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The “Forgotten” Hall of Famer, Tony Lazzeri
“Tony Lazzeri was a money player almost without equal and one of the smartest athletics ever to patrol the diamond.” – New York Times columnist Arthur Daley
“They didn’t get along. Gehrig thought Ruth was a big-mouth, and Ruth thought Gehrig was cheap. They were both right!” –Tony Lazzeri, teammate of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig
…And, as someone who played in the shadow of the two Yankee greats for many years, Tony Lazzeri should know! Talk about being “overhadowed!” It sure would be hard to get noticed when your teammates were Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. The only person who may have had it worse was Dom DiMaggio, brother of Joe DiMaggio and outfield mate of Ted Williams.
But while he may have been overshadowed, “Poosh ‘Em Up Tony” Lazzeri had an excellent career in his own right that landed him a spot in Cooperstown. Author Lawrence Baldassaro, in his outstanding book, “Beyond DiMaggio,” summarized Lazzeri’s career:
“Tony Lazzeri is one of the best ‘forgotten’ players in Major League history. He was a key player on a Yankee team that won six pennants and five World Series in his twelve years in New York. In fact Lazzeri’s home run and RBI statistics between 1926 and 1937 put him in the company of the game’s most elite sluggers of that time. In that same span Lazzeri hit more hit more home runs than all but six American Leaguers: Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons, Averill, and Goslin. Lazzeri’s name stands out in that list because as a second baseman, he played a position typically associated with defensive prowess…Lazzeri was the third most dangerous hitter in one of the most potent lineups in the history of baseball and one of the most feared clutch hitters of his era.”
In 1925, Lazzeri had one of the greatest seasons in professional sports history with the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League. He bashed 60 homers, hit .355, scored 202 runs and drove in 222, a performance that earned him a contract from the Yankees for ’26.
Lazzeri played 14 years (1926-1939) in the major leagues and put up solid numbers. Over his career, he hit .292 with 178 home runs, and 1192 RBI. While with the Yankees, he was part of the famed 1927 “Murderers’ Row” along with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Bob Meusel. In New York, he averaged 79 runs, 14 home runs, 96 RBIs and 12 stolen bases, including seven seasons with over 100 RBI and five seasons batting .300 or higher (including a high of .354 in 1929).
In his rookie season 1926, Lazzeri hit 18 home runs and had 114 RBIs, finishing third in the American League in home runs behind Babe Ruth and Al Simmons. The Yankees reached the 1926 World Series, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals. One of the most memorable World Series moments occurred in the seventh inning of the deciding game when Grover Cleveland “Ol’ Pete” Alexander struck out Lazzeri with the bases loaded to save the series for the Cardinals. Again, quoting from author Baldassaro:
“In spite of an outstanding career that eventually earned him a place in the Hall of Fame, Lazzeri’s legacy is haunted by his 1926 World Series strikeout. To his contemporaries, however, Tony Lazzeri was anything but a loser. He was recognized by his peers and the press as a natural leader who possessed one of the keenest baseball minds of his time.”
The following year, 1927, Lazzeri batted .309 with 18 home runs and 102 RBIs, again finishing third in the American League in home runs behind Ruth and Gehrig. Often cited as the greatest team of all-time, the ’27 Yankees posted a 110–44 record and defeated the Pirates in the World Series.
Lazzeri had his career-high batting average of .354 in 1929. He hit two home runs for the Yankees in the 1932 World Series. Lazzeri was the first player to hit two grand slams in one game (1936), and is one of only 14 major leaguers to hit for the natural cycle (single, double, triple and home run in sequence) and the only player to complete a natural cycle with a grand slam. Lazzeri set an American League single-game record on May 24, 1936, when he recorded eleven RBIs, a record that still stands. That month, he also set records for most home runs in three consecutive games (6) and four consecutive games (7).
Tony Lazzeri passed away in 1946 at the age of 43. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991.
-Gary Livacari
Photo Credits: Featured photo from SP Legendary Cuts; All others from public domain
Information Excerpts edited from the Tony Lazzeri Wikipedia page. Quotes from “Beyond DiMaggio,” by Lawrence Baldassaro.
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