Books and articles about Nate Colbert

Colbert's name became synonymous with the young Padres. After coming through the St. Louis farm system and appearing with Houston, Colbert was San Diego's ninth selection in the 1968 expansion draft. A great fastball hitter with a strong, compact swing, Colbert devastated NL pitching, crashing 163 homers in his six seasons with San Diego. He led NL first basemen in assists in 1972 and 1973 and was an All-Star three times, 1971-73.

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Colbert was the Padres' offense in 1972, driving in 111 of the 488 runs the club scored, and, for the second time, belting 38 homers, more than'V(((one-third of the Padres' total. On August 1, in Atlanta, he hit five homers in a doubleheader to tie the record set by Stan Musial, and drove in 13 runs, the most ever in a twin bill. Coincidentally, Colbert, a St. Louis native, recalls having been in the stands that day in 1954 when Musial hit the five homers.

Traded to Detroit in November 1974, back problems forced Colbert's retirement in 1976 at age 30. (JCA)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 2, 1954: Stan Musial hits five home runs in a doubleheader with the Giants in St. Louis. In attendance is 8-year-old Nate Colbert, who will be the only other player in history to accomplish this feat. The Cards win the first game 10–6 when Musial's three-run homer in the 8th off Jim Hearn. Stan's first two homers are served up by Johnny Antonelli. The Cards hit five homers in the opener, while the Giants hit three, including back-to-back blows by Wes Westrum and Whitey Lockman. In the nightcap of the doubleheader, Don Mueller goes 5-for-5, and the Giants win, 9–7, with eight runs in the 4th inning. Musial totals a since-topped record 21 bases in the two games, going 4-for-4 with a walk in game 1, and 2-for-4 with a walk in game 2. Don Mueller has six hits for New York. » October 14, 1968: In the National League expansion draft, the Expos choose 30 players, including Maury Wills, Jim Grant, Donn Clendenon, and Manny Mota. San Diego's 30 selections include Dave Giusti, Nate Colbert, Zoilo Versalles, Al McBean, and Clarence Gaston. » June 12, 1970: Pittsburgh's Dock Ellis no-hits San Diego 2–0 in the first game of a doubleheader. Ellis walks eight and hits one and gets all his support on a pair of Willie Stargell home runs. The Padres take the nitecap, 5–2, behind Danny Coombs. Nate Colbert has a pair of triples and Ferrara homers. » September 29, 1971: The Astros light up Al Downing and the Dodgers, 11–0 as Forsch scatters 10 hits. LA doesn't lose ground on the Giants and the Padres win, 4–1, in 10 innings. Nate Colbert's 3-run homer is the winner. » June 23, 1972: Following up a 2-hitter against the Pirates in his previous start, San Diego's Steve Arlin allows just one hit in beating San Francisco, 4–1. Garry Maddox triples in the 2nd inning for the lone hit. Nate Colbert's three run homer, off Sam McDowell, is the deciding blow. » July 4, 1972: Leron Lee singles in the 9th to break up Tom Seaver's no-hitter, but the Mets shut out the Padres 2–0, in the opener. Seaver strikes out 11. The Pads take the nitecap, 4–2, as Nate Colbert hits his 16th homer. » August 1, 1972: Nate Colbert ties one major-league record with five home runs, and sets another with 13 RBI, as the Padres take a doubleheader from the Braves 9–0 and 11–7. At age 8, on May 2, 1954, Colbert had been at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis to witness Stan Musial hitting five home runs in a doubleheader. » November 18, 1974: In a three-way deal, San Diego trades slugger Nate Colbert to Detroit for Ed Brinkman, Bob Strampe and Dick Sharon. Brinkman is then packaged with Danny Breeden and shipped to St. Louis, and the Cards send pitchers Allan Foster, Rich Folkers, and Sonny Siebert to the Pads. None of the new Padres have a prayer, while the ailing Colbert, who set a record in 1972 by driving in 22.75% of his team's runs, will prove that his 1974 average of .207 was no fluke. He and Brinkman will play for three teams in 1975. » June 15, 1975: The Tigers give up on 1B Nate Colbert and sell the slugger to Montreal. » November 4, 1976: The first mass-market free-agent reentry draft is held at New York's Plaza Hotel. Among those available are Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi, Don Gullett, Gene Tenace, Rollie Fingers, Don Baylor, Bobby Grich, and Willie McCovey. McCovey and Nate Colbert are the only two players not selected, but McCovey will catch on with the Giants in spring training and have a banner year at his old position. » September 7, 1993: Cardinals OF Mark Whiten ties the major–league record for RBIs in a game with 12 in St. Louis' 15-2 win over the Reds in the 2nd game of a doubleheader. Whiten hits a record-tying four home runs, including a first inning grand slam, in the contest. His only out is a pop out in the 4th. Todd Zeile, who scores three in the opener, scores ahead of Mark three times, while Gerald Perry is on base for each of the homers. With one RBI in the opener, a 14–13 loss, he also ties Nate Colbert's mark of 13 RBIs in a doubleheader. Prior to today, Whiten had not homered in four weeks. Bob Tewksbury (16-8) is the winner in the Whiten blowout.