Books and articles about Hal Trosky

The 1940 Cleveland Indians were heavily favored to win the American League pennant. But the players despised their manager, Oscar Vitt, who made a practice of openly berating them. Led by first baseman Hal Trosky, the "Crybaby" Indians petitioned owner Alva Bradley for Vitt's removal. Vitt lasted out the year, but Trosky and others were roundly criticized. This incident tarnished Trosky's reputation late in a superb career as one of the league's top sluggers and as Cleveland's all-time first baseman.

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Trosky batted .330 as a rookie in 1934, exhibiting his lefthanded power with 35 homers, 45 doubles, and 142 RBI - second in the AL to Lou Gehrig. In 1936 he put together a 28-game hitting streak, led the league with an Indians-record 162 RBI, and reached career highs of .343 and 42 HR. He drove in 100 or more runs six straight years. He twice hit three HR in a game, and his 216 HR put him second, behind Earl Averill, on the Indians all-time list.

After the 1941 season, Trosky announced a premature retirement, due to migraine headaches. He returned to his Iowa farm, but during 1943 he made known his wish to play again. He was sold to the White Sox after being declared 4F by the military. He hit just 10 HR in 1944, sat out a season, played in 1946, and then became a White Sox scout. His son, Hal Jr., made two appearances as a White Sox pitcher in 1958. (RL)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » May 30, 1934: Cleveland 1B Hal Trosky hits three successive home runs in the 2nd game of a Memorial Day doubleheader against the White Sox as Cleveland sweeps a pair, 7–5 in 10 innings and 5–4. His first two are hit off Les Tietje, and the last off Bill Gallivan. Trosky will homer again tomorrow in a 12–5 loss to the Pale Hose. » June 20, 1934: The AL leading New York Yankees trip the Indians twice, 3–2 and 3–0, at Yankee Stadium. New York ties the first game on Frank Crosetti's solo homer in the 8th of Bob Weiland, then wins it on Gehrig's 18th in the 9th. Lefty Gomez, in relief of Johnny Broaca, is the winner. In game 2, Hal Trosky's single is the only hit off Red Ruffing, who also knocks in a run. » September 7, 1935: Cleveland beats Boston thanks to an unusual triple play. With no outs and the bases loaded in game 1, and the Indians leading, 5–3, in the 9th, the Indians bring in Oral Hildebrand to pitch to Joe Cronin. Cronin lines his first pitch off the side of the head of Cleveland 3B Odell Hale. The ball caroms to SS Bill Knickerbocker, who throws to 2B Roy Hughes, who throws to 1B Hal Trosky to finish the triple play ending the game. » September 21, 1935: Hal Trosky powers his 24th homer to lead the Indians to a 7–3 win over the White Sox. Joe Vosmik is 1-for-2 and continues to hold a slight lead at .348 in the AL batting race. After the Washington-Philadelphia twinbill today, Buddy Myer (0-for-4 today) is 2nd at .342 and Jimmie Foxx (0-for-9 today) is at .340, ending his 18-game hitting streak. » September 24, 1935: The Indians whip the White Sox, 14–7 as Hal Trosky belts his 25th home run and Joe Vosmik (.349) is 2-for-5. » May 27, 1936: Cleveland OF Bruce Campbell is released from the hospital after a 3rd attack of spinal meningitis. Cleveland wins today, 12–2, over he Browns with Billy Sullivan collecting five safeties and Hal Trosky hitting his 10th home run, a triple, and single. » July 9, 1936: The temperature is 106 in Central Park, the hottest July nine on record in New York as the Indians take on the Yankees at the Stadium. The temperature at the park is 102. The Yanks score four in the 1st inning, but Cleveland comes back to score 11 runs on 15 hits, including five homers, to win 11–4. Hal Trosky, Roy Weatherly and Joe Vosmik all homer in the 2nd frame to tie the ML record. Trosky hits another homer to tie for the American League lead with 23. Lou Gehrig and Earl Averill also homer. » July 28, 1936: Earl Averill raps his 18th and 19th homers of the year, off Earl Whitehill, as Cleveland beats the Senators, 6–4. Lloyd Brown is the winner, allowing 11 hits. Hal Trosky extends his hitting streak to 22 games, while Cleveland's Roy Weatherly sets an American League rookie record by hitting in his 20th consecutive game. » July 31, 1936: Led by Lou Gehrig, who clouts his 33rd homer, the Yankees down the Indians, 11–7, at League Park. The loss snaps the Tribe's five-game win streak, and leaves the Yankees eight 1/2 games ahead of Cleveland. Gehrig and Red Rolfe clout homers in the 5th to chase Mel Harder, but the Indians answer with three doubles by Earl Averill and a homer by Hal Trosky. Hadley, with relief from Johnny Murphy, hangs on for his 9th win. » October 2, 1937: Rudy York of Detroit hits his 35th HR, tying the 1934 AL record of Hal Trosky for rookies. » June 25, 1939: Cleveland batters Ben Chapman, Hal Trosky, and Jeff Heath homer in the seventh inning to tie a major-league record, while beating Philadelphia 8-4. » June 16, 1940: Cleveland fans cheer manager Oscar Vitt and boo the "crybaby's," Hal Trosky and Bob Feller. Feller answers with a 3-hit win over the A's, striking out 12 in the 4–2 game. Al Milnar takes the nitecap by the same score. » August 26, 1940: Bob Feller rescues Mel Harder in the 7th and the Indians top the Senators, 4–3. Hal Trosky's two-run homer off Dutch Leonard is the big blow for the Tribe. Cleveland leads the idle Tigers by three games. » February 19, 1942: Hal Trosky, whose season ended last August when he injured his finger, and suffering from migraine headaches that cannot be treated, retires as first baseman of the Indians. Trosky will come back to play for the White Sox in 1944 and 1946, but the Hall of Fame brilliance he showed in the 30's is gone. » May 11, 1944: Hal Trosky, making a comeback with the White Sox after having retired for two years because of migraine headaches, steals home in the 16th to break a 2–2 tie in a 4–2 win over the A's. By inning, it is the latest steal of home, a feat Willie Davis will duplicate in 1964. » September 24, 1961: At Cincinnati, the Giants stage a 9-run 4th to rip the Reds, 12–5. Orlando Cepeda hits his 45th homer of the year, a grand slam, to climax the frame. Cepeda will hit one more home run this year and finish with 39 walks, the first National League player with more than 40 homers and fewer than 40 walks. Hal Trosky has done it in the American League. » September 19, 1964: The Dodger-Phils matchup in Los Angeles goes 15 innings, when with two outs in the bottom of the 16th, Willie Davis singles, steals 2nd, and takes 3rd on a wild pitch. With rookie reliever Morrie Steevens making his first ML appearance, Davis swipes home to give the Dodgers the 4–3 win. His steal of home is the latest in any game in the National League and ties Hal Trosky's 16th-inning swipe of home in a 1944 game. The Phils now lead by five 1/2. » August 4, 1997: Manny Ramirez homers and drives in four runs, and Jim Thome hits his 30th homer as the Indians beat Detroit, 7–2. Charles Nagy improves to 12-4 lifetime against the Tigers, his most wins against any club. Thome is the first Cleveland lefthanded hitter to hit 30 homers in successive seasons since Hal Trosky in 1936-37. Scott Sanders (3-9), making his fourth start since being traded to Detroit from Seattle, was the loser. He has lost all three of his decisions in a Tigers uniform.