Medwick's reputation as a bad-ball hitter who slashed doubles to all fields got him
into the Hall of Fame, but he is most often remembered for his unusual removal from
Game Seven of the 1934
World Series. With the
Cardinals winning a blowout in Detroit,
he slid hard into Tiger third baseman
Marv Owen on his sixth-inning triple, even
though the throw hadn't come in yet. When Medwick went out to left field with the
score 9-0, Detroit fans threw bottles, food, and garbage at him. Commissioner Landis,
in attendance as always at the Series game, ordered Medwick from the field for his
own safety so the game could be resumed, and
Chick Fullis replaced him in left field.
Medwick hit .379 with five RBI for the Series, including four hits, one a HR, in
the opener.
Medwick came up in September 1932 and hit .349 to win the job. He hit
.300 his first 11 seasons, and won the NL's last Triple Crown in 1937 with career
highs of 31 HR, 154 RBI, and a .374 BA. He was NL MVP that year, also leading in
slugging, runs, and doubles. For three straight years, 1936-38, he led the NL in
both RBI and doubles. He drove in at least 100 runners six straight seasons (1934-39),
scored 100 runs six times, including five consecutive years (1934-38), hit 40 doubles
seven straight years (1933-39), and had seven seasons of 10 or more triples.
His
prime seasons came with the Cardinals. After dropping off slightly in 1939, he was
sold to the Dodgers in mid-1940 for the then-astronomical sum of 125,000. He helped
Brooklyn to their first pennant in over 20 years in 1941 with his last great season,
but suffered a life-threatening beaning by former teammate Bob Bowman after quarreling
with him in an elevator; Branch Rickey thought it was an attempt by St. Louis to
ruin Medwick. He had decent seasons in 1942 and, after a trade to the Giants, in
1944, but was never the same after the beaning. The Hall of Fame Veterans Committee
selected him in 1968.
(WOR)
Joe Medwick
