Books and articles about Wally Post

Post peaked in 1955-56, when he hit 40 and 36 HR respectively for the power-hitting Reds. His numerous tape-measure homers led many to consider him the most powerful slugger in the NL during this period. Following the 1957 season, he was traded to the Phillies for Harvey Haddix, but Post returned to Cincinnati during the 1960 season. His career-high .585 slugging percentage in part-time duty helped the 1961 Reds to the NL pennant. In the World Series, his two-run homer in Game Five went for naught as the Yankees clinched with a 13-5 win.

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Post broke into baseball as a pitcher in 1946 and went 17-7 in 1947 for Muncie (Ohio State League), but he was soon switched to the outfield to take advantage of his heavy hitting. He had brief stints with the Reds before finally sticking in 1954. Besides his 40 HR in 1955, he had other career highs with 109 RBI, 116 runs, 33 doubles, and a .309 average, but led the league in strikeouts for the first of three times. Much-used as a pinch hitter from 1958 on, his best effort in that role came in 1962 (9-for-27). (RTM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » April 24, 1954: At Crosley Field, Wally Post belts a 2-out home run in the 9th inning with a man on to give the Reds a 6–5 win against the Cubs. Kiner and Sauer belt back-to-back home runs for the Cubs in the 7th. » April 28, 1956: Redlegs rookie LF Frank Robinson hits the first HR of his 586 lifetime blasts, off Cub P Paul Minner in Crosley Field. The Cubs lose the opener 9-1. Cincinnati OF Wally Post hits 4 HRs in a doubleheader sweep for the Redlegs. » May 26, 1956: Three Redlegs pitchers -- Johnny Klippstein, Hersh Freeman and Joe Black -- combine to no-hit the Braves for nine 2/3 innings. Klippstein walks eight in seven hitless innings before giving way to Freeman for one inning. Black walks two in his stint and finally gives up a 2-out double to Jack Dittmer in the 10th and two more hits in the 11th to lose, 2–1. Hank Aaron's triple and two intentional walks sets up a Frank Torre single. This is the 8th no-hitter to be lost in extra innings, and the only combined-effort one. Starter Ray Crone doesn't give up a run until two out in the 9th when Wally Post's RBI double in the 9th provides the Reds with their only run. Torre has two RBIs, including the winner. » August 18, 1956: Redlegs OF Bob Thurman hits three consecutive HRs; Ted Kluszewski and Frank Robinson add two each, and Wally Post, one, in a 13-4 win over Milwaukee at Crosley Field. The eight HRs tie a major-league record. » April 21, 1957: Reds' baserunner Don Hoak breaks up a DP by fielding a Wally Post ground ball and flipping it to Braves SS Johnny Logan. The umpire calls Hoak out for interference but Post is given a single on the play. The Braves win 3-1. In yesterday's 5­4 loss to the Braves, baserunner Johnny Temple let Gus Bell's ground ball hit him with the same result; Temple out for interfering and Bell awarded a single. » May 1, 1957: Wally Post laces a 2-run single in the 16th to give the Reds an 8–6 win over the host Phillies. » June 28, 1957: By stuffing the ballot box, Cincinnati fans elect 8 Redlegs as starters in the All-Star Game. Over protests from Reds fans, Commissioner Ford Frick names Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron to replace Reds Gus Bell, George Crowe, and Wally Post in the starting lineup. In the final vote tally, Musial is the only non-Redleg who would have started. » December 16, 1957: The Reds land their 5th pitcher of the month when they acquire Harvey Haddix from the Phillies for OF Wally Post. A week ago they swapped pitchers with the Pirates, picking up veteran Bob Purkey for Don Gross. » June 28, 1959: The Phils Wally Post becomes the only player in baseball history to twice throw out two runners from the OF in one inning. The Giants win 6–0. » June 15, 1960: Philadelphia sends Wally Post back to Cincinnati, along with OF Harry Anderson and 1B Fred Hopke, for outfielders Tony Gonzalez and Lee Walls. Gonzalez will be a reliable starter for nine years in Philley and, in 1962, will be the first CF to field 1.000. » April 14, 1961: At Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the Reds Wally Post lines a tape measure shot off the Budweiser sign atop the scoreboard in the Reds, 7–3 win. If the ball had not hit the sign, some estimate the shot could have traveled close to 600 feet. » May 7, 1961: Trailing Milwaukee, 4-0 after seven innings, the Reds unleash the fire power. They score three runs in the 8th on homers by Frank Robinson and Wally Post, and two more in the 9th, on homers by Leo Cardenas and Gordy Coleman, to win 5–4. » August 19, 1961: The Reds surge to a 3-game lead in the National League by topping the Cards, 3–1, behind Joey Jay. They now lead by three games. The Reds get on the board in the 6th on Wally Post's homer, his 16th. He has now homered this year in every NL park. » August 27, 1961: With first place on the line after the Dodgers have won two games from them, Cincinnati rallies from a 5–1 deficit to a 6–5 first-game win over Los Angeles. Gene Freese hits a 3-run homer in the 7th and Wally Post adds a 2-run double in the 8th. Rookie Ken Johnson is an 8–3 winner in the nightcap as the Reds pummel Don Drysdale. The sweep gives the Reds a three 1/2 game lead in the National League. » April 10, 1962: Dodger Stadium, the first ML arena privately financed since Yankee Stadium in 1922-23, opens in Chavez Ravine. With 52,564 fans on hand, the Dodgers inaugurate the $22 million facility with a 6–3 loss to the Reds. Wally Post hits the first homer in the new stadium, a 3-run shot over the CF fence in the 7th. » June 12, 1962: Wally Post belts a two-run pinch homer in the 9th inning to give the Reds a 3–2 win over the Cubs at Wrigley. » May 16, 1963: The Reds sell aging slugger Wally Post to Minnesota.