TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

January 26, 1951 — The Baseball Writers Association of America vote sluggers Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx into the Hall of Fame. Ott hit .304 with 511 home runs and 1860 RBI; he managed the New York Giants from 1942 to 1948. Foxx was a .325 hitter with 534 home runs and 1922 RBI.

When Mel Ott arrived in New York as a 17-year old, 160-pound outfielder in 1926, few could have realized that he would become the first National Leaguer to hit 500 home runs. "Master Melvin" played 22 seasons with the Giants, also managing them for six years. When he retired early in the 1947 season, he held National League marks for career home runs, runs scored, RBI, and walks.

Factoids: Mel Ott's 323 home runs hit in the Polo Grounds are the most ever hit by one player in a single ballpark. Sammy Sosa 293 at Wrigley ranks 2nd. Here is a full list. Ott never won an MVP Award, though he ranked in the top ten in votes six times. His best showing was in 1942 when he finished third to St. Louis Cardinals teammates Mort Cooper and Enos Slaughter.

Ott is the only man to ever lead his league in home runs while also serving as manager, which he did in 1942. He paced the National League in homers six times, but his career high of 42 in 1929 failed to lead the league. On the final day of that season, Philadelphia pitchers walked him intentionally five times to prevent him from tying their teammate Chuck Klein for the home run title.

Ott was known for his odd batting style, which included a leg kick. He took great advantage of his home ballpark, slugging nearly two-thirds of his longballs in the Polo Grounds. Manager John McGraw refused to allow his coaches or any minor league manager (including Casey Stengel) to change Ott’s batting style.

Tragically, on November 14, 1958, Ott and his wife were seriously injured in a head-on automobile collision. During surgery, Ott died at the age of 49.

Historic Days!

Birthday boy . . . January 26, 1902 in Denver, CO Johnny Frederick was a great rookie whose career declined because of an injury that would not go away. Frederick, who broke into the majors at age 27, led the league with 52 doubles as a rookie with the Brooklyn Robins in 1929. His doubles total remains the all-time major league rookie record by a wide margin (the American League record is 47). It was also the Dodger all-time franchise record until 2023, when it was eclipsed by Freddie Freeman. Thereafter his doubles and home runs tended to decline each year, although his slugging percentage in 1932 (in 118 games) was among the league leaders. His fielding range, great as a rookie, also declined as he got older, and he moved from being a center fielder to being a right fielder. He suffered a leg injury in 1930 that worsened as time went on, eventually relegating him largely to pinch-hitting duties. After major league ball, he continued to hit .300 in minor league ball for six more seasons. In 2005 he was elected to the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.

January 26, 1919, the St. Louis Cardinals name team president Branch Rickey as manager, replacing Jack Hendricks. Under Rickey’s leadership, the last-place Cardinals will improve only slightly in the standings, finishing seventh in 1919.

January 26, 1934 in Milwaukee, WI . . . Bob Uecker. Nicknamed “Mr. Baseball” (by Johnny Carson – Uecker was a frequent guest on the “Tonight Show” with Carson in the 1970s & 1980s). Bob was also a catcher (with limited skills) for six seasons in the 1960s (1962-1967). His career batting average was only .200 (maybe it should have been called “The Uecker Line” instead of “The Mendoza Line”), but Bob strangely had a lifetime .429 BA (in over 50 AB) against the most dominant pitcher of his era, Sandy Koufax. Bob was a member of the 1964 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. Uecker’s wit and self-deprecating humor made him a very popular talk-show guest and ad pitchman (especially his “Miller Lite” commercials (“I must be in the front row”). His acting extended to the tv series, “Mr. Belvedere” in the 1980s and he appeared in one of the most popular baseball movies ever made, “Major League” (and its sequels) in 1989. He coined a catchphrase from that movie that has been repeated often (to this day): “Juuuust a bit outside.” He has been a regular broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers since the early 1980s and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster, winning the “Ford C. Frick Award” in 2003.

January 26 1951 — The Baseball Writers Association of America vote sluggers Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx into the Hall of Fame. Ott hit .304 with 511 home runs and 1860 RBI; he managed the New York Giants from 1942 to 1948. Foxx was a .325 hitter with 534 home runs and 1922 RBI.

January 26, 1960, 32 year old Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Jenson announces his retirement a year after winning the MVP award, only months after enjoying one of his best seasons-28 home runs, 112 RBIs, and a .277 average.The Red Sox right fielder retired because of an intense fear of flying that had plagued him for years—at a time flying had become the primary form of transportation for major league clubs.

January 26 1961 — The Cincinnati Reds send Joe Nuxhall to the Kansas City Athletics for pitchers John Tsitouris and John Briggs. Nuxhall first pitched for the Reds in 1944, when he was 15 years old.

January 26, 1990 — The Boston Red Sox hire Elaine Weddington as the assistant general manager of the team, making her the highest-ranking black female executive in major league baseball. The St. John’s graduate received a scholarship to attend the university from the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

Todays featured clip:

Quote of the day:

TRIVIA

What player tied the big league record of seven pinch hit homeruns in a season in 2001?

Jeff Bagwell

Craig Paquette

Craig Wilson

Mark Sweeney

Answer in tomorrows newsletter

 ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S TRIVIA

Eddie Mathews

Mathews hit his first career homerun for the Boston Braves on April 19, 1952. He hit his first homerun as a “Milwaukee Brave” on April 17 1953 and hit his first homerun in Atlanta on May 9th. 493 of his 512 homeruns came as a Brave.

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