Bake McBride facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bake McBride |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: February 3, 1949 Fulton, Missouri, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| July 26, 1973, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 1983, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .299 | ||
| Home runs | 63 | ||
| Runs batted in | 430 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Arnold Ray McBride, born on February 3, 1949, is a former American baseball player. People knew him as "Shake 'n Bake" or "the Callaway Kid." He played as an Outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). His teams included the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Indians. He played from 1973 to 1983. He had his best years with the Phillies in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Bake McBride went to high school and college in Missouri. He started playing for the Cardinals in 1973. In 1974, he won the National League Rookie of the Year award. He also played in the 1976 MLB All-Star Game. McBride was part of the 1980 Phillies team that won the World Series. He even hit a three-run home run in the first game of that World Series.
McBride was a very fast runner. However, injuries and illnesses shortened more than half of his 11 seasons in MLB. He had surgeries on both of his knees. He also missed most of the 1982 season because of an eye infection. After his playing career, McBride coached for minor league teams. These teams included the New York Mets and the Cardinals.
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Early Life and College Baseball
Bake McBride was born in Fulton, Missouri. His father, Arnold McBride, was a pitcher for the Negro league baseball team called the Kansas City Monarchs. Bake McBride was a star athlete at Fulton High School. He played football, basketball, and ran track. He earned all-state honors in football. His high school did not have a baseball team.
McBride went to Westminster College in Missouri. There, he played baseball, basketball, and ran track. He set a school record in the 200-meter dash. In college, McBride was a pitcher. But when he tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals, they were more interested in his amazing running speed. The Cardinals chose McBride in the 37th round of the 1970 MLB draft. He was the last player picked in that draft to play in the Major Leagues. McBride left college early to play professional baseball. But he later went back and graduated from Westminster.
By 1972, McBride was playing in the minor leagues for the Cardinals. He played for their Class AA team in Little Rock. He did well there and was promoted to the Class AAA team in Tulsa. He was a bit unsure if he was ready for Class AAA. In his first time at bat at that level, he hit a ball that looked like a triple. But he was called out because he missed touching second base.
Starting with the Cardinals
McBride made his first appearance in the major leagues for the Cardinals in 1973. He only played in 40 games that year, so he was still considered a rookie for the next season. He became known for his unique look. He had one of the biggest Afro hairstyles in baseball. When he stepped up to bat, he always wiped away the chalk lines of the batter's box. He also had an unusual batting stance. He put his weight on his front foot instead of his back foot.
Late in the 1974 season, McBride scored the winning run in a very long game. It was a 25-inning game against the New York Mets. He hit a single, then scored from first base on a throwing error. This game lasted seven hours and four minutes. At the time, it was the second longest game in MLB history. McBride finished the 1974 season with 173 hits and 30 stolen bases. His batting average was .309. He was named the National League's Rookie of the Year. He was the first Cardinal to win this award since Bill Virdon in 1955.
As a young player, McBride said he learned a lot from his teammate Lou Brock. McBride felt that Brock should have won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1974. Brock stole 118 bases that year, which broke the single-season record. When you added McBride's 30 steals, they set a new MLB record for stolen bases by two teammates in one season. Before them, no St. Louis Cardinal had stolen 30 bases in a season since 1927. The Cardinals' outfielders in 1974 (McBride, Brock, and Reggie Smith) all hit over .300. This was the first time since 1902 that all three starting outfielders on the team did that.
In 1975, McBride moved to the third spot in the Cardinals' batting order. He hurt his shoulder early in the season and missed almost a month. He came back, but then hurt both ankles in the summer. His left ankle was hurt sliding into a catcher. A few days later, he fouled a pitch off his right ankle. By late July, McBride's batting average was .255. He had 14 stolen bases, which was slower than the year before. But McBride hit much better later in the season. He finished with a .300 batting average for the year.
McBride, known as "The Callaway Kid," worked hard to get stronger before the 1976 season. He gained ten pounds and started April very well. He was the only player from the Cardinals chosen for the 1976 MLB All-Star Game. That year, he struggled with shoulder and knee injuries. In August, he had to leave the lineup. The team announced he would have surgery to fix cartilage in his knee. His batting average was .335 when his injury stopped him from playing.
Before the 1977 season, the Cardinals hired a new manager, Vern Rapp. Rapp was very strict. He did not allow players to have facial hair. This caused problems with McBride and teammate Al Hrabosky. In late May 1977, the Cardinals signed McBride to a three-year contract. About three weeks later, McBride and Steve Waterbury were traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. In return, the Cardinals got Tom Underwood, Dane Iorg, and Rick Bosetti. Many believed that manager Rapp wanted McBride traded.
Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies
McBride played great after joining the 1977 Phillies. His batting average jumped to .338 during his time with them. The team won 69 games and lost 33 after he joined. They made it to the playoffs that year. McBride had played center field before. But in Philadelphia, Garry Maddox played center field. So, McBride moved to right field. Phillies fans really liked him. They gave him the nickname "Shake 'n Bake."
In 1978, McBride had his lowest career batting average, .269. He played in only 122 games. This was partly due to injuries and partly because manager Danny Ozark used a platoon system. This meant different players played based on who was pitching. Before the 1979 season, there were rumors that McBride might be traded. If the Phillies could not sign him to a new contract, he would become a free agent. General manager Paul Owens said he would trade McBride if they could not agree on a contract. He almost went to the Texas Rangers in a big trade. But the Phillies owner stopped the deal. McBride then signed a new contract with the Phillies.
In July 1980, a writer named Bill Lyon wrote about McBride. He said that some fans unfairly thought McBride was a lazy player. This was because of his knee problems and his quiet personality. McBride ran with a slightly uneven way of moving. Some fans thought this meant he wasn't trying hard. Lyon explained that McBride didn't talk much about his injuries. So, most people didn't know his knee joint was badly worn down. He was "essentially, a one-legged player." Lyon also said McBride's Afro hairstyle and quiet nature added to these unfair ideas. McBride said he had never been a very emotional person. He felt it would be fake if he tried to look more intense just to please the fans.
Even with pain in his feet and knees, manager Dallas Green said McBride was the most steady player on the team in 1980. The Phillies made it to the 1980 World Series. In the first game, McBride hit a three-run home run. This put the Phillies ahead of the Kansas City Royals. The Phillies won that game and went on to win the World Series in six games. McBride hit .304 (7 hits in 23 times at bat) in his only World Series. The 1981 season was shorter because of a player strike. McBride missed most of May due to knee problems. He had surgery on his left knee just before the strike. He had surgery on his right knee in November.
Later Career and Retirement
On February 16, 1982, McBride was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Sid Monge. McBride said he would need to get used to pitchers in the American League. But he thought the grass field in Cleveland would be better for his knees than the artificial turf in Philadelphia.
McBride started the 1982 season as the Indians' starting right fielder. But he got an eye infection and did not play after May 21. He had been hitting very well, with a .365 batting average in 27 games. McBride said the eye infection was from his contact lenses. He thought his recovery was slow because he tried different types of contacts. He had worn hard contact lenses since 1970. He said he had damaged his eyes by wearing contacts all the time. He could not switch to glasses while his eyes healed.
Just before the 1983 season, McBride said his eye problems were gone. He started wearing special contact lenses made for him. He played in 70 games in the 1983 season. He was put on the disabled list twice that year. He became a free agent in October 1983.
After his playing career, McBride moved to Florissant, Missouri. He briefly owned a liquor store. He enjoyed spending time with his family. But then the New York Mets called him with a coaching job. In 1985, the Mets hired McBride. He became an outfield and baserunning coach for their minor league teams. He worked for the Mets for seven years.
In 1989, McBride came out of retirement. He played for the St. Petersburg Pelicans and Orlando Juice. These were teams in the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He batted .296 in 29 games for both teams. In the 1990s, McBride was a minor league hitting coach for the Cardinals.
Personal Life
Bake McBride married Celeste Woodley. They had three children. By 1976, McBride had opened a youth center in Fulton. He lived in St. Louis during the baseball offseasons. His cousin, Ron McBride, played college football. He also played in the National Football League.
Early in his career, McBride said he couldn't explain how he got the nickname "Bake."
Career Statistics
| Games | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | AVG | OBP | SLG | FLD% |
| 1071 | 4202 | 3853 | 548 | 1153 | 167 | 55 | 63 | 430 | 183 | 248 | .299 | .345 | .420 | .989 |
In playoff games, McBride played 22 times from 1977 to 1981. He batted .244 (21 hits in 86 times at bat). He scored 8 runs, hit 3 home runs, and had 8 RBI.
