Books and articles about Gil McDougald

RELATED LINKS » 1956: October's Revenge Photos » Photo: Gil McDougald hits a grand-slam home run in the 1951 World Series Book Excerpts » 1960: The Last Pure Season by Kerry Keene » "[McDougald] had one of the craziest stances anyone had ever seen; but he had hit .336 that way at Beaumont, where Rogers Hornsby, his manager, had sense enough to leave him alone": Leonard Koppett Submissions » A Costly Party: What a Difference a Martin Could Make by Harold Friend

Mickey Mantle joined the Yankees to great fanfare in 1951, but teammate Gil McDougald, who batted .306 with 14 HR, was AL Rookie of the Year. He used an open batting stance with his feet far apart, and dangled the head of his bat below the plane of his hands. On May 3, McDougald tied a major league record with six RBI in one inning. He capped the year by becoming the first rookie to hit a grand slam in the World Series (Game Five). An All-Star in 1952, playing mostly third base, McDougald shifted to second in 1954 when Billy Martin was drafted. When Martin returned, McDougald replaced 37-year-old Phil Rizzuto in 1956 to become an All-Star shortstop. He was successful at whichever infield position the Yankees needed him to play. He batted a career-high .311 in 1956 and led the AL with nine triples in 1957. His pinch single won the 1958 All-Star Game. A member of eight Yankee pennant-winners, McDougald ranks among the leaders with 53 WS games and 190 WS at-bats. At age 33, though he may have had several good years left, he retired rather than join the Washington Senators, who selected him in the 1961 expansion draft. To this day, he is remembered as much for hitting the line drive that ruined Herb Score's career as he is for his own accomplishments. (MC)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 3, 1951: In St. Louis, Gil McDougald hits a grand slam and a triple in the 9th, as the Yanks score 11 runs in the inning to rout St. Louis, 17–3. McDougald, destined to be Rookie of the Year, racks up six RBIs in the frame. Jackie Jensen follows McDougald's triple with one of his own, then homers after Gil's grand slam. Allie Reynolds is the winner. » July 27, 1951: The White Sox, just three 1/2 games behind New York and Boston, open a 4-game series in New York. Trailing 3–1 in the ninth, the Sox make it 3–2 before rain and the Yankees delay the game. Gil McDougald is thrown out for stalling, and Casey Stengel uses five pitchers in the inning. Finally the Yanks win as the game is called after 30 minutes. » October 9, 1951: Gil McDougald becomes the first rookie to hit a grand slam in the World Series, as the Yankees win in a romp, 13–1. Ed Lopat wins his 2nd game. » November 15, 1951: The baseball writers name Gil McDougald as American League Rookie of the Year. » April 28, 1953: A wild fight occurs after Browns Clint "Scrap Iron" Courtney spikes Phil Rizzuto in the 10th inning in St. Louis. In the brawl, umpire John Stevens dislocates his collarbone. Six players are fined for their actions. Courtney retaliated after being knocked over in the top of the 10th when Gil McDougald scored the go-ahead run in an eventual 7-6 Yankee win. » April 21, 1954: At Yankee Stadium, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle belt back-to-back homers in the 3rd, off Leo Kiely, and Gil McDougald adds a solo blast to key the Yankees to a 5–1 win over the Red Sox. » October 3, 1955: No more "wait till next year" as Brooklyn, behind the 2-0 pitching of Johnny Podres, brings its first WS championship to Brooklyn in 8 tries. Sixth-inning replacement Sandy Amoros races over to the wall in LF to one-hand an opposite-field bid for extra bases by Yogi Berra with the tying runs on. Amoros turns and fires to SS Pee Wee Reese who throws a bullet to Gil Hodges at 1B for the DP on Yankee base runner Gil McDougald. » May 14, 1956: Bob Lemon tops the Yankees for the 2nd time in four days to give the Indians a 3–2 win at Cleveland. New York's only score comes in 4th when Gil McDougald and Mickey Mantle hit back-to-back homers. » May 7, 1957: Gil McDougald of the Yankees hits a wicked line-drive that strikes Cleveland's Herb Score in the right eye. Score, with a broken nose and lacerations, is carried off the field on a stretcher. Bob Lemon relieves and wins the game, 2–1. Score will return the following year but his pitching will not be the same. » July 8, 1958: The AL edges the NL 4-3 in the All-Star Game played at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. The Yankees Gil McDougald singles to score Boston's Frank Malzone with the deciding run. Billy O'Dell of San Francisco pitches perfect ball for three innings and gets the save. This is the first All-Star Game played without an extra-base hit. » May 28, 1960: Casey Stengel is hospitalized with a virus and high fever and will miss 13 games. New York goes 7-6 under interim manager Ralph Houk. Today the Yanks top the Senators, 5–1, behind Jim Coates' 5th straight win. The game is scoreless until Mickey Mantle cracks a 5th inning opposite field homer off Jim Kaat, who then walks three, hits two batters, and a serves up a Gil McDougald 2-run triple good for three runs. Later Mantle homers again, and Roger Maris, leading the American League, also homers, the first time the two have hit round trippers together in a game. » October 23, 1981: Despite an uncharacteristic poor performance (9 hits, seven walks) Fernando Valenzuela goes the distance in the Dodgers' 5–4 come-from-behind win. The deciding run scores on a double play. Starter Dave Righetti lasts just two innings, walking two and allowing five hits, but reliever George Frazier takes the loss. Ron Cey has a 3-run homer for LA. Starters Valenzuela and Righetti are the first two Rookies of the Year to oppose each other in the World Series since Willie Mays and Gil McDougald in 1951.