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March 16
⚾ Best thirdbaseman before Eddie Mathews - Pie Traynor March 16
TODAY ON THE DAILY HIGHLIGHT
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March 16, 1972 — Hall of Fame third baseman Pie Traynor dies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of 72.
He was the original "Mr. Pirate," Pie Traynor served for the Bucs as player, manager, sportscaster, and scout for more than half a century. He was the greatest defensive third baseman of his time.
Traynor batted .320 over a 17-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, with a career-high .366 in 1930. He finished in the top ten in batting in the National League six times.
Most experts considered him the finest third baseman of the first half of the 20th century.
Best Season: 1923Just 23 years old, young Pie batted .338 with 208 hits and 108 runs scored. He also batted in 101 runners, stole 28 bases, and hit 19 triples to lead the league. Traynor was the #4 batter in the Bucs lineup for most of his career, surrounded by fellow Hall of Famers Lloyd Waner, Max Carey, Kiki Cuyler, Arky Vaughan, and Paul Waner. He had other years where he batted for a higher average - but he rarely played as many games (153) as he did in '23.
Traynor may have received his nickname for his favorite childhood food or when his father (a printer) one day declared that the dirty boy resembled pied type.
His given name is Harold, He received his nickname as a child in Somerville, Massachusetts, because he frequented a grocery store and often asked for pie. The store owner called him "Pie Face", which was later shortened to Pie by his friends or when his father (a printer) one day declared that the dirty boy resembled pied type. It is a bit of a mystery.
Game of the DayJuly 10, 1934 All Star Game featuring Pie Traynor
Did you know?
Born: March 16, 1943 in Madison, WI . . . Wooed by 18 ML teams, Rick Reichardt became the highest-priced bonus baby in baseball history when he signed with California for a reported $200,000 in 1964. A handsome and articulate scholar-athlete (Joe Garagiola: "The first time I saw him I thought he fell off a Wheaties box"), the fleet outfielder looked like he'd live up to expectations when he hit .288 with 16 homers in only 89 games in 1966, before illness forced the removal of a kidney in August. Although he led the Angels with 21 homers and 73 RBIs in 1968, he was an erratic fielder and much more was expected of him than his consistent .250 BAs.
🎙️ Classic Baseball Moment of the Day! 🎙️
Don Larsen(1956), Sandy Koufax(1965), Bob Gibson (64,67 and 68), Mantle, DiMaggio, Williams (1941), Clemente 1971, Brooks 1970, Oakland Three Peat and so many others!
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Trivia:
Pie was a tremendous fielder. He set the record for double plays by a thirdbaseman, games played, assists and putouts. One NL thirdbase man topped him piece by piece over a 4 year period. Who was he?
Eddie Mathews
Brooks Robinson
Mike Schmidt
Hint: The answer is below
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
March 16, 1906, future Hall of Famer Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner is born in Harrah, Oklahoma. Although Waner weighs only 150 pounds in his prime, he can hit for average, steal bases, field and throw as a center fielder, and beat opponents in countless ways. He does not draw many walks or hit for much power, however. He will make his major league debut in 1927, batting .355 while garnering 223 hits, the latter figure establishing a National League rookie record that will stand until the 21st century. Waner will hit over .300 in 10 of his first 12 seasons, compiling a career mark of .316 with 2,459 hits, striking out just 173 times in an 18-season major league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers. Waner will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1967 during one of their “open-door” periods.
March 16, 1907 -- After watching Ty Cobb quarrel with a black groundskeeper and with teammate Charlie Schmidt, Tiger manager Hugh Jennings was tired of dealing with Cobb's abrasive behavior and tries to deal him to the Cleveland Naps for outfielder Elmer Flick. The Naps turned down a trade with the Tigers which would have exchanged Flick for the 21-year-old Cobb. They countered with Bunk Congalton, but the Tigers declined.
March 16, 1953 — – American League owners turn down a bid made by Bill Veeck to move the St. Louis Browns to Baltimore, MD. Spearheaded by Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith, the vote is 6-2 against. The lack of support from his fellow owners, except for Charles Comiskey of the White Sox. Some observers speculate that the rejection is meant to force Veeck into selling his majority interest in the franchise. The next day, Veeck announces his willingness to sell the Browns for just under $2.5 million. The vote only delays the move by a year, however.
March 16, 1961 -- The state of New York approves a bond issue for the construction of a 55,000-seat stadium on the site of the 1939-40 World's Fair in the Queens Flushing Meadow area. The ballpark will be named Shea Stadium to honor William Shea, a lawyer who was instrumental in bringing the National League back to New York. Shea Stadium will be inaugurated three years later.
March 16, 1972, Oakland A’s holdout Vida Blue announces that he has rejected the team’s latest contract offer and will retire to work for a company that makes toilet fixtures. The “retirement” won’t last long. The “retirement” won’t last long, as Blue will eventually come to terms with Oakland and begin his season in May. A 24-game winner in 1971, Blue will have a 6-10 record in 1972 but redeem himself by saving Game 1 of the World Series.
Quote of the day:
"Among those who saw him play, McGraw, Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby and Paul Waner all stated that Traynor was the best third baseman of all time." - from The Pittsburgh Pirates Encyclopedia
MILESTONES
Birthday Boys
Bubby Myer, Clint Courtney, Don Blasingame, Hobie Landrith, Ken O’Dea, Rick Reichart, Rick Renick and Tom Bradley
Debuts
None today
Final Games
None Today
Passings
Billy Hoeft, Bob Purkey, Dick Radatz, Pete Ward, Pie Traynor, Ralph Terry
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Trivia Answer:
Eddie Mathews, Brooks was a trick name he never played in the NL
Traynor led NL third basemen in putouts seven times, in double plays four times, and in assists three times; his 41 double plays in 1925 were an NL record until 1950, and his 226 putouts that year remain the highest NL total since 1905. He set major league records for career double plays (303) and games (1,863) at third base which were broken in 1945 and 1960 respectively, and which remained NL records until Eddie Mathews broke them in 1964 and 1965; his 2,289 putouts remain the NL record, and his 3,521 assists were the league record until Mathews passed him in 1964
