The Great Rogers Hornsby

 

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 Was Rogers Hornsby’s Great Five Year Span 1921-1925 the Greatest Ever?

“Off the field, Rogers Hornsby was tough, uncompromising and outspoken. On it, he was the greatest right-handed batter in baseball history.” –Quote from Baseball Hall-of-Fame Website

Thanks again to Don Stokes for this beautiful colorization of Rogers Hornsby.

Click on link to see a nice photo tribute to “The Rajah”:

Rogers Hornsby played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 1933), New York Giants (1927), Boston Braves (1928), Chicago Cubs (1929–1932), and St. Louis Browns (1933–1937). “The Rajah” was unquestionably one of the best hitters of all time with a 358 life-time batting average, second only to Ty Cobb’s .367. He compiled 2,930 hits and 301 home runs, and batted .400 or more three times. He is the only player to hit 40 home runs and bat .400 in the same year (1922). Hornsby was named the National League Most Valuable Player twice, was a two-time Triple Crown winner, a seven-time National League batting champion, a two-time home run champion, and a four-time RBI champion. He led the National League in slugging percentage nine times, a record that still stands. He also hit more home runs, drove in more runs, and had a higher batting average than any other National League player during the 1920s, which makes him one of four players in baseball history to win a decade “Triple Crown.”  Hornsby was also a very consistent hitter at home or on the road. His lifetime home average was .359, while he hit .358 on the road. Hornsby was renowned for his speed, and was considered to be the fastest player in the National League in his prime. He was elected to the Hall of fame in 1942.

No question Hornsby was one of the greatest hitters of all time. But was his span from 1921 to 1925 the greatest ever? Here’s details about each of the five years. Decide for yourself how this span ranks all-time. If you have another candidate, please post info in the comments section:

1921:

Hornsby hit .397 to lead the league in 1921, and his 21 home runs were second, more than twice his total in any previous season. He also led the league in runs (131), doubles (44), triples (18), OBP (.458), slugging percentage (.639), runs scored (131), and RBIs (126).

1922:

You would be hard pressed to find a better year than this in all of baseball history. Hornsby led the league in all major offensive categories, including batting average (.401), hits (250, a new NL record), runs (141), home runs (42, a new NL record, breaking the old record of 28), RBIs (152), doubles (46), OBP (.459), total bases (450, a new NL record), and slugging percentage (.722, a new NL record). He became the only player in major league history to hit over 40 home runs and bat over .400 in the same season. From August 13 through September 19, he had a 33-game hitting streak. He also won the first of his two Triple Crowns. On defense, Hornsby led all second basemen in putouts, double plays, and fielding percentage. His batting performance that year was, and still is, one of the finest in major league history.

1923:

A lingering knee injury slowed the “Rajah” down a bit in 1923 and brought his numbers back to earth, as he only appeared in 107 games. Yet he still managed to lead the league in batting average (.384), OBP (.459), and slugging average (.627). He also hit 17 home runs, 83 RBIs, 32 doubles, and 10 triples.

1924:

Hornsby was back to his old magic  in 1924, as he raised his average back up to .424, which is the record for the live-ball era. He also led the league in hits (227), doubles (43), runs scored (121),  walks (89),  OBP (.507),  slugging percentage (.696); he hit 25 home runs as well. That year, the National League reintroduced the Most Valuable Player) award. Although Hornsby was expected to win, it went to Dazzy Vance instead. Cincinnati voter Jack Ryder left Hornsby’s name off his ballot altogether saying he believed Hornsby was an MVP on the stat sheet, but was not a team player. In 1962, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, recognizing the injustice, presented Hornsby with an award retroactively recognizing him as the 1924 MVP.

1925:

In 1925, Sam Breadon, the owner of the Cardinals, wished to replace Branch Rickey as manager. After first declining, Hornsby accepted the job after Breadon agreed to help him purchase Rickey’s stock. Hornsby finished the year with his second Triple Crown as he led the league in batting (.403), RBIs (143), home runs (39), OBP (.489), and slugging ( .756, a National League record). He bested teammate Jim Bottomley in the batting title race by nearly 40 points. That year, he won the MVP Award, receiving 73 out of 80 possible votes.

By 1926, Hornsby slipped off a bit as his average “fell” to a mere .317. But he managed the Cardinals to the 1926 pennant and also to victory in the 1926 World Series, considered one of the most classic ever. It’s remembered for Hornsby summonsing a hung-over Pete Alexander from the bullpen in the seventh inning pf the seventh game. “Old Pete” proceeded to strike out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded and held the Yankees in check to close out the series for the Cardinals.

-Gary Livacari

Photo credits: Featured phot colorized by Don Stokes https://www.facebook.com/Don-Stokes-Old-Time-Baseball-Colorizations-923346241033508/?fref=ts

Information: Excerpts edited from the Rogers Hornsby Wikipedia page. Read more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Hornsby

Statistics from Rogers Hornsby page on Baseball-Reference.co

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