Babe Herman
From BR Bullpen
Floyd Caves Herman
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 4", Weight 190 lb.
- Debut April 14, 1926
- Final Game September 16, 1945
- Born June 26, 1903 in Buffalo, NY USA
- Died November 27, 1987 in Glendale, CA USA
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[edit] Introduction and Career
"Though he was an outstanding hitter, he was perhaps best remembered for what were viewed as his misadventures in the field and on the basepaths." - from Babe Herman's obituary in the New York Times
Babe Herman was at the same time a source of humor because of his foibles and yet also an extremely good ballplayer, with a lifetime .324 batting average and an Adjusted OPS of 140. In earlier decades, there were many calls to put him into the Hall of Fame.
He was second in the National League in batting in both 1929 and 1930, was third in the league in slugging in 1930 and 1933, was first in triples in 1932, was third in doubles in 1930 and 1931, and was second in stolen bases in 1930 and 1931. His Adjusted OPS was above average for every season in his major league career, even in 1945 when he came back at age 42 to play 37 games after having been away from major league play for eight years.
His excellent hitting was contrasted, however, with his relatively poor fielding and a famous baserunning mistake (see below). It was often claimed that he had once been hit on the head while trying to catch a fly ball.
He hit for three cycles in his career, a record he holds with Bob Meusel and John Reilly.
After his playing career ended, he was a Pittsburgh Pirates coach in 1951. The New York Times' obituary on Herman reported that he served as a scout for various teams over 22 years.
[edit] Three Men on Third
"Babe Herman did not triple into a triple play, but he doubled into a double play, which is the next best thing." - John Lardner
Herman was involved in one of the most absurd plays in baseball history when he doubled into a double play. With the bases loaded, he hit a long hit and began racing around the bases. As he rounded second, the third base coach yelled at him to go back because the runner from first, Chick Fewster, hadn't yet rounded third. The runner from second, pitcher Dazzy Vance misunderstood and headed back to third, even though he could have scored easily. Herman ignored the coach and headed for third himself, so that all three players wound up there. The third baseman tagged all three runners, putting out Fewster and Herman but not Vance, who was entitled to the base according to the rules.
In addition to the quote from Lardner above, the three men on third story led to a standard joke in which a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, on being told that his team had three men on base demanded to know which base.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL Triples Leader (1932)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1929 & 1930)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1930)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1929 & 1930)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1929 & 1930)
- 200 Hits Seasons: 2 (1929 & 1930)
[edit] Records Held
- Most times hitting for the cycle, career, 3 (tied)
- Most times hitting for the cycle, season, 2, 1931 (tied)
