Ralph Garr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ralph Garr |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Outfielder | |||
| Born: December 12, 1945 Monroe, Louisiana, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| September 3, 1968, for the Atlanta Braves | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| June 4, 1980, for the California Angels | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .306 | ||
| Home runs | 75 | ||
| Runs batted in | 408 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Ralph Allen Garr (born December 12, 1945) is a former American professional baseball player. He was also a scout and coach. People often called him "Road Runner" because he was so fast.
Ralph Garr played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder. He played from 1968 to 1980. He is best known for playing with the Atlanta Braves. He also played for the Chicago White Sox and the California Angels.
His best year was 1974. That year, he was chosen for the All-Star team in the National League (NL). He also won the NL batting title. This means he had the highest batting average in the league. Ralph Garr was known for hitting the ball to all parts of the outfield. He hit .300 or better five times in his career. In 2006, he was added to the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame.
Contents
Ralph Garr's Early Life and College Baseball
Ralph Garr was born in Monroe, Louisiana. When he was growing up, he shined shoes at a local barber shop. After finishing Lincoln High School in Ruston, Louisiana, he went to Grambling State University. This is a historically black college in Grambling, Louisiana.
In 1967, Ralph Garr played second baseman for the Grambling State Tigers baseball team. He was amazing that year! He led the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics with a .585 batting average. This was a record at the time. His team had a great season, winning 35 games and losing only one. His success was even mentioned in Sports Illustrated magazine. Around that time, the Atlanta Braves picked him in the third round of the 1967 Major League Baseball draft.
Starting His Professional Baseball Career
Ralph Garr was a very fast runner and a good contact hitter. However, he was not as strong as an infielder. So, the Braves decided to change his position. In 1968, he became an outfielder with the Shreveport Braves. He stayed in the outfield for the rest of his career.
After playing two seasons in the minor leagues, he joined the major leagues in September 1968. He played in 11 games for the Braves. He was mostly used as a pinch hitter or pinch runner. This means he would come into the game to hit or run for another player. He didn't play in the field during these games.
In 1969, he started the season as the Braves' main left fielder. This happened because another player, Rico Carty, hurt his shoulder. When Carty came back, Garr went back to the minor leagues. He returned to the Braves in September. Overall, he hit .222 in 22 games that year.
Ralph Garr made the Braves team again in 1970. He played in 16 games through May, but he still didn't play much in the field. He was sent back to the minor leagues. There, he had an amazing season! He hit .386, which was an International League record. He also hit seven home runs, had 51 runs batted in (RBI), and stole 39 stolen bases. He came back to Atlanta in September and hit .302 in 91 plate appearances.
Becoming "Road Runner"
In 1970, Rico Carty got hurt again and missed the entire 1971 season. This gave Ralph Garr a big chance. He started the 1971 season incredibly well, hitting over .400 through May. Because of his amazing speed, he earned the nickname "Road Runner."
On May 17, 1971, against Tom Seaver and the New York Mets, Ralph Garr hit a solo home run in the tenth inning to tie the game. Then, he hit another home run in the 12th inning to win the game!
Fans in Atlanta loved Ralph Garr so much. The Braves even worked with Warner Bros. Cartoons to use scenes of the Looney Tunes character Road Runner on the scoreboard. A special calliope behind right field would even go "beep-beep" every time Garr reached first base. By the end of the season, Garr's batting average was .343. This was the second-best in the NL, just behind Joe Torre. He also scored a career-high 101 runs.
However, Ralph Garr sometimes struggled with his defense. He led NL outfielders with 11 errors in 1971. Because of this, he lost his starting job in left field when Rico Carty returned in 1972. Still, Garr played in 134 games and had a .962 fielding percentage. He played all three outfield positions. His .325 batting average was again second-best in the league, this time to Billy Williams. At the end of the season, Carty was traded, which opened a permanent spot for Garr.
In 1973, Ralph Garr continued to play well offensively. He hit .299, had 11 home runs, 94 runs scored, and a career-high 55 RBI and 35 stolen bases. His defense was still a concern for the team. He almost got traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, but the deal didn't happen.
Instead, he stayed in Atlanta and had the best season of his career in 1974. He was hitting close to .400 for much of the first half of the season. He had 149 hits before the All-Star break. This is a record that still stands today! He was chosen for the National League All-Star team. He finished the season with the best batting average in the league, .353. He also led the NL in hits (214) and triples (17).
After his amazing 1974 season, Ralph Garr wanted a big raise for the 1975 season. He asked for more than double his 1974 salary. The Braves offered less, so the issue went to arbitration. Garr won, becoming the highest-paid player on the team. He was also the first player in major league history to double his salary through arbitration.
Even though he had a great spring training, Garr's batting average dropped to .278 in 1975. However, he led the league in triples (11) for the second year in a row. On December 12, 1975, Ralph Garr and Larvell Blanks were traded to the Chicago White Sox.
Playing for the Chicago White Sox
In 1976, Ralph Garr's role with the White Sox was similar to his time with the Braves in 1972. He didn't have one regular outfield position. He split his playing time between all three outfield spots. The team struggled that year. Garr still hit .300 and was second on the team with 63 runs scored.
In 1977, a new manager, Bob Lemon, took over. Ralph Garr returned to playing left field regularly. The White Sox had a much better year, winning 90 games. Garr hit .300 again and improved his other offensive numbers. His fielding also got better, as he had a career-high .987 fielding percentage.
Ralph Garr had a tougher year in 1978. His hitting numbers were lower, and his defense became an issue again. In 1979, Garr started the season in left field. However, he was soon replaced by other players. On September 20, 1979, Garr's contract was sold to the California Angels.
Final Years and Retirement
Ralph Garr was used as a designated hitter for the California Angels. This means he would only bat and not play in the field. However, he only hit .167 in this role. He was released by the team on June 6, 1980.
After he retired from playing baseball, Ralph Garr became a part-owner of a doughnut shop in Houston, Texas. In 1984, he attended the Winter meetings for baseball, looking for a job as a scout or coach. Hank Aaron, a baseball legend and Garr's former teammate, offered him a job. Garr became a roving scout and a minor-league base-running coach for the Braves.
Ralph Garr also played professional softball for Lima Steele's in 1982.
He has been honored many times for his career. He was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. He also joined the Grambling State University Alumni Hall of Fame in 1991. In 2006, he was inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame, and in 2008, the International League Hall of Fame. In the 2012 movie Trouble with the Curve, the main character, a fictional Braves scout, is said to have signed Ralph Garr. However, the real scout who signed Garr was Mel Didier.
Career Statistics
Ralph Garr played in 1,317 games over 13 seasons. He had a career batting average of .306. He scored 717 runs, had 212 doubles, 64 triples, and 75 home runs. He also had 408 RBI and 172 stolen bases. His on-base percentage was .339, and his slugging percentage was .416. He had a .968 fielding percentage while playing all three outfield positions.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
