Books and articles about Jeffrey Leonard

RELATED LINKS Around the Web » Jeffrey Leonard from baseball-reference.com » 'Hac Man' still feels sting of '87 loss from sfgate.com (10/10/02) » Forget the Giants, the `Hac-Man' Now Leads Crushers - Former slugger Leonard at helm of Sonoma team from sfgate.com (5/26/00) » A's Errors May Mean Earlier Tejada Call-Up from sfgate.com (5/28/98) » Cool in a Hot Spot, A's Hinch Tips His Cap to Jeffrey Leonard from sfgate.com (3/31/98) Jump directly to Library content from any website!

Called Hac-Man for his aggressiveness at the plate and Penitentiary Face for his perpetual scowl, Leonard escaped the streets of Philadelphia to become a dangerous, free-swinging ML hitter. He led all minor leaguers with a .365 average at Albuquerque (Pacific Coast League) in 1978 and was TSN NL Rookie Player of the Year when he hit .290 with 23 steals for the Astros in 1979. Traded to the Giants with Dave Bergman for Mike Ivie in late 1981, the sullen-looking slugger injured his hand diving for a ball in 1982 but rebounded with 21 HR in both 1983 and 1984, and his .302 average in 1984 was a career high. A sizzling start in 1987 (he was hitting .374 on May 27) earned Leonard an All-Star appearance, and in the 1987 LCS he became only the third player in postseason history to win the MVP award while his team lost the series. Leonard hit home runs in each of the first four games, taunting the Cardinals with his slow, deliberate "one-flap-down" trot, with one arm held against his side and the other arm extended. He hit .417 for the series. He was traded to Milwaukee for Ernest Riles in June 1988, and after the season signed as a free agent with Seattle, where he resurrected his career. A foot injury confined him to DHing, but he nonetheless reached career highs with 24 HR and 93 RBI. (SCL)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » July 1, 1978: The Astros trade C Joe Ferguson to the Dodgers for two players to be named later (IF Rafael Landestoy and OF Jeff Leonard). » August 21, 1979: The Mets win a protested game against the Astros 5–0. With two outs in the 9th inning, Houston's Jeff Leonard flies to CF to apparently end the game. Umpire Doug Harvey rules that time had been called, and orders Leonard back to the plate. He then singles to left. The Mets were without a 1B, however, so the umps order Leonard to bat once more. He flies to LF to end the game. » June 27, 1985: San Francisco's Jeffrey Leonard hits for the cycle in a 7–6 loss to the Reds. He is the first Giant to do so since Dave Kingman in 1972. » September 20, 1985: A federal jury in Pittsburgh convicts Curtis Strong of 11 counts of cocaine distribution after a trial whose prosecution witnesses revealed how widely the drug problem afflicts major league baseball. Prominent players who were granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony include Dave Parker, Lonnie Smith, Keith Hernandez, Jeffrey Leonard, and Tim Raines. » February 28, 1986: In baseball's sternest disciplinary move since the Black Sox were banished for life, Commissioner Ueberroth gives seven players who were admitted drug users a choice of a year's suspension without pay or heavy fines and career-long drug testing, along with 100 hours of drug-related community service. Joaquin Andujar, Jeffrey Leonard, Enos Cabell, Keith Hernandez, Dave Parker, Dale Berra, and Lonnie Smith will be fined 10 percent of their annual salaries, while 14 other players will receive lesser penalties for their involvement with illegal drugs. » September 28, 1987: The Giants and Twins win their divisions, ending 16- and 17-year championship droughts, respectively. San Francisco clinches its first National League West title since 1971 with a 5–4 win at San Diego, behind pinch homers by Jeffrey Leonard and Chili Davis. Minnesota clinches its first American League West title since 1970 with a 5–3 win at Texas. The Twins duplicate the feat of the 1984 Royals by finishing first and scoring fewer runs than their opponents. They are the 3rd AL team to finish above .500 and score fewer runs than the opposition. » October 10, 1987: Jeffrey Leonard sets a playoff record with a home run in his 4th consecutive game, sparking the Giants to a 4–2 win over the Cardinals that evens the NLCS at two games apiece. Leonard's four home runs tie the record for most home runs in one LCS shared by Bob Robertson and Steve Garvey. » October 14, 1987: Danny Cox pitches the Cardinals' 2nd consecutive shutout 6–0 over the Giants in game seven of the NLCS, to send St. Louis to the World Series for the 3rd time in the 1980s. Giants OF Jeffrey Leonard (.417, four home runs) is named series MVP. » June 8, 1988: In a pair of trades, the Giants send OF Jeff Leonard to the Brewers for IF Ernest Riles, and the Reds deal P Dennis Rasmussen to the Padres for reliever Candy Sierra. Jose Rijo will replace Rasmussen in the Reds' starting rotation.