Books and articles about Norm Cash

Norm Cash had the greatest season of his career in 1961, but it was completely overshadowed by Roger Maris's 61 HR. Cash led the AL with 193 hits and a .361 batting average, 37 points ahead of the runner-up, teammate Al Kaline (they were only the eighth pair of AL teammates to finish one-two in a batting race). Only 12 players have topped his .488 on-base percentage that year, and none since. He had 132 RBI (fourth in the AL), 41 HR (sixth), eight triples (fourth), 119 runs (fourth), 11 stolen bases, 124 walks (second), a .662 slugging percentage (second, ahead of Maris), and 354 total bases (second). He finished fourth in the MVP voting, behind Maris, Mickey Mantle, and Jim Gentile.

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Ironically, the season that was overlooked at the time was the apex of his career. All the performances cited were career highs. He dropped to .243 in 1962 and the 118-point drop is a record for a batting champ. Even on his own team, he was overshadowed by his roommate, Al Kaline. But although he never hit above .283 for the rest of his career, he was consistently one of the best first basemen in the majors. He hit 30 or more homers five times and 20 or more eleven times, including nine straight years (1961-69), and twice led the league in HR percentage (1965, 1971). He won TSN Comeback Player of the Year honors in 1965, finishing second in the AL in HR (30) and third in slugging (.512), then won the award again in 1971 when he hit 32 HR and slugged .531.

Cash never went on the DL, although some years he missed 20-40 games with minor injuries. His batting averages were actually well above average in the pitching-dominated late 1960s, and he walked frequently. Cash was a good fielder and at various times led the AL in putouts (1961), fielding average (1964, 1967), and assists (tied 1965, led 1966-67).

Cash was drafted in the 13th round by the NFL's Chicago Bears but he opted for baseball, beginning his career as an outfielder in the White Sox system. After missing 1957 for military service he made it to the majors briefly in 1958. He converted to first base and spent all of 1959 in the majors, although he played just 58 games in Chicago's AL championship season. In the off-season he was sent to Cleveland in the deal that brought Minnie Minoso back to Chicago, and then was picked up by Detroit in the most lopsided deal in their history: he was traded straight up for third baseman Steve Demeter, who had just five more at-bats in his ML career.

The genial, self-deprecating slugger tied two offbeat records. On June 27, 1963, he had no fielding chances at first base. And in the third inning of Game Six of the 1968 World Series, he had two hits as the Tigers scored 10 runs. He batted .385 for the Series, with five RBI and five runs, and hit a homer in Game Two. He also started the Series-winning rally in Game Seven with a two-out, seventh-inning single, and scored the first run of the game on Jim Northrup's triple. In the 1972 LCS, Cash was part of the Tigers' "Over the Hill Gang". He homered in Game One in a losing cause and drove in the tying run of Game Four with a 10th-inning walk as the Tigers came from behind to force a fifth game.

Cash's 375 HR as a first baseman rank third in the AL, and his 377 HR overall were 30th all-time at the end of the 1980s. He and Kaline combined to hit 647 HR as teammates, the fourth-best AL total and eighth-best overall. His total of 317 hits and walks in 1961 is the 23rd-best in ML history; only seven people have bettered it, and only Wade Boggs has done it since Cash. He is seventh in lifetime assists among first basemen (1317) despite not being in the top ten in games at first base. Cash drowned in 1986 when he slipped on a boat, fell, and struck his head. (SH)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » April 17, 1959: Led by rookies Rudy Arias and Norm Cash, the White Sox top Detroit 6–5. Arias picks up his 1st win and Cash contributes a 3-run home run. » December 6, 1959: The White Sox re acquire Minnie Minoso, along with C Dick Brown and pitchers Jake Striker and Don Ferrarese from the Indians. The give up young 1B Norm Cash, OF Bubba Phillips, and C John Romano. » December 8, 1959: Two days after trading Norm Cash, the White Sox send young OF Johnny Callison to the Phillies for veteran infielder Gene Freese. This ranks as one of the Phils' better trades. » April 12, 1960: In a deal that will haunt the Indians, Frank Lane sends Norm Cash to Detroit for 3B Steve Demeter. Cash will be Detroit's regular 1B for the next 14 years and will hit 373 home runs for them. Demeter will play four games for Cleveland. » June 13, 1960: Bunning strikes out 13 in seven innings, but gives up a home run to Ted Williams, #498, and is losing before Norm Cash bats for him and hits a 2-run homer. Detroit beats Boston, 2–1. » July 3, 1960: Before 50,556 fans in New York, the Yankees sweep two from the Tigers, winning 7–6 and 6–2. In the opener, Ryne Duran fans Charlie Maxwell with the bases loaded and two outs in the 9th. Detroit is ahead 2–1 in the night cap when Norm Cash argues at length about a call at first base, and finally gets tossed. When play resumes, Pete Burnside serves up a 3-run homer to Mickey Mantle, batting righty. The Yankees are 23–5 since June five and lead the American League by three games. » September 19, 1960: Chicago's pennant hopes are damaged with a nitecap 7–6 loss to the Tigers, after they win the opener, 8–4. Pinch hitter Norm Cash scores the decisive run in game 2. Cash thus ends his year by grounding into no double plays, the 1st ALer since league records on this were started in 1940. Teammate Dick McAuliffe and Roger Repoz will duplicate this in 1968. » May 23, 1961: Norm Cash, Steve Boros, and Dick Brown hit consecutive home runs for the Tigers in a 5–2 win over Minnesota. » September 15, 1961: The Yankees set a new American League record for most homers in a season (222), as they split a doubleheader in Detroit, winning 11–1 and losing 4–2. Circuit blows by Bill Skowron and Yogi Berra in the opener help Whitey Ford win his 24th and increase New York's homer total to 222. This breaks the old mark set by the 1947 Giants and tied by the 1956 Reds. Norm Cash and Steve Boros homer in the nitecap to back Ron Kline's 7-hitter. » September 16, 1961: At Detroit, Roger Maris connects for #57, off Frank Lary, to stay a game ahead of Ruth's 1927 pace. But Lary wins his 21st, 10–4, over Ralph Terry, with help from Norm Cash, who belts a homer, his 37th, and a triple. Al Kaline adds four hits and a sac fly. » June 27, 1963: Detroit's Norm Cash achieves a rarity by playing an entire game at 1B without a chance, as the Twins win 10–6. » October 1, 1964: Detroit's Dave Wickersham, in a bid for his 20th win, is ejected by umpire Bill Valentine in the 7th inning of his final start. Wickersham gets the heave-ho for trying to get Valentine's attention by grabbing his shoulder during an argument with Norm Cash. Mickey Lolich enters the 1–1 tie and earns a 4–2 win. » September 16, 1967: Norm Cash drives in five runs and John Hiller goes the distance, enabling Detroit to take the American League lead with a 9–1 win over the Yankees. » September 14, 1968: Denny McLain becomes the first 30-game winner since Dizzy Dean in 1934, as the Tigers beat the A's 5–4. Reggie Jackson's homer in the 4th puts the A' s ahead 2–0 but Norm Cash answers with a 3-run shot. Reggie hits another in the 6th, but the Tigers push across two in the 9th to win. Kaline, pinch hitting for McLain, walks and scores the tying run. Denny (30–5) gives up six hits and strikes out 10. » March 13, 1969: In addition to this year's lower mound and tightened strike zone, the majors try an experiment ball with 10% more resiliency for a spring training game between the Mets and Tigers in Lakeland. It has an all-rubber center instead of a cork and rubber core, and the seams are higher than the regular ball. The Mets' Don Cardwell surrenders three homers in the 4th to Dick McAuliffe, Norm Cash, and Gates Brown in the Tigers' 7-4 win. Tomorrow, in Phoenix, the same ball is used in the Giants 13–1 win over the Angels, with Bobby Bonds hitting the only two homers (off George Brunet). The players agree the ball is definitely livelier and sounded louder coming off the bat. » May 23, 1971: With 53,337 on hand Mickey Lolich and Les Cain, with three innings from Joe Niekro, notch shutouts as the Tigers sweep a doubleheader from the Senators 5–0 and 11–0. The loser in the opener is Denny McLain, making his first appearance in Detroit since being traded. Al Kaline and Norm Cash each hit 2-run homers off Denny, with Cash adding another pair, one with the sacks full, in the nitecap. » June 19, 1971: Indian leadoff batters Graig Nettles and Vada Pinson belt homers off Detroit's Dean Chance in the first inning, but Detroit ties in the 5th, goes ahead on Aurelio Rodriguez's homer in the 7th, and wins, 5–3 after Norm Cash hits is 15th homer in the 8th. » July 6, 1971: Norm Cash belts a pair of 3-run homers to power the Tigers to a 12–7 win over the Yanks. Mickey Lolich goes all the way for the win. » July 3, 1973: Brothers Gaylord Perry (Indians) and Jim Perry (Tigers) pitch against each other for the only time in their careers. Neither finishes the game, but Gaylord is charged with the 5–4 loss. Two Norm Cash home runs help Detroit. » July 15, 1973: Before 41,411 in Detroit, Angel ace Nolan Ryan hurls his 2nd no-hitter of the season in taming the Tigers 6–0. Ryan fans 17 batters—the most ever in a 9-inning no-hitter—including eight straight, but only one over the last two innings. Nolan's arm stiffens while watching his team rally for five runs in the top of the 8th. With two outs in the 9th, Norm Cash, who had struck out his three other times at bat, comes to bat wielding a piano leg. Umpire Ron Luciano points out the illegality and Cash then pops out using a regulation bat. Ryan's eight in a row ties the American League record he set last year. » August 7, 1974: As part of a youth movement, the Tigers release 1B Norm Cash and sell OF Jim Northrup to Montreal. » October 12, 1986: Norm Cash, the 1961 American League batting champion, drowns in Lake Michigan, a victim of a boating accident. He was 51.