Duke Snider facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Duke Snider |
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Snider with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1953
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| Center fielder | |||
| Born: September 19, 1926 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Died: February 27, 2011 (aged 84) Escondido, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 17, 1947, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 3, 1964, for the San Francisco Giants | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .295 | ||
| Hits | 2,116 | ||
| Home runs | 407 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,333 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1980 | ||
| Vote | 86.5% (11th ballot) | ||
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider (born September 19, 1926 – died February 27, 2011) was a famous American professional baseball player. People often called him "the Silver Fox" or "the Duke of Flatbush." He mostly played as a center fielder.
Duke Snider spent most of his career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1947 to 1962. Later, he played one season each for the New York Mets (1963) and the San Francisco Giants (1964). He was chosen for the National League (NL) All-Star team eight times. In 1955, he was almost named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP).
During his 16 seasons with the Dodgers, he helped his team reach the World Series six times. They won the championship in 1955 and 1959. Duke Snider was honored by being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.
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Early Life and Baseball Start
Duke Snider was born in Los Angeles, California. His father gave him the nickname "Duke" when he was just 5 years old. This was because he walked with a confident stride, like royalty.
Growing up in Southern California, Duke was a talented athlete. He played basketball, football, and baseball at Compton High School. He was a strong quarterback in football. He could reportedly throw a football 70 yards!
Joining the Minor Leagues
A scout from the Dodgers team noticed Duke Snider in the early 1940s. He signed a baseball contract right after high school in 1943. He played a short time for the Montreal Royals and the Newport News Dodgers in 1944.
After serving in the U.S. Navy in 1945 and part of 1946, he returned to baseball. He played for the Fort Worth Cats and the St. Paul Saints before joining the major leagues.
Major League Career
The Boys of Summer Era
Duke Snider got a chance to try out for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He had his first major league at-bat on April 17, 1947, and hit a single! He played in 39 games that season. He also became friends with Jackie Robinson.
Snider returned to the Dodgers for the World Series against the New York Yankees. In 1949, he became a regular player. He hit 23 home runs and had 92 runs batted in (RBI), helping the Dodgers reach the World Series. His batting average also improved.
Duke Snider became a key player in the Dodgers' powerful lineup. This team included other famous players like Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and Pee Wee Reese. He was often compared to other great center fielders in New York, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. People called him the "Duke" of Flatbush.
In 1950, he had a .321 batting average and led the National League in hits. He was chosen for his first All-Star Game. In 1951, his average dropped, and some newspapers criticized him. He even thought about being traded because of the pressure, but he stayed with the team.
Duke Snider usually batted third in the lineup. He hit 40 or more home runs for five years in a row (1953–1957). Between 1953 and 1956, he averaged 42 home runs, 124 RBI, and a .320 batting average. He led the National League in runs, home runs, and RBI in different seasons.
He played in six post-season series with the Dodgers. They faced the New York Yankees five times and the Chicago White Sox once. The Dodgers won the World Series in 1955 and again in 1959.
Moving to Los Angeles
When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958, Duke Snider's performance changed. He had a sore knee and the Coliseum stadium had a very deep right field. He only hit 15 home runs in 1958.
However, he had a great year in 1959. He helped the Dodgers win their first World Series in Los Angeles. He batted .308 with 23 home runs and 88 RBI. Injuries and age eventually meant Snider played less by 1961.
In 1962, the Dodgers were in a tight race for the pennant. Snider and coach Leo Durocher wanted the manager to bring in star pitcher Don Drysdale. But the manager chose another pitcher, and the Dodgers lost the game. Snider was then traded to the New York Mets.
Final Seasons
When Duke Snider joined the Mets, his usual number 4 was already taken. He wore number 11 for a while, then switched back to 4 after the other player was traded. Many former Dodger fans, who now rooted for the Mets, were happy to see him.
On April 16, 1963, Snider got his 2,000th career hit. On June 14, he hit his 400th career home run. He was also chosen for the All-Star Game in Cleveland, his last All-Star selection. For the season, he played in 129 games, hitting 14 home runs. After one season, Snider asked to be traded to a team that could win a championship.
Snider was traded to the San Francisco Giants in 1964. He couldn't wear number 4 there because it was retired for Mel Ott. So, Snider wore number 28. He played 91 games with the Giants, hitting four home runs. He retired at the end of that season.
Duke Snider finished his amazing major league career with a .295 batting average. He had 2,116 hits, 1,259 runs, 407 home runs, and 1,333 RBI. He was also a good fielder, with a .985 fielding percentage.
Life After Baseball
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| Duke Snider's number 4 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1980. |
After retiring from playing, Duke Snider became a popular TV and radio announcer. He worked for the San Diego Padres from 1969 to 1971. Then he joined the Montreal Expos from 1973 to 1986. He was known for his calm and relaxed style.
Snider also took on some acting roles. He sometimes played himself or a baseball player in TV shows and movies. He appeared in "Hero Father" on Father Knows Best and in The Rifleman. He also had parts in movies like The Geisha Boy and The Trouble with Girls. In 2007, he was featured in a documentary called Brooklyn Dodgers: Ghosts of Flatbush.
In 1995, Duke Snider and Willie McCovey faced a legal issue. They were later pardoned by President Barack Obama in 2017.
Duke Snider was featured in the 1981 song "Talkin' Baseball" by Terry Cashman. The song also mentioned Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980. That same year, the Los Angeles Dodgers retired his jersey number 4. This means no other Dodger player will ever wear that number. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him number 83 on their list of "100 Greatest Players."
Duke Snider married Beverly Null in 1947. They had four children together.
Duke Snider passed away on February 27, 2011, at the age of 84. He was the last living Brooklyn Dodger who was on the field when they won the 1955 World Series.
In 2013, Duke Snider was honored with the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award. This award recognized his service in the United States Navy during World War II.
Duke Snider's Baseball Highlights
Here are some of Duke Snider's impressive achievements in Major League Baseball:
- NL All-Star (1950–1956, 1963)
- NL MVP runner-up (1955)
- Led the NL in home runs (1956)
- Led the NL in RBI (1955)
- Led the NL in fielding average as a center fielder (1951, 1952, 1955)
- World Series champion with the Dodgers (1955, 1959)
- He holds Dodgers career records for home runs (389) and RBI (1,271).
- He is the only player to hit four or more home runs in two different World Series (1952, 1955).
- He was one of only two players (along with Gil Hodges) to have over 1,000 RBI in the 1950s.
- He led all of MLB in RBI during the 1950s with 1,031.
- He hit 19 home runs off of pitcher Robin Roberts, which is a record for home runs off a single pitcher.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame
