RUDY YORK
First Baseman, 1934-1945
#4
--Class of 1945--
Bats - Right
Throws - Right
Born - 8/17/1913
Died - 2/5/1970
Biography:
Rudy York simply couldn’t find a position on the field for the Detroit Tigers. But a bean ball to Mickey Cochrane and the eventual move of Hank Greenberg changed all that. With a position secured, York became one of the premier Tiger sluggers of the mid-1930s and early 1940s. Always ridiculed for his glove no matter where he played, no one dared ridicule his lumber. That was particularly true during his rookie season. Replacing Cochrane at catcher, he began reaching the fences. And for one particular month, he reached the fences more than anyone had ever done in baseball history. In August 1937, York clubbed an incredible 18 home runs, and drove in 49 RBIs. The record held for decades until Sammy Sosa broke it at Tiger Stadium in June of 1998. All told, York hit 35 home runs in just 375 at bats in that 1937 season. He never hit the long ball at that torrid pace again, but he hit at least 21 home runs in each of his first six full seasons with the Tigers, and never hit less than 18 during any of his seasons as a regular. During World War II he was one of the few legitimate power hitters, leading the American League with 34 home runs in 1943. York made the All-Star team five times, and was a clear fan favorite because of his rugged style. He hit 33 home runs and drove in 134 runs during the Tigers’ pennant-winning 1940 season. This season was made possible when Greenberg agreed to move to left field for the good of the team, cementing York as a full-time fixture at first base. It was once said that York was part Cherokee and part first baseman. The former was certain; the latter, not as much. But the bat was never in doubt. Everything he did was in the extreme – even off the field. He once claimed that he wasted every penny he earned during his career, spending $250,000 on booze, women and a new car every year.
Hitting:
Code:
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ TB SH HBP
1934 20 DET AL 3 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .167 .286 .167 19 1 0 0
1937 23 DET AL 104 375 72 115 18 3 35 103 3 2 41 52 .307 .375 .651 151 244 1 0
1938 24 DET AL 135 463 85 138 27 2 33 127 1 2 92 74 .298 .417 .579 141 268 0 2
1939 25 DET AL 102 329 66 101 16 1 20 68 5 0 41 50 .307 .387 .544 128 179 4 2
1940 26 DET AL 155 588 105 186 46 6 33 134 3 2 89 88 .316 .410 .583 144 343 4 4
1941 27 DET AL 155 590 91 153 29 3 27 111 3 1 92 88 .259 .360 .456 106 269 4 1
1942 28 DET AL 153 577 81 150 26 4 21 90 3 3 73 71 .260 .343 .428 109 247 3 0
1943 29 DET AL 155 571 90 155 22 11 34 118 5 5 84 88 .271 .366 .527 152 301 5 1
1944 30 DET AL 151 583 77 161 27 7 18 98 5 3 68 73 .276 .353 .439 120 256 0 1
1945 31 DET AL 155 595 71 157 25 5 18 87 6 6 60 85 .264 .331 .413 110 246 0 0
YR From To G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG SB CS OPS+
TOTALS 10 1934 1945 1268 4677 738 1317 236 42 239 936 641 672 .282 .369 .503 34 24 128