Munson was a truly superb defensive catcher and widely considered the heart and soul of the bronx bombers a. Munson, the yankees regular catcher from 197079, appears on the latest modern baseball era ballot featuring hall of fame candidates whose impact on baseball emerged primarily between 197087. In major league baseball, the rookie of the year award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the american league al and national league nl, as voted on by the baseball writers association of america bbwaa. After gehrig, the yankees wouldnt name a captain until the honor was bestowed upon thurman munson in 1976. Thurman munson leroy neiman print signed by 8 former. Images can also be viewed at the hall of fame online exhibit dressed to the nines win shares are calculated using the formula in the book win shares by bill james. Batting behind mickey rivers and in front of 1976 american league mvp thurman munson, white hit. Thurman munson every game played with complete stats, links to box scores and automated row summing for 1979.
Thurman munson played 11 seasons with the new york yankees. Thurman munson new york yankees, original card that could have been by maxcards, 1969 style custom baseball card 2. A baseball biography, by christopher devine, 2001, 271 pp. Munson was a new york yankees catcher who was killed when his private plane was attempting to land at akroncanton regional airport in summit county on august 2, 1979.
In 1998, the sporting news selected munson as their starting american league catcher for the decade of the 1970s. Thurman munson jersey thurman munson cool base and flex. I think i represent all baseball fans as we view it with a condescending, knowing smirk on our faces. The new york yankees were the first team to begin regularly wearing uniform numbers. Cover has picture of mark fidrych and randy jones voted pitchers of the year. Thurman munson, derek jeter, babe ruth, ron guidry, don mattingly and joe torre. Jul 19, 2003 the munson family is carrying on in canton, ohio, nearly 24 years after thurmans death. Thurman munson league championship series stats by baseball almanac the league championship series determines who wins the league pennant and advances to the world series. And incredible details on the days immediately following munson s plane crash.
Munson, 1973 amid all the hype and buildup regarding each weeks boxing fight of the century, youll have to excuse me if i dont seem too excited. Every major league baseball player who has appeared on a baseball card, has a cards tab on their respective page. In the 40 years since diana munson lost her husband, thurman, in a plane crash, shes had countless. Career statistics of thurman munson 237 notes 241 bibliography 257 index 259. And when in 2001 the writers honored kirby puckett, the twins star forced to retire with glaucoma after a brilliant but brief 12year career, the. The book has no style, it never draws you into the life of thurman munson.
If you can get through this book without getting choked up, then you possess impressive resolve. After his wife bonnie talked him off the ledge, guidry decided against making that left turn and forged ahead with his baseball career. Thurman munson appeared in 2 major league games during the 1970 regular season. In gator guidry exposes the wild ride of his 14 seasons on the hill with the new york yankees by pulling back the curtain on the bronx zoo, george steinbrenners impossible expectations, and his kinship with yogi berra. Thurman munson autographed baseball autograph warehouse. Carlton ernest fisk born december 26, 1947, nicknamed pudge and the commander, is an american former professional baseball player. The transaction and player splits data used here was obtained free of charge from and is ed by retrosheet. Get the latest updated stats for new york yankees thurman munson on. Munson was a truly superb defensive catcher and widely considered the heart and soul of the. And when in 2001 the writers honored kirby puckett. The award was established in 1940 by the chicago chapter of the bbwaa, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946.
It seems to me that someone with such a great life as munson would be an easy target for a great book it would almost write itself. Dec 1976 baseball bulletin, fidrych pitcher of the year. Top thurman munson baseball cards, rookies, inserts, ranked, best. Did you know that in the thurman munson miscellaneous world series items of interest section seen above you can click the stats link under the world series label and a truly comprehensive history of that world series will appear on your screen. In my opinion, thurman munson was a hall of famecaliber catcher and that he seems to have been lost in the shuffle over the years with carlton fisk and now gary carter. Munson s most similiar batter is jason kendall, and kendal scores 10 points higher than munson on the hall of fame standards test. Okay, so i should first disclose that i am thurman munson s alltime biggest fan.
Thurman munson league championship series stats by. Prior to 1969, the pennant winner was determined by the best wonloss record at the end of the regular season. He played his entire 11year career for the yankees 1969 1979. Hand signed by leroy neiman, graig nettles, sparky lyle, goose gossage, willie randolph, ron guidry, lou pinella and bobby murcer d. The debate surrounding his hall of fame qualifications could prompt similar intensity. With appel as a firsthand witness, you get great inside information on the 70s yankees. He played his entire 11year professional baseball career for the new york yankees 19691979. When in 2000 the baseball writers association of america elected the everdurable carlton fisk to the national baseball hall of fame, many fans quietly pointed to the halls omission of fisk greatest american league contemporary, thurman munson. Defensive regression analysis data used here was obtained with permission from michael humphreys, author of wizardry. The 1976 world series was the championship series of major league baseball s mlb 1976 season. This is the december, 1976 issue of baseball bulletin. This has always been a curiousity of mine to see what other knowledgeable baseball fans think about this. On top of that, the walrus would also win the 1976 al mvp. Munson was mainly a catcher during his 11 seasons as a bronx bomber, and he also found himself a perennial allstar.
Year age agedif tm lg lev aff g pa ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi sb cs bb so ba obp slg. The latter served as the inspiration for the title of petersons newest book, when the yankees were on the fritz. Oldest son michael is coaching high school baseball, and the girls, tracy and kelly, are raising their. New york was managed by billy martin, and played at yankee stadium in the bronx. He would not have added to his rate stats and was in serious decline at the time. The first in a series of yankeeography signature biographies from mlb productions that bring the greatest names in new york yankees history to life. As such im not capable of giving his autobiography less than 5 stars. A wry look at a side of the game the fan seldom seesthe front office, by harold parrott, 1976, 267 pp. Playing with the yankees from 19661974, fritz peterson endured one of the roughest stretches in yankees history, as the bulk of his time included pairings with offensive juggernauts such jerry kenney, gene michael, and horace clarke. Thurman munson s passion as a ballplayer was undeniable. After the first chapter i had to wonder why i thought this guy was so great that id want to read his biography. As of the end of last season, kendall has played 11 major league seasons, the same as munson.
Organize and price your collections as we offer instant access to the worlds leading trading card and collectibles databases. The leading destination for sports card and collectible enthusiasts. Make sure you are ready to cheer the new york yankees with the latest thurman munson jersey from the ultimate mlb yankees shop. Buy and sell results for thurman munson at, your no. John arthur fowler july 3, 1922 january 29, 2007 was an american pitcher and pitching coach in major league baseball. The team won the world series, which was the 21st championship in franchise history and the first under the ownership of george steinbrenner. We offer all the latest thurman munson jerseys, apparel, gear and merchandise, so you can order just what you need to c. Aug 02, 2010 august 2, 1979 is the date of one baseball s worst tragedies its the day beloved yankee catcher thurman munson died in a plane crash outside canton, ohio. Aug 01, 2009 ken singleton on playing the yankees the first game after thurman munson s tragic death duration.
The statistics used were obtained free of charge from the baseball databank. Other teams before 1929 tried putting numbers on their uniforms, but mostly on an experimental only basis, usually not lasting longer than a season or sometimes even past a few games. The facility is named after former major league baseball player thurman munson, who grew up in canton. Munson s number 15 is displayed on the center field wall.
Thurman munson stats, splits new york yankees espn. On sunday, june, 1948, the yankees celebrated the twentyfifth anniversary of yankee stadium, and ruth was invited to be there along with other members of. A perennial allstar, munson is the only yankee to win both roy and mvp. But after you read this book, id highly recommend that you read marty appels 2008 bio, munson. Major league baseball rookie of the year award wikipedia. Munson has more allstar appearances and awards, but thats not to say kendall didnt deserve more awards. Thurman munson memorial stadium is a stadium in canton, ohio, usa, primarily used for baseball. The chart below is a comprehensive analysis of the games munson appeared in, specifically relating to his 1970 hitting statistics. Thurman munson society for american baseball research. Thurman lee munson june 7, 1947 august 2, 1979 quickly made his presence known in the yankees lineup and across major league baseball as he hit.
He wasnt the most cheerful guy with the press and he could be a difficult teammate, but there is no arguing that he was a great competitor on the field and a loving, caring father at home. The life of a baseball radical, by mike roer, 2006, 342 pp. Okay, so i should first disclose that i am thurman munsons alltime biggest fan. Mar 1, 2017 thurman lee munson 6747 8279 was a catcher. Thurman lee munson june 7, 1947 august 2, 1979 was an american major league baseball catcher. Thurman munson stats by baseball almanac thurman lee munson was a major league baseball player with the new york yankees 19691979. See more ideas about new york yankees, ny yankees and yankees fan. Thurman munson belongs in the hall of fame hated yankees. The highlights and accomplishments of thurman munson s career which support his national baseball hall of fame inclusion. The yankees defeated the dodgers, four games to two, to win the franchises 21st world series championship. Thurman munson baseball league is currently in need of 2 additonal managers for this season. The 73rd edition of the world series, it was a bestofseven playoff played between the national league nl champion cincinnati reds and the american league al champion new york yankees. Jan 06, 2010 thurman munson, ron guidry and don mattingly were the best players in their leagues at their positions for long stretches, a distinction that usually puts you in the hall of fame, unless youre a yankee.
Kindle ebooks can be read on any device with the free kindle app. Get the latest thurman munson news, articles, videos and photos on the new york post. But being objective, thurmon munson will have to be content with being in the yankee hof and not in cooperstown. The reds swept the series in four games to repeat as champions, avenging their 1939 and 1961 world series losses. Getting him to sign during his playing days was difficult because he was an extremely focused at.
All professional baseball statistics for thurman munson. The life and death of a yankee captain is spectacular. Show your support for the yankees when you pick up thurman munson jerseys for men, women and youth. Munson was a truly superb defensive catcher and widely considered the heart and soul of the bronx bombers a trait that earned him the position of captain of the yanks in 1976, their first since lou gehrig. Thurman munson world series stats by baseball almanac.
Those players and maris also trigger another bias of the sports writers. Get the latest stats, rankings, scouting reports, and more about player thurman munson on baseball america. But he was going downhill, quickly, his last two years. The seventime all star finished his career with a 1,558 hits, 1 home runs, 701 rbi, a. Uniform images used with permission from marc okkonen, author of baseball uniforms of the 20th century. Fritz peterson revisits the horace clarke era in his new book. Thurman lee munson june 7, 1947 august 2, 1979 was an american professional baseball catcher who played 11 seasons in major league baseball mlb with the new york yankees, from 1969 until his death in 1979. He has a way of pulling you back through time and making you feel like youre right there. Thurman munson should be elected to the national baseball. Did you know that in the thurman munson miscellaneous allstar items of interest section seen above you can click the stats link under the allstar label and a truly comprehensive history of that allstar game will appear on your screen. The 1977 world series was the championship series of major league baseball s mlb 1977 season. The 1977 new york yankees season was the 75th season for the yankees in new york and the 77th season overall for the franchise.
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