Nicknamed "The Glider" for his graceful baserunning and third base play, Charles
spent eight tough seasons with the Braves organization in the still-segregated South,
and wrote published poetry concerning the universe, racism, and baseball. With Eddie
Mathews at third, Milwaukee had no place for Charles and finally traded him to Kansas
City. His 1962 rookie marks included career highs of .288 and 17 HR. He remained
a steady contributor for five seasons, but his home run production was cut in half
when owner Charlie Finley moved the fences back in 1965. Traded to the Mets in early
1967, he was their oldest regular and was waived in November. He re-made the club
in the spring of 1968 and batted .276 with 15 homers. In the Mets' 1969 World Championship
season, he shared third base duties with Wayne Garrett and Bobby Pfeil.
(JCA)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»December 15, 1961:
The Braves send veteran minor league 3B Ed Charles, C Joe Azcue and Manny Jimenez to the Athletics for Bob Shaw and Lou Klimchock. With Mathews at 3B, Charles was expendable. He will hit .288 with 17 home runs in 1962, his rookie year.
»May 10, 1967:
The Mets acquire 3B Ed Charles from the Athletics for infielder Bob Johnson. Charles will be the oldest starter for the Mets.
»September 24, 1969: Home runs by Donn Clendenon and Ed Charles, and Gary Gentry's 4-hitter, clinch the National League East pennant for the Mets 6–0 against Steve Carlton and the Cards. As the game ends, a large number of the 54, 928 fans pour onto the field ripping up huge chunks of sod. Seven fans suffer fractures in the celebration.
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