fan of baseball.
Here are 10 interesting things baseball fans might
appreciate.
#1 Fact: Jimmy Piersall celebrated his 100th home
run by running the bases backwards.
Jimmy Piresall was eccentric to say the least; his
life became the basis for the book & movie Fear Strikes Out, which
chronicles his battle with bipolar disorder.
Some of Piersall’s stunts include, walking up to bat
wearing a Beatles wig, talking to the monument of Babe Ruth at Yankee Stadium,
and climbing a grandstand roof to heckle an umpire.
The grandaddy of all his stunts occurred while
playing for the Mets; in the fifth inning of a game against the Phillies,
Piersall hit the 100th home run of his career, and promptly ran the bases in
correct order…just facing backwards.
Needless to say, Mets manager Casey Stengel was not
amused; Piersall was quickly given the pink slip.
#2 Fact: Don Baylor played in three straight World
Series….for three different teams.
Don Baylor was a world-class manager and a very good
player for a number of teams, winning the MVP in 1979 and three silver slugger
awards. Baylor is regarded as one of the most underrated players of all-time.
Baylor made the World Series three times in his
career, and they just happened to be consecutively, in 1986 (Red Sox), 1987
(Twins), and 1988 (Athletics). Only the Twins won him a championship in 1987, a
year he was seldom used.
#3 Fact: Bobby Richardson won the World Series MVP
for a losing team.
The team he played for was the Yankees in the
historic 1960 World Series. Coming off a down year the Yankees chewed up the
league, and going into the World Series against the Pirates; people had already
given the Yanks another title.
It was not meant to be, as we all know the script:
Bill Mazeroski hit a home run to win it for the Pirates and pull off a major
upset. Richardson stole the show, however; batting .367, driving in 12, and
hitting a grand slam.
Richardson is the only player to win an MVP on the
World Series runner-up.
#4 Fact: Gaylord Perry hit a home run after his
manager said they’d put a man on the moon first.
Debuting in 1962, Perry played in an era where
pitchers weren’t only expected to pitch but hit as well.
Talking to reporters over his pitcher’s inability to
hit, San Francisco Giants manager Alvin Dark joked “They’ll put a man on the
moon before Gaylord Perry hits a home run.”
During a game on July 20, 1969; a mere 20 minutes
after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Perry stepped up to bat and hit his
first career home run.
#5 Fact: Ken Ash won a game on only one pitch.
On July 27, 1930 Reds pitcher Ken Ash was brought
into a game against the Cubs with two on and no outs. Facing what any reliever
dreads (a runner in scoring position and no outs), he delivered the pitch and
the Cubs promptly delivered a triple play.
Ash was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the inning,
and the Reds staged a rally to win the game 6-5 which named as the only man to
win a game on only one pitch.
#6 Fact: The Garbank brothers finished a season with
the exact same batting average.
If you’ve never heard of the Garbanks, don’t feel
bad; 99.9 percent of fans haven’t, either. The year was 1944, and the brothers who
would go down in history were Bob and Mike Garbank.
Mike played for the Yankees while Bob played for the
Athletics, Mike played in over 80 games while Bob only got in 18, yet both posted
a respectable .261 average.
The odd occurrences don’t stop there; they were both
catchers in the American League, and they both threw out 39 percent of would-be
base stealers in their careers!
Did I mention they almost had the same number of games
played for their careers?
#7 Fact: Clarence Blethen injured himself with his
own false teeth.
In 1923, Clarence Blethen was a rookie pitcher for
the Red Sox; he also happened to wear false teeth. When he was pitching,
Clarence thought that he would look meaner if he took his teeth out, which he
would place in his back pocket.
Running the bases one day, Clarence forgot about his
false teeth in his pocket. As he he went to steal second, his teeth clamped
down, thus making Clarence Blethen the only man to be injured by biting himself
in the butt.
#8 Fact: Bill Voiselle wore the name of his hometown
on his uniform.
Bill Voiselle was a pitcher for the Giants, Braves
and Cubs, who had three stellar seasons in his nine-year career. For the last
four seasons of his career, he switched to a number that was more suited for
him: 96.
So what? High numbers usually mean your gonna go
down to the minors, right? Not for Bill; you see, 96 was not just a number to
him; it was his South Carolina hometown.
#9 Fact: Jack McCarthy threw out three runners at
home plate in the same inning.
While playing for the Cubs in 1905, outfielder Jack
McCarthy was possibly a little angry with his team’s inabilty to get anyone
out. So McCarthy decided to take matters into his own hands.
He threw out not one, not two but three runners
trying to score. It is such an amazing feat that nobody has come close to
matching it in the 108 years since, and unless the outs per inning expand to
four, no one will ever have a shot at eclipsing him.
#10 Fact: No one had an RBI in the 1968 All-Star
game.
In 1968, the All-Star Game was played indoors for
the first time at Houston’s famous Astrodome. In the bottom of the first, the
National League put a runner on third with no outs. Willie McCovey then stepped
up and hit into a double play that scored the runner on third.
After Hank Aaron walked, Ron Santo was retired on a
ground-out, the game remained 1-0 for the remaining eight innings, and since no
RBI is awarded on a fielder’s choice; the NL won without an RBI.
Source:
http://hendrengroup.me/blog/10-interesting-facts-baseball-fans-might-not-know/
