Tommy Henrich
From BR Bullpen
Thomas David Henrich (The Clutch or Old Reliable)
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
- Debut May 11, 1937
- Final Game October 1, 1950
- Born February 20, 1913 in Massillon, OH USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Tommy Henrich was part of one of the greatest outfields of all time, along with Joe DiMaggio and King Kong Keller. Born in 1913, as of July 2007 he is still alive. He is currently (July 23, 2007) the 10th oldest living former Major Leaguer.
Henrich played 11 seasons in the majors, missing the war years 1943-45. Henrich entered the Coast Guard in September 1942 and was discharged in September 1946. He played in four World Series, all of which the Yankees won, and he hit one home run in each Series. He had a strong lifetime OPS+ of 132, never falling under 100 in that category in his entire career. In perhaps his best year, at age 35 in 1948, he out-slugged everyone on the Yankee team except DiMaggio. His last year was at age 37 in 1950, when Johnny Mize at age 37 was also on the team. The two both hit around .275 as part-time players and slugged over .500.
After his playing career ended, Henrich was a New York Yankees coach in 1951, a New York Giants coach in 1957, and a member of the Detroit Tigers staff in 1958 and 1959.
Quote: "Catching a flyball is a pleasure, but knowing what to do with it after you catch it is a business." - Tommy Henrich
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 5-time AL All-Star (1942, 1947, 1948, 1949 & 1950)
- AL Runs Scored Leader (1948)
- 2-time AL Triples Leader (1947 & 1948)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 4 (1938, 1941, 1948 & 1949)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1941)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1948)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 4 (1938, 1941, 1947 & 1948)
- Won six World Series with the New York Yankees (1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1947 & 1949; he did not play in the 1937 and 1939 World Series)
