Books and articles about Tommy Davis

In 1981, Tommy Davis (then the Mariner batting coach) said, "They used to call me lazy or lackadaisical, but the lazier I felt the better I'd hit." Before playing pro ball, the 6'2" 195-lb Davis had been a high school basketball standout and teammate of future NBA great Lenny Wilkens. Jackie Robinson had helped convince Davis to sign a baseball pact with his hometown Brooklyn club in 1956. However, by the time Davis made the big leagues in 1959, the Dodgers had forsaken his borough for Los Angeles. Playing outfield and some third base, the line-drive hitter topped the NL in hits (230), and BA (.346) in 1962; his league-leading 153 RBI were the most in the NL in 25 years. The following year Davis won his fourth pro batting title (he'd captured crowns in the Midwest and Pacific Coast leagues), hitting .326. He was the first National Leaguer to capture successive batting crowns since Stan Musial (1950-52). He was the starting left fielder for the NL All-Stars in '62, and paced all hitters with a .400 average in the '63 World Series as the Dodgers swept the Yankees in four games.

SHOPPING » Look for Tommy Davis books at BN.com » Look for Tommy Davis books at Amazon.com Your purchases keep BaseballLibrary.com online. Thank you!

RELATED LINKS » 1973: O, Charlie O. Submissions » Baseball Beards: A Brief History of the Changing Attitudes Towards Facial Hair in Baseball by Maxwell Kates » Left Field Gold Gloves - National League by Paul White

Davis slipped to .275 in 1964, and a broken ankle in 1965 limited him to 17 games. He rebounded in 1966, enjoying the third of his six .300 ML seasons (.313), but when the Los Angeles-Baltimore World Series ended, the Dodgers sent Davis to the Mets in a trade for Ron Hunt. After one year in New York, Davis went to the White Sox in a six-player deal that brought Tommie Agee to the Mets. From 1969 through 1972, Davis played with five teams, starting with the Seattle Pilots, who had taken him in the expansion draft. He landed in Baltimore in late '72, where he served primarily as DH for three seasons and in two LCS. Davis ended his playing days with the highest career pinch-hitting average (.320, 63-for-197) in baseball history. (TJ)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 2, 1961: Juan Marichal fires a one-hitter—a Tommy Davis single—at the Dodgers, winning 6–0. Felipe Alou has three hits, including two home runs, to pace the Giants win over the league leaders. » October 3, 1963: In game 2, Johnny Podres scatters seven hits, Tommy Davis ties a World Series record with two triples, Willie Davis drives in two runs, Moose Skowron homers, and Los Angeles beats Al Downing 4–1 to go two up. » July 31, 1964: At Philadelphia, 24,197 see Chris Short, with help from Jack Baldschun, stop the Dodgers, 6–1. John Callison starts the Phils scoring with a 2-run homer in the 1st, off Ron Moeller. Tommy Davis hits an 8th inning double, that caroms off 2B Tony Taylor's mouth, kayoing both Taylor and Chris Short. Maury Wills has four singles and drives in the lone run. » May 1, 1965: Dodgers LF Tommy Davis suffers a fractured ankle sliding into 2nd base in a 4–2 win over the visiting Giants. Davis will not reappear until October 3rd. » May 4, 1965: To take the place of the injured Tommy Davis, the Dodgers bring up 31-year-old Lou Johnson from Spokane. The veteran will hit .259 in Dodger blue. » November 29, 1966: The Mets trade 2B Ron Hunt and OF Jim Hickman to the Dodgers for 2-time batting champ Tommy Davis and OF Derrell Griffith. » June 20, 1967: The Phillies Larry Jackson gives up just one hit, a 2nd-inning double to Tommy Davis, in topping the Mets 4–0. It is Jackson's 18th. » December 15, 1967: The Mets trade OF Tommy Davis, P Jack Fisher, P Billy Wynne, and C Dick Booker to the White Sox for OF Tommie Agee and IF Al Weis. » October 15, 1968: Roger Nelson is the initial choice of the Royals in the American League expansion draft. Don Mincher is the Pilots' first choice. Other Seattle selections include Tommy Harper, Tommy Davis, Gary Bell, and Lou Piniella. Kansas City chooses Wally Bunker, Moe Drabowsky, Hoyt Wilhelm, and Joe Foy. » August 31, 1969: In their 2nd trade with Seattle within a week, Houston acquires OF Tommy Davis for outfielders Sandy Valdespino and Danny Walton. » September 3, 1969: Collared his first four times up, Tommy Davis hits a double in the 9th inning to stretch his hit streak to 31 games. The double drives in the winning run as LA tops the Mets 5–4. The Mets had tied in the 8th when Tommie Agee and Donn Clendenon each homered with a man on. » August 18, 1972: The Orioles trade C Elrod Hendricks to the Cubs for OF/1B Tommy Davis. » June 15, 1974: Baltimore beats the White Sox, 4–3, in 11 innings. Don Baylor enters the game in the 9th as a pinch runner and makes the record books with a steal and twice getting caught stealing, thanks to misplays by the Sox. Bobby Grich opens with a single and Tommy Davis singles him to 3B. Davis is then picked off, but an error by Dick Allen at 1B allows both runners to move up. After an out, Ellie Hendricks singles Davis home and Baylor pinch runs. Baylor gets caught stealing second but 2B Ron Santo drops the throw from Ed Herrmann. Baylor then swipes 3B and, following a intentional walk to Brooks Robinson, he is caught stealing home, Herrmann unassisted. Andy Etchebarren strikes out to end the unique frame. Baylor's mark is a ML record, but will be matched four times in the National League between 1987 and 1992. » January 17, 1977: Kansas City releases Tommy Davis, ending an 18-year career spent with 10 different teams. » September 29, 1996: The Rockies beat the Giants, 12–3, as Andres Galarraga has three hits, three runs and three RBIs. He finishes the season with 150 ribbies, the first to reach that mark since Tommy Davis in 1962, and his 47 homers leads the NL. Dante Bichette collects his 141st RBI giving the Rockies two players with 140+ ribbies, the first time two teammates have topped the mark since the 1950 Red Sox. Vinny Castilla hits his 40th homer, joining Ellis Burks and Galarraga as the 2nd team (Braves) to have three teammates reach that mark.