Books and articles about Frankie Frisch

Frisch graduated from Fordham University in 1919 after starring there in baseball, football, basketball, and track. He joined the Giants without playing a game in the minors. A natural athlete with great speed and dexterity, Frisch was tutored long and hard by manager John McGraw on batting and sliding technique. The youthful Frisch quickly became a favorite of McGraw, who named him team captain. He played second base, third base, and occasionally shortstop, wherever his talents were most needed. Although his first two seasons produced only modest offensive results, his fielding was superb and his speed spectacular. He also rarely struck out, an ability Frisch became legendary for. In 17 full seasons, only twice did he fan more than 18 times. From 1921 to 1926 Frisch averaged over 100 runs scored per season, never batted below .324, and stole bases with abandon. He was instrumental in four consecutive Giants pennants and batted .363 in those four World Series (1921-1924).

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When the Giants faded in 1925 and 1926, McGraw vented much of his frustration on Frisch. After exactly 1,000 games as a Giant, Frankie was dealt to the Cardinals with pitcher Jimmy Ring for the dominant NL hitter of the 1920s, second baseman and manager Rogers Hornsby, who had had a falling-out with St. Louis owner Sam Breadon.

The extremely competitive, switch-hitting Frisch was saddled with the almost impossible task of making fans in St. Louis forget Hornsby, a man who had just won six straight batting titles with a six-season average of .397. As longtime St. Louis Post-Dispatch sportswriter Bob Broeg said, "Frisch didn't make them forget the Rajah, but he made them remember the Flash." In his first season in St. Louis, Frisch hit .337 and finished second in the MVP voting. He also had 641 assists and 1,059 chances at second base, season records which have endured, and he led the league in fielding average.

By the early 1930s, Branch Rickey's farm system had surrounded the veteran second baseman with hungry, talented youngsters, and the Gas House Gang was born. Frisch's zest for the game was contagious. He went on to bat .312 in a decade as a Cardinal and played on four more pennant winners. He batted over .300 thirteen times in his career. From 1933 to 1938 he managed the Cardinals. Ironically, Frisch was united with Rogers Hornsby in 1933 when Hornsby served as a pinch hitter and backup second baseman. Shortly after Frisch assumed the helm of the Cardinals in mid-season, Hornsby was released so he could accept the same position with the St. Louis Browns.

Frisch managed with the same fire with which he had played. He loved to argue with, show up, and humor umpires. He directed the 1934 Cardinals, one of the most raucous conglomerations of baseball characters, including the Dean brothers, Pepper Martin, Leo Durocher, Joe Medwick, and Ripper Collins, to a World Championship. After he left the Cardinals, Frisch managed 10 more years with the Pirates and Cubs. He did radio play-by-play for the Boston Braves in 1939 and for the Giants in 1947 and was a Giants coach in 1948. (FO)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » October 9, 1919: Lefty Williams gets one man out in the first before departing. The Reds lead 4-0, and go on to give Hod Eller a 10-5 victory and the Reds the world title in 8 games. Joe Jackson hits the only HR of the Series. Eddie Collins's 3 hits give him a total of 42 in WS play, a record broken in 1930 by Frank Frisch, and bettered by Lou Gehrig in 1938. A SB by Collins is his 14th in WS competition, a record tied by Lou Brock in 1968. » August 7, 1921: The Cubs replace manager Johnny Evers with Bill Killefer. With Pete Alexander, the former batterymate of "Reindeer Bill" the mound, the Cubs lose to the Giants, 7–2, at Cubs Park. New York third sacker Frankie Frisch is knocked out by a deflected ground ball. » October 5, 1921: In the first one-city World Series since 1906, the Polo Grounds will be the site for all nine games. Carl Mays (27-9) is at his best, needing 86 pitches to set the Giants down with five hits—4 of them by Frank Frisch. Ruth drives in the first run of the Series in the opening inning of this 3–0 Yankee win. Mike McNally, subbing for Frank Baker at 3B, steals home in the 5th while Phil Douglas (15-10) is winding up. The game is broadcast on KDKA radio, with Grantland Rice announcing. It is the only game of the season's World Series to be aired. » October 6, 1921: In the opener, Johnny Rawlings and Frank Frisch collected the only Giants hits. In game two it's the same story. Waite Hoyt (19-13) surrenders two singles in another 3–0 Yankee win. Art Nehf (20-10) deserves better, allowing just three hits; but three errors and two mental lapses by the Giants, plus a steal of home by Bob Meusel, put the Giants down 2–0. The five hits are the fewest ever in a World Series game. » May 28, 1922: The Giants whip the Phils, 8–1, overcoming four errors by New York 2B Frankie Frisch. » September 3, 1922: The Giants pull off a 2nd inning triple play against the Phils. With runners on 1B and 2B Jimmy Smith pops up and the infield fly rule is called. Although Smith is called out, Frisch fails to catch the ball, and the runners take off. Giants right fielder Ross Youngs picks the ball up and the relay catches runner Cliff Lee at 3B for out #2. 3B Heinie Groh's throw and relay catch Sam Leslie at 1B for the 3rd out. The Giants then break a 7–7 tie in the 9th when Frankie Frisch scores from 2B on a muffed 6–3 play that Phils pitcher Jimmy Ring bobbles. » October 6, 1922: The Giants Jack Scott (8–2 with the Giants) fires a 4-hitter as a surprise starter in game three, after Hugh McQuillan (6–5 with NY) warms up to face Waite Hoyt (19-12). Scott gets the Yanks to hit 18 grounders. Frank Frisch’s two RBIs are more than enough in the 3–0 win. With two hits in each game so far, Frisch will bat .471. Heinie Groh, hitting safely in every game, will be at .474. » October 13, 1923: The Yankees score six runs in the 2nd off three Giants hurlers to help a shaky Bob Shawkey (16-11) to an 8–4 win. Whitey Witt has three hits and two RBI; for the losers Frank Frisch has two hits for the 3rd time, and Ross Youngs has 4. » September 10, 1924: At the Polo Grounds, the Giants rip the Braves 22–1 in the opener of a doubleheader. Frankie Frisch goes 6-for-6 before grounding out. » October 1, 1924: Another bribery scandal clouds the World Series atmosphere. Judge Landis bans Giants OF Jimmy O'Connell and coach Cozy Dolan from the World Series after they admit an attempt to bribe Phils SS Heinie Sand on the 27th to "go easy" in their season-ending series against the Giants. O'Connell implicates Frank Frisch, George Kelly, and Ross Youngs, who deny everything and are cleared by Landis. O'Connell is out of baseball at 23. American League President Ban Johnson, an enemy of the Giants John McGraw, proclaims that the World Series should be canceled because of the betting scandal, a pronouncement that the owners will ignore. Johnson, however, decides not to attend any World Series games. » August 20, 1926: The Giants lose their fifth in six games 6-2 in St. Louis. Frankie Frisch misses a sign that costs a run. After the game, berated by John McGraw in front of the team, Frisch buys a ticket to New York and leaves the team. Fined $500, McGraw's favorite, and heir apparent, is through with the Giants. » September 17, 1926: The Cardinals regain the National League lead in a 10–1 win over the Phils. Light-hitting Tommy Thevenow bangs his first ML homer, an inside the park liner off Jack Knight. The Reds continue to nose-dive, dropping a 5–4 decision to the Giants on Frankie Frisch's 10th inning home run. The Reds will lose seven of the final 9. » December 5, 1926: Cardinals C Bob O'Farrell is named National League MVP. O'Farrell caught 146 games and batted .293. He polls 79 points. Reds 2B Hughie Critz is runner-up with 60. Critz set a major-league record handling 588 assists, which will be topped by Frank Frisch with 643 in 1927. » December 20, 1926: In probably the biggest player-for-player trade to date, Rogers Hornsby is traded from the Cardinals to the New York Giants for Frankie Frisch and P Jimmy Ring. Hornsby, after 12 years in St. Louis, will play for three teams in the next three years. Hornsby and owner Sam Breadon had had an increasingly stormy relationship, and feelings between Frankie Frisch and John McGraw were equally as bad. Thirty years later, Hornsby will call the trade "the biggest disappointment in my life." » June 22, 1927: The Cards strengthen their hold on 2nd place by defeating the Cubs, 11–5, to sweep the series. Pete Alexander, pitching out of turn at his own request, stops the Cubs on six hits. Alexander wanted to face the team that had shipped him down the river last season. Frankie Frisch has three hits to put him at .331, a point ahead of Rogers Hornsby, for whom he was traded. » December 4, 1927: Pirates OF Paul Waner noses out Frank Frisch for National League MVP honors with 72 points to 66. Rogers Hornsby, Cubs P Charlie Root, and Giants SS Travis Jackson also score high. » September 28, 1928: Sparked by Frankie Frisch's steal of home, the Cards score a major-league record seven runs in the 15th inning to beat the Braves at Boston, 10–3. For Frisch, it is his 2nd extra-inning steal of home (his first came against the Dodgers in the 2nd game on July 20, 1927), a major league first and still the National League record. The Cards tied the game in the 9th on Andy High's 2-out single. » July 5, 1930: Frankie Frisch, Cardinals 2B, ties the league record with 16 chances in a game in which St. Louis defeats Cincinnati 6-4. » October 20, 1931: Frankie Frisch, the Cardinals' fiery field leader, is named MVP of the NL. He led in stolen bases with 28, hit .313, and was chosen for his all-around excellence. » July 24, 1933: Frank Frisch is appointed manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, replacing Gabby Street. » June 1, 1934: The Dean brothers claim to have "sore arms" that only pay raises can heal. Diz is getting $7,500 and Paul, a rookie, $3,000. When manager Frankie Frisch tells them to go home, the brothers will back down. » June 6, 1934: The Cubs get six runs in the 13th inning to beat the Cards 12–6. In a row with umpire Cy Rigler, Frank Frisch is hit in the jaw by the ump's mask. Both are fined $100. » December 11, 1934: The 1935 All-Star Game is assigned to Cleveland. Frank Frisch and Mickey Cochrane, rival managers in the St. Louis–Detroit World Series, will manage their league's teams. » May 8, 1940: The Waner brothers, Lloyd Waner and Paul Waner, lose their places in the Pittsburgh OF when new manager Frank Frisch acquires Vince DiMaggio for Johnny Rizzo, who hit 23 home runs as a rookie in 1938 with Cincinnati. Vince takes over CF, flanked by Maurice Van Robays and Bob Elliott, each playing their first full season. Yesterday the Bucs sold OF Fern Bell to Toronto. » August 19, 1941: Pittsburgh Pirates manager Frankie Frisch is ejected by umpire Jocko Conlan from the second game of a doubleheader when he appears on the field with an umbrella to protest the playing conditions at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. The rainy argument is later portrayed in a famous oil painting by artist Norman Rockwell. » January 21, 1947: A rule change that allows voting only for players after 1921 produces four new Hall of Famers: Carl Hubbell, Frank Frisch, Mickey Cochrane, and Lefty Grove. Pie Traynor misses selection by two votes. » June 10, 1949: Frank Frisch, who began the season as coach of the Giants, replaces Charlie Grimm as manager of the last-place Cubs. » July 22, 1951: With the Cubs 10 games under .500 at 35-45, Phil Cavarretta replaces Frankie Frisch (141-196) as manager. They will go 27-47 the rest of the way to finish in last place. » July 25, 1977: Pete Rose singles in the 4th inning of the Reds 9–8 loss to the Cardinals. It is Rose's 2,881st career hit, enabling him to surpass Frankie Frisch as the all-time leader among switch-hitters. His hit comes off Pete Falcone.