He retired with a.260 career batting average, 138 home runs, and 853 RBI. Bill Mazeroski is recognized for one brief time in his career, which won him a place in the Hall of Fame. The score was 9-9 in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. With two out and nobody on base, Mazeroski hit a ground ball that would have ended the game but for some bad luck. The ball got stuck under the glove of Cincinnati Reds catcher Joe Cronin and Mazeroski had an open door to fame and fortune.
Mazeroski's wife took this opportunity to rush into the field with a camera. She got as far as taking five or six steps when her husband called her back. Mazeroski knew what he was doing and didn't want any part of an interview while still playing in the game. But his modesty and good humor won over anyone who met him during this time. In fact, Mazeroski has been voted in by his peers every year since his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.
In conclusion, Bill Mazeroski deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame for being a great hitter and player, and also for his humility off the field.
David Eckstein had a fantastic MLB career, batting.280 with 35 home runs, 392 RBIs, 123 stolen bases, and 701 runs scored with five different organizations. Although David Eckstein was not a Hall of Fame-caliber shortstop, he didn't need to be. He was well above average at his position.
Eckstein made his major league debut on April 17, 1996. He played for the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and Tampa Bay Rays over the course of 11 seasons. Eckstein finished his career with a.276 average, three home runs, 68 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in 184 games.
He was named an All-Star in 2000, hitting.333 with one homer and nine RBIs in the midseason classic.
After retirement, Eckstein returned to Florida where he coached baseball at Hollywood Hills High School before becoming the coach of the University of Miami baseball team in 2015. He is now considered one of the best coaches in college baseball.
Eckstein has two children: a daughter who is a junior in high school and a son who is a freshman in college football.
He lives in Florida with his wife Susan and their two dogs, Sophie and Stella.
On August 7, 1987, the Pirates retired his jersey number 9. While his outstanding defense sometimes overshadowed his offensive efforts, Mazeroski was an integral part of one of the most explosive attacks in the majors. He made six all-star teams and won three Gold Gloves while playing in Pittsburgh for 14 seasons.
Mazeroski was born on January 4, 1923 in Philadelphia. He attended Pennsylvania State University where he played first base for the baseball team. After graduating, he joined the army air force where he served from 1945 to 1947. When he got out of the service, he signed with the Pirates as a free agent. He made his debut against the Chicago Cubs at Forbes Field on April 17, 1948 and went on to play two more games that season. Mazeroski finished with a batting average of.462 (6 for 13) with one double, one home run, and five runs batted in. He had an excellent defensive performance, recording seven putouts at first base and didn't commit an error during his time with the Pirates.
After appearing in 78 games in 1949, Mazeroski became a full-time player the following year. He ended up leading the league in putouts several times while playing second base. In 1951, his batting average of.292 was third highest in the league. That same year, he was selected to his first all-star game.
While the stars of the 1968 World Series victors were Al Kaline, Denny McLain, and Mickey Lolich, Freehan was the foundation. Freehan's 44.7 bWAR ranks 14th all-time among catchers; ten of the thirteen catchers ahead of him are Hall of Famers. He had three consecutive seasons with more than 30 saves before Jim Leyritz broke this mark in 2001. Freehan is one of only four players (Leyritz, Joe Mauer, Brian McCann) to win a batting title while playing every game at catcher. The other three players are Wally Berger, Roy Campanella, and Matt Nokes.
Freehan began his major league career with the Detroit Tigers in 1968. That year, he played in 93 games and finished with a.272 average, 17 homers, and 79 RBIs. He stayed with the Tigers for seven more seasons, finishing with a batting average over.270 each time. In addition to his work as a catcher, Freehan also played some first base and left field during his tenure with Detroit. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants after the 1973 season for Doug Griffin.
Freehan helped the Giants reach the playoffs in both 1974 and 1975. He ended up being part of two world championship teams in San Francisco: 1974 and 1992. Overall, Freehan played in 10 postseason games and had a.500 average (5 for 10) with two doubles and two RBIs.
Hornsby was chosen to the Hall of Fame in 1942, after his season-record.424 average and.358 lifetime mark for 23 big league seasons established him as the standard for right-handed batters. He led the National League in hitting seven times, including a six-year span from 1920 to 1925 when he averaged.402. The only other right-handed batter to top.400 during that period was Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees.
Hornsby's career batting average of.440 is the highest among major league players who spent their entire careers with one team. The next-highest total is.429 by George Brett of the Kansas City Royals. Only two other hitters have topped the.400 mark more than once: Rogers Hornsby and Ty Cobb.
Cobb owned the highest single-season batting average in history with a.4595 mark in 1911. He also led the league in hits with 212 and runs scored with 148. The Detroit Tigers' Harry Davis had the most successful season among left-handers with a.443 average in 1897. Two other lefties reached.400: Mike "King" Kelly of the Chicago White Sox and Ed Delahanty of the Philadelphia Phillies. Right-handed hitters still lead the league today with a.408 average; the Minnesota Twins' Justin Morneau is the only player who fits Hornsby's description (played all or part of seven seasons with one team).
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