Curt Flood

Curtis Charles Flood

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 165 lb.
• High School Oakland Technical High School, McClymonds High School
• Debut September 9, 1956
• Final Game April 25, 1971
• Born January 18, 1938 in Houston, TX USA
• Died January 20, 1997 in Los Angeles, CA USA

BR page

[edit] Biographical Information

Centerfielder Curt Flood, who played 15 years in the majors, spent over a decade with the St. Louis Cardinals and was known for his defensive abilities. He did not commit a single error in 1966 and had a 223 consecutive game errorless streak during his career. However, he is best known for his challenge of baseball's reserve clause, which eventually opened the door to free agency.

Flood's notice of transfer to Philadelphia.

Although Flood won seven Gold Gloves for his play in center field, he was also a noted hitter. His major-league batting average of .293 was achieved mostly during the second dead-ball era when batting averages were low all around, and he was in the top ten in the league in batting five separate times. In 1964 he led the league in hits. He was several times among the leaders in doubles, and while he was never a top home run hitter, he had moderate power and four times had 10+ home runs. As a base-stealer his peak was 17 in 1963, but he was terrible early in his career, getting caught 12 times in 14 attempts in 1958.

He played in the World Series of 1964, 1967 and 1968, the first two of which the Cardinals won. These were the post-Musial days, and the only starting position players who were on both the 1964 and the 1968 teams were Flood, Tim McCarver, Mike Shannon, and Lou Brock.

Flood had played three years in the minors before becoming a major league regular. In both 1956 and 1958 he hit .340.

After his playing career ended, Flood was a radio broadcaster for the Oakland Athletics in 1978. From 1989 to 1990, he was the Commissioner of the Senior Professional Baseball Association.

[edit] Notable Achievements

• 1956 MVP Carolina League High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms
• 3-time NL All-Star (1964, 1966 & 1968)
• 7-time NL Gold Glove Winner (1963-1969)
• 2-time NL At Bats Leader (1963 & 1964)
• NL Hits Leader (1964)
• 3-times NL Singles Leader (1963, 1964 & 1968)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1963)
• 200 Hits Seasons: 2 (1963 & 1964)
• Won two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (1964 & 1967)

[edit] Records Held

• Singles, right handed hitter, season, 178, 1964

[edit] Further Reading

• Alex Belth: Stepping Up: The Story of All-Star Curt Flood and His Fight for Baseball Players' Rights, Persea, New York, NY, 2006. ISBN 0892553219
• Thomas Boswell: "All of Us Bear the Marks of the Lash", in How Life Imitates the World Series, Penguin Books, New York, NY, 1982, pp. 100-101.
• Curt Flood and Richard Carter: The Way It Is, Trident Press, 1971. ISBN 0671270761
• Neil F. Flynn: Baseball's Reserve System: The Case and Trial of Curt Flood V. Major League Baseball, Walnut Park Group, Springfield, IL, 2006. ISBN 0977657809
• Robert M. Goldman: One Man Out: Curt Flood versus Baseball, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 2008. ISBN 0700616039
• Brad Snyder: A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports, Viking, New York, NY, 2006. ISBN 0452288916

[edit] Related Sites

• Description of Flood's death in 1997