Surprising baseball facts

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Seven

John,

Ted and I often spoke over email about how underappreciated Johnny Mize was as a ballplayer. To channel the spirit of Ted, and give an interesting Johnny Mize fact:

Mize played for the Great Lakes Naval Station baseball team, during the war where he hit .475, and smacked 17 homers in 51 games. He played with other notable major leaguers including Dom DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Sam Chapman, Johnny Lipon, and Pee Wee Reese. It's considered to be one of the best World War II teams ever assembled.

Ted and I also spoke a lot about Joe Page, former relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, who held the record for most victories as a reliever, until it was broken by Luis Arroyo. Page was very versatile and was a bit ahead of his time. One of the first "closers" out there!

- James

James, so glad you got to know Ted and talk baseball. He was a wonderful guy and I am still in shock he is no longer with us. Best, your shipmate

[Seven]

Originally Posted by Yoda

James, so glad you got to know Ted and talk baseball. He was a wonderful guy and I am still in shock he is no longer with us. Best, your shipmate

My biggest regret was that we didn't correspond more often, maybe once a month. I treasure the Phil Rizzuto card that I purchased from him, as we always spoke about Scooter as well. It's amazing how the Hobby and baseball history allowed two people connect that were a touch over 50 years apart in age! Teds legacy will live on, as I'm sure we will talk about him until the cows come home. I pointed this out, in another thread, that he's probably debating with Jefferson Burdick in the great beyond!

Another interesting piece of trivia bringing up both Ted and Phil Rizzuto. Phil Rizzuto was the only player in the history of Major League Baseball to lead the league in Sacrifice Hits in the same year that he won MVP!

[Yoda]

Well, here is one back: I dated Phil Rizutto's daughter, Penny, in college. Ted knew her well and approved.

[chadeast]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Well, here is one back: I dated Phil Rizutto's daughter, Penny, in college. Ted knew her well and approved.

Whoa, you just jarred loose an old memory! My roommate in college dated Tommy John's daughter. I believe her name was Tamara IIRC.

[Utter Chaos]

Ichiro after 6,000 career at bats:

Overall: 2000 for 6000 = .333333333...........
Home: 980 for 2940 = .333333333...........
Away: 1020 for 3060 = .333333333...........

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by Utter Chaos

Ichiro after 6,000 career at bats:

Overall: 2000 for 6000 = .333333333...........
Home: 980 for 2940 = .333333333...........
Away: 1020 for 3060 = .333333333...........

That's pretty cool

[Utter Chaos]

Art Fowler (first game was 4/17/1954) made his debut almost 30 years after his brother Jesse (7/29/1924).

Wilton Guerrero (5'11, 145 lbs, born 10/24/74) is 4 inches shorter, 90 pounds lighter and 3 1/2 months older than his brother Vladimir (6'3, 235, 2/9/75)

In 1976 Tony Perez had 32 doubles, 6 triples, 19 home runs, and 91 RBI's for the Reds. The following year for the Expos he had 32 doubles, 6 triples, 19 home runs, and 91 RBI's.

In 1974, Tommy McCraw had 34 hits, 8 doubles, 0 triples, 3 homers, and 17 RBI's for the Angels. In July he was purchased by Cleveland and would go on to have 34 hits, 8 doubles, 0 triples, 3 homers, and 17 RBI's for the Indians.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Yoda

Well, here is one back: I dated Phil Rizutto's daughter, Penny, in college. Ted knew her well and approved.

I can guess the rest. After a few dates, things are going really well, and you and Penny start going at it pretty heavy. Then all of a sudden Phil comes into the room and says:

Okay, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going here
Two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth
There's the windup, and there it is
A line shot up the middle, look at him go
This boy can really fly
He's rounding first and really turning it on now
He's not letting up at all
He's gonna try for second, the ball is bobbled out in center
And here comes the throw, and what a throw
He's gonna slide in head first
Here he comes, he's out
No, wait, safe-safe at second base
This kid really makes things happen out there
Batter steps up to the plate, here's the pitch-he's going
And what a jump he's got, he's trying for third
Here's the throw, it's in the dirt-safe at third
Holy cow, stolen base, he's taking a pretty big lead out there
Almost daring him to try and pick him off
The pitcher glances over, winds up, and it's bunted
Bunted down the third base line, the suicide squeeze is on
Here he comes, squeeze play, it's gonna be close, here's the throw, here's the play at the
Holy cow, I think he's gonna make it

[Yoda]

Mark, brilliant. I loved it; however, whatever may have happened between Penny and me is a taboo subject. A gentleman never tells.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

This is one of the most jaw-dropping baseball facts I ever personally unearthed:

While researching a bunch of players during a very hectic week of going over the Heilbroner Baseball Bureau information cards when they were together in their entirety for the final time, I took thousands of photos of cards of interest. These cards all had the players' home addresses on them from when they first started in pro ball.

There was a gentleman named Rollie Miller whose MLB career consisted of 2 IP for the 1941 Senators. He grew up in a tiny house in St. Louis.

I have this curiosity about certain blighted US cities in relation to former addresses of ballplayers. If I'm dealing with cities like St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, and the like, I hop on Google Streetview to see if the house still stands and what the neighborhood looks like in the present day. I did this with Rollie Miller's childhood home. It was in shambles, and was at the time listed for some paltry sum of $14 or $19K. Its most memorable feature was this green metal awning over one window which had a white letter monogrammed on the front.

Time goes by. Maybe a few weeks, maybe a few months. I'm still poring over these photos I took of the Heilbroner cards. Another MLBer with a St. Louis address comes along in my research. Again, I type the address into Streetview. It's the exact same house as Rollie Miller's! Same green monogrammed awning, same asking price. Rollie Miller was white. His parents must have sold the place and at some point the neighborhood transitioned from white to black, and this later, black player's family moved into the Rollie Miller house and spawned a Major Leaguer of their own!

Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me recall who this player was, but have a recollection that he debuted in the late 1950's. That, coupled with his ethnicity and living in St. Louis definitely narrows it down, but I can not locate the photo I took of his Heilbroner card with the same address. It will turn up again when I'm researching something unrelated.

Just think of that! This has to be the only case of two completely unrelated Major Leaguers being raised in the same house, a generation apart. This is something that nobody would have ever known if it wasn't for my unrelated interest in blighted neighborhoods.

[packs]

Long thread and this might have been posted, but in 1987 Don Mattingly set the record for most grand slams in a single season with six. He never hit another grand slam in any other season and those are the only grand slams of his career.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by packs

Long thread and this might have been posted, but in 1987 Don Mattingly set the record for most grand slams in a single season with six. He never hit another grand slam in any other season and those are the only grand slams of his career.

He also tied Dale Long's record with a homer in 8 straight games that year.