1951 – The Baseball Writers Association of America vote sluggers Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx into the Hall of Fame. Ott hit .304 with 511 home runs and 1860 RBI; he managed the New York Giants from 1942 to 1948. Foxx was a .325 hitter with 534 home runs and 1922 RBI.
Mel Ott leaves the Giants’ organization, signing a two-year pact to manage the Pacific Coast League’s Oakland club. ‘Marvelous Mel’ will be replacing Chuck Dressen, who compiled a 222-165 (.572) record and captured last season’s PCL championship during his two-year tenure with the Oaks.
When Eddie Stanky gets his fourth base-on-balls off Pirates’ southpaw Lefty Chambers in a 4-0 victory at Forbes Field, the Giants’ leadoff hitter ties a major league record by drawing a walk in seven consecutive plate appearances. The second baseman, known as the ‘Brat,’ will be the league leader in walks (144) and OBP (.460) this season.
On July 24, 1950, at least six Hall of Famers (the largest in attendance since the original induction in 1939) attend the induction ceremony in Cooperstown. Two sluggers, each with more than 500 homers: Jimmie Foxx and Mel Ott, are inducted. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@ Play by Play, Box Scores, News Paper Reports and other links
Joe DiMaggio’s 300th career homer is the lone run yielded by Detroit starter Fred Hutchinson in his 2-1 complete-game win over New York at Briggs Stadium. The ‘Yankee Clipper’ joins Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx, Rogers Hornsby, Chuck Klein, and Hank Greenberg as the eighth major leaguer to reach the milestone.
On July 16, 1948, a trio of major league teams makes managerial changes. Ben Chapman is fired by the Phillies (though owner Bob Carpenter insists he was “not fired” saying “I’d like to make it clear that there is a difference between firing a man and concluding business with him.”) and Dusty Cooke takes over on an interim basis. Eddie Sawyer, with no…
Shortly before his death in 1948, Babe Ruth, in an interview with The Saturday Evening Post, picked an all-time all-star team, minus the right fielder—though he offered some suggestions. “I just don’t want to pick myself,” he said. His most surprising omission, however, was that of Lou Gehrig. You’re probably thinking: “Maybe he went with…
Giants player-manager Mel Ott decides to stop playing and do only his dugout duties for the team. ‘Master Mel’s’ decision is prompted by a .048 batting average when the future Hall of Famer has collected just two hits in 48 at-bats this season.
On June 9, 1946, at Forbes Field Mel Ott is involved in a strange “daily double.” The New York Giants’ mild-mannered skipper becomes the first manager ejected from both ends of a doubleheader because of arguments with umpires Tom Dunn and George Magerkurth. To make matters worse, the Giants lose both games to the Pittsburgh…
On Opening Day, Mel Ott hits his 511th and final home run of his career in the Giants’ 8-4 victory over Philadelphia at the Polo Grounds, a ballpark in which he has hit 63% of his round-trippers. The 37 year-old player-manager, who has two hundred more homers than any other National Leaguer, will retire third on the all-time list, trailing only Babe Ruth (714) and Jimmie Foxx (534).
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