During their heyday of the mid-1950s, the Brooklyn Dodgers dominated the National League. And the Duke of Flatbush led the way.
Duke Snider, who smashed 407 home runs and played center field with the grace of a gazelle, passed away on Sunday at Valle Vista Convalescent Hospital in Escondido, Calif. He was 84.
Snider, who patrolled center field for “Da Bums” alongside such greats as Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson, wore Dodger blue for 16 seasons, finally ending his stellar career with the rival San Francisco Giants in 1964.
Snider was an All-Star for seven consecutive years beginning in 1950, and led the National League in home runs in 1956. He went through a stretch during which he hit 40 homers or more in five consecutive seasons, and finished second in the National League Most Valuable Player award balloting in 1955, bested by fellow Dodger, Roy Campanella.
In a statement released through the Los Angeles Dodgers, longtime broadcaster Vin Scully said, “When he had a chance to run and move defensively, he had the grace and the abilities of DiMaggio and Mays, and, of course, he was a World Series hero that will forever be remembered in the borough of Brooklyn. Although it’s ironic to say it, we have lost a giant.”
Snider hit the last home run ever hit at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field before the Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.
For continuing coverage of Major League Baseball, follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com