Lindstrom joined the Giants in 1924 and that fall became the youngest player (18
years, 10 months, 13 days) to appear in a
World Series. In Game Five, he had four
hits against Washington's
Walter Johnson, but Lindstrom is best remembered for his
part in the seventh and deciding game. In the bottom of the 12th,
Earl McNeely's
grounder took a wild hop (blamed on a pebble) over third baseman Lindstrom's head,
allowing the Series-winning run to score.
Lindstrom hit .300 or better in seven
of his 13 ML seasons. In 1928 he batted .358 with a league-leading 231 hits; he had
231 hits again in 1930, reaching career highs of .379 and 22 home runs. He drove
in more than 100 runs in both seasons.
He was
never outstanding at 3B, and when
he suffered back problems in 1931, Lindstrom was moved to the outfield. Bill Terry
was made Giants manager in 1932 when John McGraw retired. Lindstrom was bitter that
he was not the choice and asked Terry to trade him. He was obliged in a three-team
deal that sent him to Pittsburgh that December. But 1933 was his last year as a regular.
In 1935 he helped the Cubs to a pennant by filling in at 3B and in the OF. He retired
while with Brooklyn in 1936. He finally got his chance to manage, in the minors,
from 1940 through 1942, and he coached at Northwestern University in the early 1950s.
His son, Charlie, caught one game with the 1958 White Sox. Despite being an everyday
player in only seven seasons, Lindstrom was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Committee
on Baseball Veterans in 1976.
(JJM)
Freddie Lindstrom
