PART FOUR AND ONE HALF:
New York, New York:
When Jim ‘Catfish’ Hunter was inducted into the Hall in 1987 the option of what hat to wear was still his. However, he chose not to choose.
Hunter was a dominant pitcher and one of the biggest names for two of the biggest franchises of the 1970s. After winning three World Series titles with the Oakland A’s, he signed with the Yankees where he won two more.
When the time came, Hunter decided that he couldn’t decide… and so he didn’t. He is in the Hall of Fame as the only Major Leaguer in the 20th Century with no team affiliation.
Catfish Hunter (Center Bottom) and Reggie Jackson (Middle Left) together with other 1974 Oakland A's Photo: Sports Illustrated Oct 7, 1974
Hunter’s choice not to wear pinstripes into the hall proves to be a unique thought. Since the first HOF election in 1936, almost twice as many players have entered the Hall of Fame as Yankees than as any other American League team. In cases such as Reggie Jackson’s, the choice to go into the Hall as a Yankee is just too appealing.
Despite playing half as long in New York as he did in Oakland, and winning his only MVP award with the A’s, Jackson wanted to enter immortality as ‘Mr. October.’
As of 2010 there have been 22 players enshrined as either Yankees or Highlanders (the pre-cursor to the Yankees). Cleveland’s 12 inductees are the next closest in the American League.
Is this a matter of consequence, coincidence, or maybe just part of a home state advantage…?
There were 19 players inducted wearing the colors of the New York Giants as well. The National League, being the older organization, is more tightly grouped however. There have been 15 players inducted as Chicago National Leaguers and (12 Cubs, 3 White Stockings) and 17 St. Louis Cardinals.
If you include the Brooklyn Dodgers and Tom Seaver to the mix, 29 of the 115 National League Hall of Famers are from New York. Twenty-two of the 96 Hall of Famers from the AL have been Yankees.
Without adding pioneers, executives, umpires, Negro Leaguers, or Catfish Hunter (… carry the one…) almost a quarter of those 211 Hall of Famers have been from New York. With pioneers added, that number goes up.
Bill Mazeroski shows off his skills in turning double plays. Photo: Getty Images and Time and Life. LIFE Magazine Feb 1, 1959
If you also included the players who have made their name by beating up or just beating New York, the numbers also grow larger. Think about Bill Mazeroski as an example. In 1960 Mazeroski hit a 420 foot home run over Yogi Berra’s head in left field. That blast beat the Yankees 10-9 in game seven of the World Series.
While Mazeroski was very talented Second Baseman (8 Gold Gloves and 7 All Star selections) his .260 batting average and sub .300 On-Base-Percentage wouldn’t make him a likely candidate for the Hall. However, that one homer may have given him that extra shove.
Mazeroski's Game winner in Game Seven of the 1960 World Series. Photo: Getty Images and Sports Illustrated Magazine
If you take situations like this into consideration, how much does one city dominate the Hall of Fame? Where is the honesty, integrity, or character in that?
Before George Steinbrenner started their biggest World Series drought (13 years) since they bought Babe Ruth, the Yankees had appeared in 33 fall classics. They have now appeared in seven more since 1996. However, the precedent of buying great teams existed the whole time. (Babe Ruth cost over $100,000 in 1920…)
When a team takes the field every year with many of the best players in the game due to their deep pockets, appearing in the World Series is going to become common place. It’s common sense. Should every member of those teams be considered great? …or are the most talented players the only ones qualified for that distinction?
There are some definite boarder-line inductees that are clearly enshrined due to their time spent with the Yankees. Two of them are slick-fielding middle-infielders who once won MVP awards after seasons of uncharacteristic production. The awards came after the only season either player batted over .300.
However, they are a combine 11/14 in titles versus World Series appearances.
Neither hitter’s career batting averages came close to .300 and neither player ever came even approached 2,000 hits. While their fielding abilities made them perennial All Stars, it was their Yankee years that made them Hall of Famers.
During the 1930’s the Yankees brought so many great hitters to the plate that pitching was basically a technicality. However the Yankees 1, 2 punch are still in the Hall of Fame.
After a 22 year career, one of these pitchers won fewer than 50 games more than he’d lost and struck out fewer than 2,000 batters. With an ERA closer to 4 than 3, it would be easy to overlook this pitcher – until you include his 7-2 record in the seven title matches he pitched in.
The other pitcher, a talented Lefty only recorded an ERA under 3.00 twice in his career and won fewer than 200 games.
He pitched for 14 seasons and appeared in five World Series – recording six wins and no losses. Had he pitched longer there would be no question that he was deserving of his induction, but by the time WWII came around he was done and the Yankees were done with him.
Lefty Gomez, member of Yankees 1, 2 punch and Hall of Famer. Photo: Library of Congress and Chicago Daily News
Is it Bitterness? Jealousy?
When you think about how many teams there have been and how many great players there have been over the years; how can one city dominate all the others so easily?
Fewer Hall of Famers have come out of Chicago (24) than from only the National League teams in New York (29). If you add Chicago’s Negro League inductees (Rube and Bill Foster) there are still fewer Hall of Famers from Chicago than there are Dodgers and Giants – and they both left town before 1958…
Is there New York Bias?
There have been many different phases, or trends, in Hall of Fame inductions over time. During some phases, the Hall has been incredibly stingy, while at others the Veterans Committee has had an open door policy.
One such trend definitely padded the numbers of inductees from the New York Giants. It is possibly best said by Zev Chafet in his book “Cooperstown Confidential”, but I can try to paraphrase.
Around 1970, Hall of Fame infielder Frankie Frisch became the voting head of the Veterans Committee. Once his former teammate and friend Bill Terry became a member of the committee they went on a rampage; nominating many of their other former teammates for induction.
From 1970-1982 five former New York Giants, three St. Louis Cardinals and one Philadelphia Philly slipped into the Hall of Fame alongside names like Willy Mays, Roberto Clemente and Sandy Koufax. Almost none of them would have been likely to get a second look by voters had they now been former teammates.
In “Cooperstown Confidential,” Chafets even notes how baseball genius, guru, and father of Sabermetrics Bill James called one of these players (George Kelly) “the worst player in the Hall of Fame.”
While I disagree with James’ opinion after looking at Kelly’s stat sheet, I will agree with the overall premise that Kelly doesn’t belong in the same room as Babe Ruth and Stan Musial.
(But who am I to disagree with Bill James… )
Chafets quoted James again on this matter stating, “The selections of [Frisch and Terry]… are just absurd; absolutely beyond any logical defense.”
Another Giant, Rube Marquard – who won only 200 games as a pitcher in 18 years – was also voted into the Hall. Marquard’s induction, it can be speculated, was thanks in large part to a book that by Lawrence S. Ritter.
Rube Marquard on the bench at West Side Grounds. Photo: Library of Congress and Chicago Daily News
Ritter’s book, “The Glory of Their Times” – which I own and love – is a collection of oral histories by dead-ball era ball players; Marquard being one.
After reading this book, or listening to the audio version (they are the actual interview tapes), you do start to side with Marquard, but his numbers just don’t add up… neither did Harry Hooper‘s – another Hall of Famer with likely the same person, Ritter, to thank.
NateWorthy Notes:
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(For a Wiki-list of Hall of Famers which includes their team of induction click on this link.)
