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THE ONE-ARMED MAN
Q: Was there a baseball player who played during the war years who had only one arm? Can you tell me a little about him?
-- STJACH@aol.com
A: The one armed baseball player was Pete Gray. At the age of six, he fell off a farmer's wagon, got his right arm caught in the spokes, and had to have it amputated. Originally a righty, he was able to teach himself to bat from the left side of the plate, and even learned how to field with only one arm. He wore his glove on his fingertips, and when he caught a ball, he moved the glove to his left armpit, took the ball out with his right hand, and threw it back to the infield in one motion. He was also an excellent hitter, who combined speed, a good eye, and a quick bat to get on base.
He first started playing semi-pro ball in the late thirties, but no professional team would give a tryout to a one-armed player. However, after being named the Southern Association's MVP in 1944, and due to the shortage of players during World War II, he was able to make it with the St. Louis Browns in 1945, his only professional year. In 77 games, he finished with a .218 batting average, 26 runs scored and 13 RBI.
Although Kell owns the American League record for most at-bats in a game without a hit, he does not hold the major league record. On May 1, 1920, in a 26-inning marathon between the Brooklyn Robins and the Boston Braves, Braves' second-baseman Charlie Pick went 0-11. The game, which ended in a 1-1 tie, was the longest game in baseball history.
In terms of stolen bases in a season, Maury Wills had the record before Brock when he stole 103 in 1962. Brock broke that record on September 10th, 1974, and Henderson later went on to break Brock's record of 118 when he stole his 119th base on August 27, 1982 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Q: What numbers did Paul and Dizzy Dean wear as members of the St. Louis Cardinals?
-- Matthew Baker
A: Dizzy Dean and Paul Dean pitched together on the St. Louis Cardinals from 1934 to 1937. During that time, Dizzy wore #17 and Paul sported #22. In Paul's first season in the majors (1934) he won 19 games to go with Dizzy's 30, as the brothers led St. Louis to a World Series Championship.
A: Babe Ruth appeared in ten World Series, winning seven Championship rings. He pitched for Boston's Championship teams of 1915, '16, and '18, and then won four more World Series after his trade to the Yankees (he won rings in 1923, '27, '28, and '32).
Q: Who was the last Yankee before Don Mattingly to wear #23? And what number did Mattingly wear when he first got called up?
-- Jason Gotschall
A: From 1982 to 1983 -- Don Mattingly's first two seasons with the New York Yankees, he wore #46, while appearing in only 98 games. In 1983, he switched to #23, which had been worn the previous year by coach Don Zimmer. Mattingly went on to wear #23 for his next 12 seasons, all with the Yankees.
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