Some Baseball History from the ’50s

by admin - September 23rd, 2013

So far in our 1950’s class we have learned mainly about political issues concerning and influencing the time period. So for my blog post, I have decided to lighten the mood a bit. In honor of baseball’s upcoming post-season, I have chosen to post about a few historical figures in America’s favorite pastime.

The first player I chose to write about is one of most influential in the game’s history, Jackie Robinson. In years previous to the 1947 baseball season, the game was played entirely by Caucasian players, but on April 15, 1947 Jackie Robinson changed the rules. Jackie started at first base, breaking baseball’s color barrier. Jackie’s start came with mixed emotions; some players backed up the colored player, while some threatened to assault and used racial slurs against him. Jackie Robinson continued to play for nine more years, retiring after his tenth season in 1957. Jackie left the game with a career batting average of .311, but more importantly a legacy; he had successfully changed the game. Jackie Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 and had his number retired from Baseball in 1997.

The next player on deck can be considered one of the best hitters in the game, Ted Williams. Ted Williams started his career in the year 1939 and continued to play till the year 1960, all with the Boston Red Sox. During his almost 20 seasons of play Williams won two MVP awards, two Triple Crown awards, was an All-Star 19 times, had a career batting average of .344, and hit 521 homeruns. Along with those accomplishments, Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966 and had his number retired from the Red Sox in 1984. In addition to playing Baseball for almost 20 seasons, Williams also participated in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps (1942-1945 and 1952-1953). In both World War II and the Korean War, Williams was an aviator. After his retirement from Baseball, Williams went on to the sport of fishing where he also made the IGFA fishing Hall of Fame.

The last player I am writing about is the Yankee great, Mickey Mantle. Mickey Mantle is both known for his seven World Series Championship wins and as the greatest switch hitter of all time. In Mickey’s 17 years of play with the Yankees (1951-1968), he appeared in 12 World Series. In his career, he won three MVP awards, a Golden Glove, a Triple Crown, had a career average of .298, and hit 536 homeruns. Unlike Ted Williams, Mickey did not participate in the U.S. Armed Services. Mickey deferred the draft, which lead to disapproval of many fans. After his retirement, Mickey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 and had his number retired from by the Yankees in 1969.

Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, and Mickey Mantle all have something in common; they were all historical figures of the game during the 1950s. Now we look at today and ponder, who will be our historical figures? On that note, I wish the Boston Red Sox luck in their post season.

— Hannah M.

One Response to “Some Baseball History from the ’50s”

  1. Zach St. Amant says:

    America’s past time. I like how you wrote about baseball and the icons from the 50’s. Jackie Robinson was the most influential man when it came to sports in the 50’s and maybe of all time in sports, in my opinion. Who would you say is the most influential person in sports of all time?