RIP Duke Snider
He passed away today in California, according to the NY Daily News.
Hard to believe that three Hall of Fame centerfielders -- Mays, Mantle and Snider -- were in their primes during the 1950s for the three New York teams. Snider was revered in Brooklyn and lost one of the closest MVP races ever in 1955 to teammate Roy Campanella.
You can count yourself as a true Giants fan if you remember that Duke spent his last year (1964) in the Orange and Black as a teammate to Mays. He got into 91 games and had less than 200 plate appearances with 4 homers and 17 RBIs.
Hard to believe that three Hall of Fame centerfielders -- Mays, Mantle and Snider -- were in their primes during the 1950s for the three New York teams. Snider was revered in Brooklyn and lost one of the closest MVP races ever in 1955 to teammate Roy Campanella.
You can count yourself as a true Giants fan if you remember that Duke spent his last year (1964) in the Orange and Black as a teammate to Mays. He got into 91 games and had less than 200 plate appearances with 4 homers and 17 RBIs.
posted by Big D at 12:45 PM
2 Comments:
My boyhood hero! (I must have seen him hit a HR in the Coliseum back in the day.)
Great quote from Orlando Cepeda about his encounter with the Duke during his rookie season:
"In 1958, we opened with the Dodgers. One of my biggest thrills of my career when I came to first base, the opening game, he said to me, 'Orlando, good luck, good luck.' He was one of my idols. I almost fainted. We took batting practice first, I came out to look for Duke Snider. I loved Duke Snider. That was one of the biggest thrills of my life and we became very good friends — a great ballplayer and great friend."
And this from Willie McCovey:
"Duke was just a great friend. A great ballplayer. He was one of my favorites growing up. He's just a first-class guy, that's all."
He was also a proud member of the 1963 New York Mets.
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