Al Rosen

Positions: Third Baseman and First Baseman
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
5-10, 180lb (178cm, 81kg)
Born: February 29, 1924 in Spartanburg, SC
Died: March 13, 2015  in Rancho Mirage, CA
School: University of Florida (Gainesville, FL)
Debut: September 10, 1947 (10,360th in major league history)
vs. NYY 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: September 30, 1956
vs. DET 2 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: Albert Leonard Rosen
Nicknames: Flip
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Notable Events and Chronology for Al Rosen Career

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July 27, 1948

Al Rosen clouts his fifth consecutive homer over two days for the Kansas City Blues, the Tigers’ Triple-A team in the American Association. The 24 year-old freshman, who will be named the American League MVP in 1953, will finish the minor league season batting .327, earning the circuit’s Rookie of the Year honors.

August 17, 1948

Yankee first baseman Tommy Henrich hits his fourth grand slam of the season, tying one of the major league records established by Babe Ruth, who died yesterday. The Bambino set the record playing for the Red Sox in 1919, the year he hit 29 round-trippers in his final season in Boston.

May 7, 1950

In Washington‚ The Senators double the Indians‚ 10-5‚ overcoming two homeruns by Tribe rookie Al Rosen‚ his 1st two in the ML. Connie Marrero serves up the homers. Washington wins in the 7th on Gil Coan’s grand slam off Bob Lemon hit into the new LF stands at Griffith Stadium. The temporary stands in left and left-center were put up to take advantage of the Senators’ new power hitters‚ but they will come down in two days. Coan is the only Nat to reach the stands but nine visitors hit homers there prompting the take down. The stands hold 854 customers but no one sits there while the stands are up.

June 11, 1950

Bob Lemon beats the A’s in extra innings at Shibe Park – Full Broadcast

June 23, 1950

Luke Easter has his second consecutive two-homer day to lead the Indians to a 13 – 4 trouncing of the Senators. Easter had two yesterday in a win over New York. Al Rosen adds a single, double, and triple to back Bob Lemon’s pitching.

July 28, 1950

1950 – The Indians’ Larry Doby, Al Rosen and Luke Easter connect for consecutive home runs in the 3rd in a 13 – 1 whipping of the Red Sox.

August 14, 1950

Before 60,120, the Indians turn back the Tigers, 3 – 2, in 10 innings, and reduce Detroit’s first-place advantage to 2 1/2 games. Al Rosen ties the game in the 9th with a two-out home run. RF Bob Kennedy helps the Tribe’s cause by starting a triple play from the outfield, recalling Tribe LF Charlie Jamieson’s two triple plays of 1928.

September 7, 1950

Tiger OF Hoot Evers hits for the cycle, and knocks in six runs in a 13 – 13, 10-inning tie with Cleveland

May 19, 1951

In a 9-4 loss to Boston‚ Cleveland’s Al Rosen hits his 2nd grand slam in a week. He hit one on the 13th against the White Sox.

June 23, 1951

In a 7-6 loss to the Yankees‚ Cleveland’s Al Rosen hits his 3rd grand slam of the season.

August 11, 1951

Behind the four-hit pitching of Early Wynn‚ the Indians defeat the White Sox, 2 – 1, in front of a Ladies Night crowd of 70‚119. Wynn’s homer in the 7th breaks the tie created by 2nd-inning homers by Eddie Robinson and Al Rosen. It’s the Tribe’s 9th straight win to stay deadlocked with the Yankees for first place. Loser Joe Dobson‚ who has beaten Wynn twice this year‚ gives up just 6 hits.

August 15, 1951

Al Rosen belts a 1st-inning grand slam to jump start the Indians to a 9 – 4 win over the Browns, their 13th in a row. For Rosen, it is his fourth slam of the year, just the 9th player to accomplish the feat. Ned Garver gives up seven runs in the 1st inning in losing to Early Wynn.

September 2, 1951

The Cleveland Indians’ Harry Simpson, Al Rosen and Luke Easter hit consecutive home runs in the 1st inning, as Cleveland beats the Browns, 5 – 1.

April 23, 1952

Bob Cain of the St. Louis Browns and Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians each pitch one-hitters, with the Browns prevailing, 1 – 0

April 29, 1952

Cleveland OF “Big Jim” Fridley goes a (20th c) record-tying 6-for-6 in a 21-9 romp over the host Philadelphia A’s. Al Rosen chips in with 3 HRs and 7 RBI‚ as both teams total 43 hits‚ 2 hits short of the AL mark. The Indian outfield collects 12 hits to tie the AL record‚ last tied in 1917. The Indians had been shut out in 3 out of their past 4 games‚ and held to a single hit in 2 of them.

June 24, 1952

Bobby Shantz’s 11-game win streak comes to an end as the Indians edge the A’s‚ 2-1. Al Rosen’s 2-run homer trumps Allie Clark’s solo shot to Early Wynn the win .

July 15, 1952

The Cleveland Indians’ power hitters dazzle the New York Yankees with a triple steal in the 1st inning

September 27, 1953

Mickey Vernon beats out Al Rosen for batting title

November 27, 1953

Al Rosen is named as a unanimous AL MVP

December 25, 1953

Major League Baseball Season Recap 1953

April 21, 1954

In the first night game at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium‚ Bob Turley has a no-hitter against Cleveland when‚ with one out in the 9th‚ Al Rosen singles and Larry Doby homers. Turley strikes out 14‚ but loses‚ 2-1.

July 13, 1954

At Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, Senators hurler Dean Stone does not retire a batter, but gets the win in the American League’s 11 – 9 All-Star Game victory as he throws out Red Schoendienst trying to steal home in the 8th inning for the third out before retiring a batter. The AL breaks the National League’s four-game winning streak. Larry Doby’s pinch home run in the bottom of the 8th, followed by Nellie Fox’s two-run single, ends the highest-scoring All-Star Game in history. The two teams combine for 31 hits, with the AL amassing 17. The Indians’ Al Rosen has two homers and 5 RBIs.

September 12, 1954

Five time defending champs New York Yankees are eliminated from post season

September 29, 1954

Al Rosen of the Cleveland Indians is doing a mighty stretch in an attempt to reach the ball as Wes Westrum

July 19, 1979

New York Yankees president Al Rosen resigns after a year and a half on the job. Rosen continually found himself in disagreements with Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner.

October 26, 1979

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn notifies Hall of Famer Willie Mays that if he accepts a position with the Bally Manufacturing Corporation he must disassociate himself from major league baseball

October 26, 1980

1980 – Al Rosen is named as General Manager. The former Cleveland slugger comes from the New York Yankees’ front office where owner John McMullen used to be a minority partner. Tal Smith is fired as President and General Manager, days before he is awarded Major League Executive of the Year for building the Astros in five seasons into their first pennant-winner. Angry HSA partners force a reorganization, reducing McMullen’s power to make executive decisions without their consent.

October 4, 1981

The Reds, who blank Atlanta, 3-0, finish with the best record in the National League strike-shortened season (66-42), but will not participate in the postseason. The team does not qualify because the Dodgers and Astros post better records, respectively, for the first half (pre-strike) and second half (post-strike) of play in the Western Division and will face one another in the first-ever ‘NLDS’, under a plan instituted midseason by Giants executive Al Rosen to salvage the season.

August 11, 1987

Oakland A’s first baseman Mark McGwire breaks Al Rosen’s American League rookie record, established in 1950, and ties the major league mark shared by Frank Robinson (1956) and Wally Berger (1930) when he hits his 38th homer of the season. The unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year will finish the season with 49 homers, smashing the existing major league record.

November 3, 1987

Oakland Athletics first baseman Mark McGwire wins the 1987 American League Rookie of the Year Award

September 8, 1996

In the Indians’ doubleheader split with the Mariners, Jim Thome knocks in his 100th run in the opener, a 15 – 4 win. Thome reaches the 30 homer, 100 runs, 100 RBI, 100 walks mark – just the second Indian to ever do that. Al Rosen in 1950 was the other. Charles Nagy (15-4) wins game 1, while the M’s prevail, 6 – 5, in the nitecap.

April 21, 2023

Ernie Banks – Mr Cub The Best I ever Saw

Biography Al Rosen

Flip got his nickname as a quick-wristed softball pitcher on Miami’s sandlots.

A tough guy and amateur boxer, Rosen had his nose broken eleven times. After missing an opportunity to play earlier due to World War II, determined, exuberant, and prematurely gray, Rosen came up in 1947, but his glovework was so bad that he posed no immediate threat to slick-fielding Indian third baseman Ken Keltner.

But in 1950, his first full season, he led the AL with 37 homers (a league record for rookies at the time), and he honed his fielding skills sufficiently to lead the AL in assists. In 1953, with his shirt sleeves cut to show his bulging biceps, Rosen led the AL in homers (43) and RBI (145), but lost the batting title to Mickey Vernon on the last day of the season. He was the unanimous choice for AL MVP.

In the 1954 All-Star Game, played in Cleveland, Rosen cracked two consecutive home runs, he drove in 102 runs for the Indians, who won the flag easily.

Nagging injuries – including whiplash suffered in an auto accident – and booing from Cleveland fans caused Rosen to quit at age 32 to sell stocks and bonds. He reentered baseball 20 years later as president of the Yankees, then the Astros, and then president and general manager of the Giants. His maneuvering brought San Francisco from last place in 1985 to the NL West title in 1987.

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1947

Nellie Fox
Duke Snider
Larry Doby
Jackie Robinson
Curt Simmons
Mel Parnell
Vic Wertz
Ted Kluszewski
Ferris Fain

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