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March 2
The Voices That Defined Baseball Are Waiting for You at Classic Baseball Broadcast
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
Happy Birthday to "Master Melvin"! On this day, we celebrate the life and career of one of baseball’s all-time greats—Mel Ott. From a 17-year-old rookie with the New York Giants to a Hall of Famer who rewrote National League record books, Ott’s legacy remains larger than life.
The First National Leaguer to 500 Home Runs When Mel Ott arrived in New York in 1926 as a 160-pound teenager, few could have predicted the impact he would make. Over 22 seasons, all with the Giants, Ott became the first player in National League history to smash 500 home runs—a feat that secured his place among the game’s immortals. By the time he retired in 1947, he held NL records for career home runs, runs scored, RBIs, and walks.
A Giant on the Field and in the Dugout Not just a slugger, Ott was also a leader. He served as the Giants’ player-manager from 1942 to 1947 and continued managing into 1948. His managerial tenure spanned 1,004 games, with 464 wins. His best season as skipper came in 1942, guiding New York to an 85-win, third-place finish. Though he was eventually replaced by Leo Durocher, Ott’s influence on the franchise endured.
The 1936 Season: A Peak Performance Ott’s finest individual season came in 1936 when he carried the Giants to the World Series. He batted .328 with a league-best 33 home runs and drove in 135 RBIs—an astonishing 18% of the team’s total runs. His .588 slugging percentage and 1.036 OPS led the NL, while his 120 runs scored and 111 walks underscored his all-around offensive brilliance. In the Fall Classic against the Yankees, he continued to shine, hitting .304 with a home run.
Polo Grounds Powerhouse Mel Ott and the Polo Grounds were an inseparable duo. His 323 home runs in the historic ballpark remain the most ever hit by a single player in one stadium. His unique high-leg-kick batting stance, which John McGraw refused to alter, allowed him to maximize his power, especially in his home confines.
An All-Time Great Ott’s list of achievements is staggering:
12-time NL All-Star (1934-1945)
6-time NL home run leader (1932, 1934, 1936-1938, 1942)
100+ RBIs in nine seasons
100+ runs scored in nine seasons
6-time NL walks leader
2-time NL OPS leader
Member of the 1933 World Series Champion Giants
Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Class of 1951
A Career That Still Resonates At just 22, Ott became the youngest player ever to hit 100 home runs. He was also the youngest to reach 1,000 hits and 1,000 RBIs, setting records that stood for decades. His combination of power, patience, and leadership defined an era of Giants baseball and helped shape the modern game.
Gone Too Soon, but Never Forgotten Tragically, Ott’s life was cut short at age 49 following a car accident in 1958. Though his time was brief, his impact on baseball was everlasting. Today, we honor "Master Melvin" and his incredible journey—a player who proved that size didn’t matter when talent and determination were in abundance.
Happy Birthday, Mel Ott—your legacy lives on!
Game of The Day:
Game 6, 1936 World Series — New York Giants vs. New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds. The Yankees lead the series 3 games to 2. Lefty Gomez takes the hill for New York, Freddie Fitzsimmons answers for the Giants. Tom Manning and Ty Tyson are behind the mic.
Mel Ott does something at the plate the Polo Grounds crowd won't forget. And the Yankees set a record that won't be matched for 34 years.
Today's game features 11 future Hall of Famers — Yankees: Joe McCarthy (mgr.), Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Gomez, Tony Lazzeri, Red Ruffing. Giants: Carl Hubbell, Travis Jackson, Mel Ott, Bill Terry.
Experience the game just like the 38,427 fans who were there.
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The Voices That Defined Baseball Are Waiting for You at Classic Baseball Broadcast Not a member? Start your free 7-day trial
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Todays highlights and Historic Days!
Mel Ott, Born: March 2, 1909 in Gretna, LA Standing just 5’9″ tall and weighing only 170 pounds, Mel Ott hardly presented an imposing figure to opposing pitchers when he stepped into the batter’s box. Yet, in spite of his diminutive stature, Ott was the National League’s top home run hitter during the first half of the twentieth century, holding league records for home runs, runs batted in, runs scored, and bases on balls upon his retirement in 1947.
March 2, 1927 — Babe Ruth becomes the highest-paid player in major league history when the Yankees announce the Bambino will earn $70,000 per season for the next three years. Ruth will sign the historic contract on March 4th. 1926, Ruth led the American League in home runs and RBIs while batting .372. The ‘Sultan of Swat,’ who had asked for $100,000, meets Colonel Jacob Ruppert at the owner’s brewery in the Yorkville section of Manhattan to finalize the historic deal.
March 2, 1935 in Brooklyn Dodger rookie outfielder Stanley (Frenchy) Bordagaray arrives for spring training at Daytona Beach wearing a beret with Van Dyke beard and handlebar mustache causing manager Casey Stengel to comment “It looked like a little French waiter had joined the club.”
🎙️ Bill Stern Sports Newsreel — March 2, 1945
Bill Stern sits down with Lawrence Tibbett — not a ballplayer, not a manager, but the most famous American opera singer alive. A baritone who sang over 600 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, appeared on the cover of Time magazine, and was nominated for an Academy Award. So what's he doing on a sports newsreel in 1945? That's exactly the question. Step into a radio studio from 80 years ago today and find out.
March 2, 1966, Commissioner William Eckert voids the contract recently signed by collegiate star Tom Seaver. The Atlanta Braves had signed Seaver to a $50,000 bonus a week earlier, but Eckert cites a rule prohibiting teams from signing players while their college seasons are ongoing. A special draft will be held after the collegiate season to reassign Seaver’s rights. The Mets will be awarded the future Hall of Famer’s signing rights in a lottery that includes the Phillies and Indians, who also were willing to match the Braves’ terms.
March 2, 1992 – The highest-paid player tag now belongs to Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs. The All-Star second baseman signs a four-year contract extension worth $7.1 million per season was more than 20% higher than the previous record of $5.8 million per season set by Bobby Bonilla in 1991.
March 2 , 1992 — Astros’ broadcaster Milo Hamilton is named the annual Ford C. Frick Award winner for major contributions to baseball. He will be honored in July at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Hamilton becomes the 16th announcer to win the award since it began.
March 2, 1999 — Players Orlando Cepeda and Smokey Joe Williams, manager Frank Selee, and umpire Nestor Chylak are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
Todays featured clip:
Quote of the Day:
"I never knew a baseball player who was so universally loved. Why, even when he was playing against (us) he would be cheered and there are no more rabid fans than in Brooklyn." - Leo Durocher, about Mel Ott |
TRIVIA
TRIVIA: What player has hit the most homeruns in one ball park?
IF you think you know the answer and bonus points for how many respond with details and if you are right I will give you a shut out! No Googling!
Answer in tomorrows newsletter
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A Couple of Birthday Boys!
Moe Berg played 15 seasons in the major leagues, almost entirely for four American League teams, though he was never more than an average player and was better known for being "the brainiest guy in baseball." Casey Stengel once described Berg as "the strangest man ever to play baseball." Berg will become far more famous becoming a SPY during WWII and onwards for the CIA.
Bespectacled Jim Konstanty won the 1950 National League Most Valuable Player Award, pitching in 74 games, winning 16 games, and saving 22 more, as he helped the Phillies to their first pennant in 35 years. The tall reliever, who relied on a wicked slider, never duplicated that season again, but he did have a solid career out of the bullpen.
ANSWER TO YESTERDAY’S TRIVIA
TRIVIA: How did Leo Durocher get the nick name the LIP?
Durocher won the 1928 World Series with the Yankees, then won another Fall Classic as captain of the St. Louis Cardinals' “Gashouse Gang” in 1934. In addition to his hustle, Durocher also garnered his famous nickname “The Lip,” or “Lippy,” for his hard-scrabble conversations with umpires from the dugout.
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