Kuzul

At the end of the 2009 season, Derek Jeter had a lifetime batting average of .317. The only players in New York Yankees’ history who did better were Babe Ruth (.349), Lou Gehrig (.340), Earle Combs (.325) and Joe DiMaggio (.325).

In 2010, Jeter batted .270, which lowered his lifetime batting average from .317 to .314 and his on-base average from .388 to .385.

At the end of the 1950 season, Joe DiMaggio had a lifetime average of .329 and a .401 on-base average. Joe batted .263 in 1951, which lowered his lifetime average to .325 and his on-base average to .398.

The Yankees offered DiMaggio another $100,000 contract for 1952. After all, he was Joe DiMaggio, but Joe refused the offer. He retired, stating that he “no longer was Joe DiMaggio.”

No one has heard Derek Jeter say that he is no longer Derek Jeter. Maybe he is, and maybe he isn’t, but only time will tell.

Today, it is not unusual for corporations such as Major League Baseball to allow teams to give players incentive-laden contracts. The Yankees have offered Jeter a three-year, $45 million contract, which is more than fair. It might be viewed by some as foolish.

The Yankees and the media have emphasized Jeter’s .270 batting average and compare it to his .317 lifetime average prior to the 2010 season. Isn’t it ironic that an “overrated statistic,” according to the new age of statistics, is being used to denigrate Jeter’s performance.

Reports indicate that Jeter wants more years and more money than are being offered, which might be viewed as, at the least, as foolish, but in 2010, we have the incentive-laden contract.

A shortstop who bats .270 with a .340 on base average is an asset, but not for $15 million a season. Jeter is not a slugger, so it would be unfair and inaccurate to bring in home runs and slugging average.

Negotiations should center on incentives, which it is believed the Yankees would not be averse to doing. If Jeter thinks he is still Jeter, he should show some of the class that Joe DiMaggio demonstrated at the end of the 1951 season, accept the $45 million offered, and prove that he can still do it.

Jeter will be 37 years old on June 26. Few shortstops that age excel. Even Cal Ripken, who was no Derek Jeter, moved to third base when he was Jeter’s age.

Alex Rodriguez is the Yankees’ third baseman. Alex has had hip problems, and there has been much talk that in the near future, Alex may become a full-time designated hitter, which would open up third base.

Rodriguez would have been ranked as the greatest of all shortstops, but for various reasons, he was willing to play third because Jeter was the shortstop.

The Yankees and Jeter will get together. Eventually, A-Rod will no longer be the third baseman. When that happens, the real test will be whether Jeter is willing to move to third base.

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Arthur Daley was a sports columnist for the New York Times from 1942-73. In 1956, he became the first sportswriter to win a Pulitzer Prize. Daley knew baseball, but this is not about him. It is about his take on the upcoming 1954 baseball season.

The New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers had met in the World Series in both 1952 and 1953. They were the popular picks of most fans and “experts” to meet again in 1954, but Daley had doubts.

The Milwaukee Braves were a strong team with a major problem. Bobby Thomson, acquired from the New York Giants in exchange for left-handers Johnny Antonelli and Don Liddle, broke his ankle in an exhibition game and would be lost for at least one half of the year.

In essence, the Braves gave up two pitchers for nothing, but the return of left-hander Chet Nichols from the army was expected to give the pitching staff a boost.

We now live in the age of statistics, but even 56 years ago, statistics were important, although less sophisticated. Daley compared the Dodgers’ regulars of the 1952 and 1953 seasons.

With the exception of second baseman Jim “Junior” Gilliam, who was a rookie in 1953, every regular but one improved his batting average.

PeeWee Reese, a great defensive shortstop, dropped one point, from .272 in 1952 to .271 in 1953. Left fielder Jackie Robinson gained 21 points, third baseman Billy Cox picked up 32, center fielder Duke Snider was 33 points better, catcher Roy Campanella improved by 43 points, first baseman Gil Hodges moved up by 48 and right fielder Carl Furillo went from .247 to .344, which was good enough to win the batting title.

Daley concluded that it was inconceivable that the Dodgers’ regulars could produce two consecutive seasons that, for most of them, were career years. Reese, Cox and Robinson were almost 35 years old, while Campy, Hodges and Furillo were no youngsters.

The fact that Don Newcombe, the great right-hander who won 20 games in 1951 and then went to serve the causes of freedom, was returning was a positive. It was hoped that Newcombe’s great pitching would compensate for any decrease in offense.

The Dodgers’ strongest challenger appeared to the Braves. Warren Spahn led the pitching staff, but he would rarely pitch in Ebbets Field because of the short fences and right-handed hitters. Led by Eddie Mathews, Joe Adcock, Billy Bruton and 20-year-old rookie Henry Aaron, the Braves figured to score a lot of runs.

The New York Giants were the most intriguing challenger. Daley, like most individuals who followed the game, felt that Willie Mays might be the difference. He thought that Willie might breathe new life into former 20-game winners Sal Maglie and Larry Jansen, and that newly acquired Johnny Antonelli might reach his potential.

Hesitatingly, with much caution, Daley picked the Yankees and Dodgers. New York won 103 games, the most ever under Casey Stengel in 1954, while Brooklyn won 92 games, but neither won its league’s pennant.

The “long shot” New York Giants and pitching-rich Cleveland Indians met in the World Series.

References

Baseball-Reference

By ARTHUR DALEY. (1954, April 11). Sports of The Times: Just One Man’s Opinion. New York Times (1923-Current file), S2. Retrieved November 21, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 83328502).

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It may be difficult to believe today, but in 1954, many “experts” considered Tris Speaker the greatest center fielder of all time.

Tris played from 1907-1928. He batted .345 with a .428 on-base average and, despite playing much of his career in the dead ball area, slugged .500.

On April 4, 1954, Speaker spent his 66th birthday watching the New York Giants and Cleveland Indians play an exhibition game in Arizona.

It was Speaker’s first look at the player many thought would eclipse the Gray Eagle, but with the exception of one great defensive play, it wasn’t Willie’s day. He went hitless. 

Willie played the first six innings in an 8-4 loss as Speaker observed from the press box. In the third inning, the Tribe’s third baseman, Al Rosen, who had just missed winning the Triple Crown by less than one batting point in 1953, hit a deep drive to center field.

Willie, as baseball announcers used to say, “got on his horse” and made a fine catch to rob Rosen of extra bases. Willie then fired a bullet, on the fly to third baseman Henry Thompson for a double play. Speaker was impressed, but pointed out that Willie should have bounced the throw.

“No one can find fault with an outfielder whose throw makes a double play, but Willie’s throw to third was on the fly. He should have bounced it, so that if a cut-off was needed, it could have been made.”

When Willie heard that Speaker would be in the ball park, Willie was excited and conceded to reporters that he certainly had a lot to learn about playing center field. Willie was not upset when he was told about Speaker’s comment.

He went on to say that he would like to get some advice from Speaker, who was happy to oblige.

Young Willie Mays had a wonderful attitude. He knew he was good. He knew he had great skills. But he also knew that he had a lot to learn and was eager to improve.

When some reporters expressed the opinion to Speaker that Willie was a sure Hall of Famer, Tris issued a word of caution.

“Let’s wait a while on Mays – at least until August.”

By the end of August, Willie was making Speaker seem like a seer. Mays, along with teammate Don Mueller and enemy Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers were embroiled in a three-way race for the batting title.

When it was over, Willie finished at .345, Mueller batted .342, and the Duke of Flatbush finished at .341.

Mays is a Hall of Famer whom many consider to be the greatest of all center fielders. He finished his career with a .302 batting average and hit 660 home runs.

Willie played almost his entire career in the Polo Grounds and Candlestick Park. The latter was paradise for pull hitters with its short distances down the foul lines, but a nightmare for gap hitters like Willie. The winds in Candlestick favored left-handed hitters, but robbed right-handed hitters of many potential home runs.

Imagine if Willie Mays had played his entire career in Ebbets Field.

References:

By LOUIS EFFRAT Special to The New York Times.. (1954, April 5). TRIBE’S 4 IN NINTH TRIP NEW YORK, 8-4 : Indian Drive Against Spencer Topples Giants as Speaker Watches Mays in Action. New York Times (1923-Current file),28. Retrieved Nov. 20, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 83871049).

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The Cleveland Indians won an American League record 111 games in 1954, but in the games that really mattered, the highly favored Indians couldn’t win even once when they met the New York Giants in the World Series. Almost everyone but the Giants was surprised.

The Indians and Giants held spring training is Arizona and played approximately one-half of their exhibition games against each other. A game on April 3 was a portent of things to come.

The star of the game was, of course, Willie Mays, who was defying the conservative expectations of the Giants and their fans as he led New York to its 11th win in 15 games against the Tribe.

Willie hit two singles, a double and a home run as the Giants won 6-1. For the spring, Willie was batting .420, with 34 hits in 81 at-bats. He had eight home runs, one triple, eight doubles and batted in 24 runs.

The Giants couldn’t wait for April 13, which was opening day. They really believed that Willie would lead them to the pennant. Remember that the Giants finished 35 games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1953.

The return of Willie from the army transformed the team on the field and in the clubhouse. The Giants were a loose team that laughed and enjoyed playing the game.

The Indians jumped in front in the first inning when Dale Mitchell singled home Bobby Avila, who would go on to lead the American League in batting with a .341 average that season.

Starter Dave Hoskins held the Giants scoreless in his three innings of work, but when “The Bear,” Mike Garcia entered to work the fourth inning, he was greeted by a Monte Irvin single and a Willie Mays double that scored Irvin. Bill Taylor’s single scored Willie with the second run, and the Giants never were challenged.

Monte Irvin hit a home run over the center field fence in the seventh inning and Willie followed with a blast to left field off Garcia to end the scoring.

Mike Garcia started the third game of the World Series at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium with the Giants leading the Series, two games to none. It was a must-win game.

On occasion, an exhibition game is a solid indicator of things to come. The Giants dominated the Indians in the spring, and they were even more dominating in the fall.

With Don Mueller on second and two outs in the first inning, Willie singled to right field, scoring Mueller with the Giants’ first run.

In the third inning, the Giants basically put the game and World Series away with three runs. The Giants won easily, 6-2, as Garcia lasted only three innings.

Willie finished the game with three singles, two RBI, and one run scored in five at-bats. It was not quite equal to the four-for-four in the April exhibition game, but it did the job.

The next day, the Giants became World Champions for the first time since 1933 with a 7-4 win.

References:

By LOUIS EFFRATSpecial to The New York Times.. (1954, April 4). GIANTS’ 13 BLOWS DOWN INDIANS, 6-1; MAYS GETS 4 FOR 4 :New Yorkers Register 11th Victory in 15 Contests With Cleveland Club WILLIE WALLOPS HOMER Collects Double, Two Singles Also — Liddle, Grissom and Wilhelm Hurl 3-Hitter Mays Hits 4 for 4 as Giants Beat Indians for Eleventh Time, 6 to 1. New York Times (1923-Current file),S1. Retrieved November 19, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 92558778).

Baseball Reference

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Exhibition games rarely are predictive, but on March 18, 1954, the New York Giants faced the Chicago Cubs at Phoenix in a seemingly meaningless game that was a template for the upcoming season.

Willie Mays blasted a home run and added a pair of doubles, while recently acquired young left-hander Johnny Antonelli hurled four innings, struck out five Cubbies, and didn’t walk anyone.

Although the Cubs managed a pair of runs against Antonelli, the significant factor was that he didn’t walk a batter.

Antonelli’s performance was his first solid outing of the spring. The former Milwaukee Braves bonus baby had walked 12 in his first five innings, which prompted manager Leo Durocher and Frank Shellenback to shorten Antonelli’s stride.

The win was New York’s sixth straight in the Cactus League.

Monte Irvin was leading the club with a .437 batting average, followed by Willie’s .436 with six home runs. Durocher told reporters that Irvin was a great state of mind ever since Willie returned because Monte had his room mate back.

Willie Mays and Johnny Antonelli would lead the Giants to their first pennant since 1951, but of much greater significance, the duo would play important roles in the team’s first World Championship since 1933, when they defeated the Washington Senators.

Mays won the National League batting title with a .345 average, led the league with a .667 slugging average, and won the MVP. In the 1954 World Series against the Cleveland Indians, Willie hit .286, had a .444 on base average, and turned the World Series around with the catch off Vic Wertz in the first game.

Antonelli had a spectacular season. He won 21 games, led the league in ERA (2.30), ERA+ (178) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.3). Despite the fact that Johnny was only 24 years old, he hurled 258 2/3 innings because it was 1954, not 2010.

In the World Series, Johnny started the second game and allowed one run, beating Early Wynn, 3-1 in a complete game victory. Two days later, he came into the fourth and final game for Hoyt Wilhelm in the eighth inning, shut out the Tribe, and earned the save as the Giants swept the highly favored team from Cleveland.

Today, exhibition games, often called “preseason” games in an attempt to camouflage the fact that they don’t count, are really training sessions. Winning is unimportant, which makes a team’s record meaningless.

But in 1954, teams really did try to win exhibition games. The Giants-Cubs game in which Mays had three extra base hits and Antonelli demonstrated that there was a chance he might not be a wild left-hander can be looked back upon as the game that would define the Giants’ 1954 season.

References:

Baseball Reference

By LOUIS EFFRAT Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. (1954, March 19). ANTONELLI STARS IN 9-TO-6 VICTORY :Giants’ Southpaw Strikes Out Five Cubs and Walks None in Four-Inning Stint. New York Times (1923-Current file),p. 26. Retrieved November 13, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 84113677).

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Three weeks into spring training, New York Giants manager Leo Durocher had a problem. It was a problem that every manager wished he had.

Durocher termed his 1954 team as the “best squad, especially young and talented players, I have ever had as manager.”

There was plenty of time, and a lot of baseball would played before Leo would have to decide which players stayed and which players would go, since the cut-down date, unlike today, occurred 30 days into the regular season, which was May 13.

A few of the veterans remarked that not since 1947 had there been such great talent in camp. That year, the Giants moved up from a last place finish in 1946 to fourth. They set a major league record in 1947 by hitting 221 home runs.

The 1947 hopefuls included Bobby Thomson, Whitey Lockman, Larry Jansen, Clint Hartung and Lucky Lohrke.

The “problem” was the infield. The regulars were Whitey Lockman at first, Davey Williams at second, Henry Thompson at third and Captain Alvin Dark at shortstop. Power-hitting Bobby Hofman was the first infield reserve off the bench.

Youngsters Foster Castleman, Billy Gardner, Ron Samford and Joey Amalfitano would challenge them.

Second baseman Davey Williams had a chronic back problem, which was a pinched nerve that could force him out of the lineup at any time, Durocher was considering carrying seven infielders. Since Amalfitano was a “bonus baby,” he had to make the team.

The Giants won five of their first nine exhibition games, winning their last four straight after dropping four of the first five.

The pitching, which Bob Feller pinpointed as the key to the season, had been fairly solid. Sal Maglie and Larry Jansen appeared to be heading for comeback seasons

Maglie had suffered from back, shoulder, and arm problems in 1953, while Jansen’s back problems, which arose in 1952, forced him to compensate, resulting in arm problems.

In 1951, the year of the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” both Maglie and Jansen had won 23 games. In 1953, Sal was 8-9 with a 4.15 ERA and a 105 ERA+, while Jansen went 11-16, with a 4.14 ERA and a 105 ERA+.

Johnny Antonelli, who was acquired when Bobby Thomson was sent to the Milwaukee Braves, was having control problems, giving up 12 walks in only five innings, but Durocher and pitching coach Frank Shelleback were working with the young southpaw on his stride and follow through. They believed that they had solved the problems.

Right-hander Ruben Gomez led the 1953 Giants with 13 wins, a 3.40 ERA, and a 128 ERA+. Durocher was more than optimistic that Gomez, the rejuvenated Maglie and Jansen, along with Antonelli would give him a formidable starting staff.

If Al “Red” Worthington returned to form, Bob Feller might be right. The Giants might win the pennant.

References:

By LOUIS EFFRAT Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. (1954, March 17). Giants Spend Day Off at Game As Pilot Works on Infield Puzzle :Players See Cards-Cubs Contest at Mesa — Durocher Stays in Phoenix to Wrestle With Problem of 4 Talented Youths. New York Times (1923-Current file),36. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 92821238).

Baseball-Reference

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On Jan. 13, 1954, the New York Giants received some great news. Willie Mays was being discharged from the duties involved in defending freedom three months earlier than expected.

An army spokesperson explained that freedom defenders who held professional contracts or who wanted to return to college qualified for early release under a selective service rule that covered such situations.

Willie received his freedom at the beginning of March. He had spent 21 months in the army. Stationed at Ft. Eustis, the New York Giants center fielder played two seasons of service baseball where he, as usual, excelled.

In 1952, Mays batted a gaudy .420. His batting average and outstanding play really did remind some individuals of the great Ty Cobb. The following season, Willie batted “only” .389.

Arriving at the Giants training facility in Phoenix, Willie immediately signed a contract without even looking at the numbers. For the young Willie Mays, baseball, not money, was the name of the game. How things have changed.

The contract called for a $13,000 salary, which was the same as the one that expired when Willie left the Giants.

Manager Leo Durocher was almost beside himself now that Willie had returned. “What a difference Mays makes. Just look around. Everyone’s hustling. Everyone’s alive. You can thank Willie. He’s great. Just great.”

Later in the clubhouse, Durocher went out on a limb.

“I’ve been around a long time. I’ve seen the great ones, DiMaggio, Moore to name a couple. Willie is their equal on the field. Catch, run, throw, come in, go back, scoop up grounders, he can do all these things. Now in hitting, I can’t tell right now. Let’s give him a few more seasons.”

A few weeks later, the Giants were scheduled to play the Cleveland Indians in an exhibition game in Las Vegas. The game was rained out (yes, it does rain there), which gave Indians great Bob Feller a chance to evaluate the Giants, who had finished a distant fifth in 1953, 35 games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Feller emphasized the Giants pitching problems, but thought that if Sal Maglie and Larry Jansen returned to form the Giants would have a chance to win the pennant, a statement that most baseball writers took with more than a grain of salt.

The 35-year-old Feller was asked about Willie.

“Willie has a chance to be a good ballplayer. Now he has a tendency to swing at high bad pitches. Changes of speed seem to fool him. He seems to be swinging from the heels too much.

“Mays is a little behind Mantle. Willie does not have as much power as Mickey has. Mickey has overcome his tendency to swing at bad pitches from the left side. I think Mickey is better as a right-handed hitter. He rarely goes for a bad pitch from that side.”

After 11 games, Willie was batting .429 with six home runs and 17 RBIs.

Willie had an excellent attitude. He was eager to improve.

“Gosh, I wish people would come to me and tell me what I do wrong in center field every day. There are a lot of things I’ve got to be told.”

References:

Good News for Giants. (1954, January 14). New York Times (1923-Current file),35. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 83316762).

GIANT OUTFIELDER EN ROUTE TO CAMP :Mays, Discharged From Army After 21 Months Service, Flying to Phoenix. (1954, March 2). New York Times (1923-Current file),28. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 83747908).

By LOUIS EFFRATSpecial to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. (1954, March 4). LOCKMAN, GOMEZ ARRIVE AT CAMP :Noble Only Member of Giants Absent at Phoenix — Mays Gets $13,000 Contract. New York Times (1923-Current file),35. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 83322625).

By LOUIS EFFRATSpecial to THE NEW YORK TIMES.. (1954, March 21). Feller Rates Giants Highly As Rain Keeps Teams Idle :GIANTS ARE RATED HIGHLY BY FELLER. New York Times (1923-Current file),S1. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 92555206).

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The 1953 New York Giants finished in fifth place, a distant 35 games behind the pennant winning Brooklyn Dodgers. The Giants won only 70 of their 154 games.

Offense was not the Giants’ problem; they finished second to the Dodgers, averaging 4.95 runs a game.  

Pitching was another story.

The Giants’ 4.25 team ERA was only fifth best, while their WHIP of 4.74 was the sixth best in the eight team league.

Twenty-five year old Ruben Gomez was the Giants’ top pitcher, going 13-11 with a 3.40 ERA, a 128 ERA+, and a 1.309 WHIP.  Gomez allowed only 166 hits in 204 innings, but he allowed 101 walks with only 113 strikeouts.

No other New York starter finished with a win-loss record above .500.  

Something had to be done.

On Feb. 1, 1954, Giants’ owner Horace Stoneham and Milwaukee Braves’ general manager, John Quinn, announced a blockbuster trade.

The Giants’ sent Bobby Thomson, the player who hit the most dramatic home run in baseball history, along with second-string catcher Sam Calderone, to the Braves in exchange for the services of bonus baby left-hander Johnny Antonelli, 28-year-old left-hander Don Liddle, veteran catcher Ebba St. Claire and utility infielder Billy Klaus.

It took guts to trade the popular Thomson, who was stunned, but Bobby quickly regained his composure.

“How do I like it? Why great. What ball player wouldn’t like being traded to a club that everybody considers a red-hot pennant contender?  Naturally, I do feel sorry having to leave New York. However, it’s part of baseball to be traded, and this switch I think will do me a lot of good. It was tough keeping up one’s spirit with things breaking so badly for the Giants last year.”

Thomson was coming off a fine 1953 season, batting .288 with 26 home runs, 106 RBIs, a .338 on base average, and a .472 slugging average.

A fascinating sidelight is that veteran baseball writer John Drebinger wrote that Thomson batted “only” .288.

Giants’ manager Leo Durocher and Thomson hadn’t seen eye-to-eye on many occasions during the season, and when Stoneham signed Durocher to manager for the next two seasons, it was felt that Thomson might be traded.

It turned out that the 23-year-old Antonelli was the key to the deal. In 1953, he went 12-12, with a 3.18 ERA, a 124 ERA+, and a 1.357 WHIP, but he had great potential.

In 1948, the Boston Braves had given Antonelli $75,000 to sign. After two nondescript seasons, Johnny served in the military for two years. He rejoined the Braves, who were now in Milwaukee, for the 1953 season.

The trade with the Braves promised the chance for an improved 1954 season, but an even greater reason it was believed that the Giants might contend, was that a young center fielder was returned from the Army.

Everyone in the Giants’ community was looking forward to seeing Willie Mays roam the huge expanses of center field in the Polo Grounds.

References:

Baseball-Reference

By JOHN DREBINGER. (1954, February 2). Giants Trade Thomson to Braves; ’51 Pennant Hero in 6-Player Deal: Giants Trade Thomson, Hero of Pennant Victory in 1951, to Milwaukee NEW YORKERS GET ANTONELLI, LIDDLE Players in Deal Between Polo Grounders and Braves. New York Times(1923-Current file),p. 1. Retrieved November 4, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2007). (Document ID: 84098664).

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Mickey Mantle has become better than Joe DiMaggio despite the fact that Mickey played his last game in 1968 and Joe played his last game in 1951.

How is this possible? The answer is that it is not possible.

During his career, the baseball writers and the fans excoriated Mickey because he wasn’t Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Joe DiMaggio rolled into one.

Mickey got a respite in 1956 when he won the Triple Crown, but in 1957, Mickey’s home run total dropped from 52 to 34 and he drove in a “paltry” 94 runs. The fact that he batted .365 was minimized.

The boo birds returned and continued until 1960, when the New York Yankees acquired the services of Roger Maris. The fleet ball hawk from North Dakota inherited Mickey’s Bronx cheers.

With the passage of time, more sophisticated statistical methods of evaluation have been created. A disclaimer is necessary, since many of the new measurements have been accepted without full acknowledgment of their shortcomings, but one result has been that Mickey’s 1957 season compared favorably with his Triple Crown season.

YEAR  BA  OBA  SLG
1956  .353 .464  .705
1957  .365 .512  .665

Lifetime, Mickey batted .298 with a .421 on-base average and a .557 slugging average.

Joe DiMaggio was selected as the greatest living baseball player in 1969. During his career, he was considered the best player in the game.

Mickey was considered the best during and after his 1956 Triple Crown season, but more “experts” ranked Willie Mays as greater than Mickey.

Joe never won a Triple Crown—after all, Ted Williams was in the league—but Joe won two batting championships compared to Mickey’s one. Joe’s highest average in a season was .381.

Lifetime, DiMaggio batted .325 with a .398 on-base average and a .579 slugging mark.

Mickey would have had much better lifetime numbers if his last few seasons, when his injuries hampered him tremendously, were eliminated. From 1951-1964, Mickey batted .309 with a .429 on-base average. He slugged .582.

Joe DiMaggio suffered from injuries, especially after he returned from defending freedom from 1943-45. Imagine what his statistics would be if he had not missed three full seasons.

So far, there is little to choose from, but when one takes each player’s peak seasons, the results might surprise some, especially since Mickey hit 535 home runs to Joe’s 361.

Mickey Mantle from 1954-1958

BA   OBA SLG HR/Yr RBI/Yr
.325 .451 .618 38 104

Mickey Mantle from 1960-1964

BA OBA SLG HR/Yr RBI/Yr
.304 .437 .612 35 91

Joe DiMaggio from 1936-1941

BA OBA SLG HR/Yr RBI/Yr
.345 .408 .626 33 136

It is close offensively, but DiMaggio gets a huge edge in batting average, a slight edge in slugging average, and a tremendous edge in batting in runs. Mickey comes out on top in home runs.

DiMaggio was better defensively and was a better baserunner, but Mickey was much faster, could bunt, walked, and struck out much more, and was a great base stealer.

It is difficult to compare two all-time greats, each of whom has become an American and even a worldwide legend, but the edge, although slight, must go to Joe.

References

Baseball-Reference

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Shaking his head and flashing a deprecatory grin, Joe DiMaggio started talking about it again.

“There has to be an element of luck to it,” he modestly told a group of baseball writers, “but the one thing that sticks in my mind is that whenever I kept the streak alive with a scratch hit, I always came through in that same game with an honest hit that could not be questioned. That’s what made it so satisfying.”

DiMaggio recalled one game in which he was facing the St. Louis Browns’ Eldon Auker, who was a tough submarine ball pitcher. Auker had held Joe hitless going to the ninth inning. The Yankee Clipper was scheduled to bat fourth.

Auker retired the first hitter, bringing up Red Rolfe, who worked out a walk. Tommy Henrich, who followed Rolfe in the batting order, called time and went back to the dugout to talk to manager Joe McCarthy.

“Joe, if I hit into a double play, DiMadge won’t even get to bat. Is it all right with you if I bunt?”

Despite the revisionist history with respect to DiMaggio over the last few decades, the truth is that his teammates respected, admired and were fond of the greatest of all New York Yankees center fielders.

McCarthy didn’t hesitate for a second. “Good idea. Drop down a bunt.”

Players knew how to play the game. Henrich was a power hitter who was expected to drive in runs, but in those days, all players were taught how to bunt when they were in the minors.

Henrich deftly sacrificed Rolfe to second, bringing up DiMaggio.

Joe stepped into the batter’s box, got into his wide stance and waited for Auker’s first delivery.

The 6’2″ right-hander checked Rolfe at second and fired a fastball over the inside corner of the plate. DiMaggio reacted immediately, slashing a drive into left field for a double. The streak continued.

Probably the closest call occurred against the Boston Red Sox. Joe had hit in 44 consecutive games, which tied the great Wee Willie Keeler for the longest consecutive game hitting streak in baseball history.

Facing Dick Newsome, who always gave Joe problems, Joe hit a drive to the outfield that seemed destined to break Keeler’s record, but Stan Spence made a circus catch as Joe’s heart sank.

In his second at-bat, Joe hit a drive into the deepest part of center field, but another DiMaggio, who might have been better defensively than even Joe, made a sensational catch to rob his brother of extra bases.

Returning to the dugout, Joe said to no one in particular, “It speaks well for the integrity of the game, but it wasn’t diplomatic, especially when Dom is coming over to my house for dinner tonight.”

Next time up, Joe made sure that only a fan could catch the ball as he blasted a home run to set a new consecutive game hitting streak.

Finally, there was the time that Bob Muncrief of the Browns could have ended the streak by walking DiMaggio in his last at-bat, but Muncrief would have no part of it.

“That wouldn’t have been fair to him or me. Hell, he’s the greatest player I ever saw.”

DiMaggio singled to keep the streak alive.

References

By ARTHUR DALEY. (1969, August 6). Sports of The Times: An Epic Accomplishment. New York Times (1923-Current file), 21. Retrieved October 22, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851-2007). (Document ID: 89361979).

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