Frankie Frisch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frankie Frisch |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
.png)
Frisch in 1919
|
|||
| Second baseman / Manager | |||
| Born: September 9, 1897 Bronx, New York, U.S. |
|||
| Died: March 12, 1973 (aged 75) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| June 17, 1919, for the New York Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| August 5, 1937, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .316 | ||
| Hits | 2,880 | ||
| Home runs | 105 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,244 | ||
| Managerial record | 1,138–1,078 | ||
| Winning % | .514 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
|||
| Induction | 1947 | ||
| Vote | 84.5% (sixth ballot) | ||
Frank Francis Frisch (born September 9, 1897, died March 12, 1973) was a famous American baseball player and manager. People called him "the Fordham Flash" because he was so fast!
He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals. Later, he managed these teams, plus the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs. Frankie is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum. He holds a record for the most hits in the World Series (58 hits) for a player who didn't play for the New York Yankees. Only Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle had more.
Contents
Frankie's Early Life
Frankie Frisch was born in The Bronx, New York City. He went to Fordham Preparatory School and then Fordham University. At Fordham, he was a star in four different sports: baseball, football, basketball, and track. His amazing speed on the field earned him the nickname "the Fordham Flash."
Playing for the New York Giants
.jpg)
In 1919, Frankie left college to join the New York Giants in the National League. He went straight to the major leagues without playing in the minor leagues first. He made a big impact right away! In his first full season (1920), he was third in stolen bases and seventh in RBI in the National League.
His manager, John McGraw, was very impressed. He quickly made Frankie the team captain. McGraw also helped him improve his base-running and hitting skills. Early in his career, Frankie played both third base and second base. By 1923, he became the team's full-time second baseman.
Frankie was a great hitter, batting over .300 in his last six seasons with New York. He was also an excellent fielder and a very fast base-runner. In 1921, he led the National League with 48 stolen bases. He also led the league in hits in 1923 and runs in 1924. With Frankie's competitive spirit, the Giants won the World Series in 1921 and 1922. They also won the National League pennant in 1923 and 1924.
Joining the St. Louis Cardinals
After the 1926 season, Frankie Frisch was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He and pitcher Jimmy Ring were traded for star player Rogers Hornsby. This trade happened after a game in August 1926. Frankie had missed a signal, which cost the Giants a run. His manager, John McGraw, yelled at him in front of the whole team. Frankie then left the team, and his close relationship with McGraw ended.
Frankie played second base for the Cardinals. He played in four more World Series with them (1928, 1930–31, 1934). This brought his total World Series appearances to eight! He was a key player for the "Gashouse Gang." This was the nickname for the Cardinals teams of the early 1930s. These teams were known for their tough and competitive style, just like Frankie. Before Frankie joined, the Cardinals had won only one pennant. After he joined, the Giants won the pennant only once in the nine seasons Frankie was the Cardinals' regular second baseman.
Frankie played eleven seasons with the Cardinals. In 1931, he was voted the Most Valuable Player in the National League. That year, he batted .311, hit 4 home runs, and had 82 RBI. He also led the League in stolen bases with 28. The 1931 Cardinals also won the World Series. They beat Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics in seven games.
Frankie as a Player-Manager
Frankie Frisch became the player-manager for the Cardinals in 1933. This meant he played on the team while also managing it. He was chosen for the first three All-Star teams from 1933 to 1935. In 1934, he led the Cardinals to another World Series victory in seven games. This time, they beat the Detroit Tigers.
Frankie stopped playing baseball in 1937. His career batting average was .316, which is still the highest ever for a switch-hitter (someone who can bat from both sides of the plate). He had 2,880 hits, 1,532 runs, and 1,244 RBI. He was very hard to strike out, only striking out 272 times in 9,112 times at bat. He also stole 419 bases in his 19 seasons in MLB. His total number of hits was a record for switch-hitters until Pete Rose broke it in 1977.
Hall of Fame and Later Career
Frankie Frisch was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947. He was one of the first players chosen under new rules that made it easier for players from his era to be selected.
After he stopped playing, Frankie continued to manage the Cardinals. However, he didn't win another pennant with them. He also managed the Pittsburgh Pirates (1940–46) and the Chicago Cubs (1949–51). But he didn't have the same success he had in St. Louis. As a manager, his record was 1,138 wins and 1,078 losses.
Life After Baseball
Frankie Frisch also worked as a baseball announcer on radio and TV. He would often worry about pitchers walking batters, saying, "Oh, those bases on balls!"
Later in his life, he became part of a special committee for the Hall of Fame. This committee helps choose players who weren't elected by the regular baseball writers. Some people have said that Frankie helped some of his old teammates get into the Hall of Fame. These included Jesse Haines, Dave Bancroft, Chick Hafey, Rube Marquard, Ross Youngs and George Kelly.
Frankie Frisch passed away in Wilmington, Delaware, at 75 years old. He was in a car accident a month earlier near Elkton, Maryland. He was on his way home from a Hall of Fame meeting when he lost control of his car. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City.
Frankie always said he was born in 1898. But other records, like his birth certificate, show he was born in 1897.
In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him number 88 on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. He was also nominated for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 2014, the Cardinals announced that Frankie would be in the first group of players inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.
Frankie Frisch is even mentioned in a poem called "Line-Up for Yesterday" by Ogden Nash.
He lived in New Rochelle, New York, for many years. He had two hound dogs named Flash and Patches. Later, he moved to Charlestown, Rhode Island. There, he enjoyed gardening and listening to classical music.
A baseball field in Bedford Park, Bronx, was renamed Frank Frisch Field in 1948 to honor him.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball player-managers
- List of Major League Baseball managers by wins
- List of St. Louis Cardinals team records
- List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders
