Tommie Agee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tommie Agee
Agee with the New York Mets c. 1970
Center fielder
Born: (1942-08-09)August 9, 1942 Magnolia, Alabama
Died: January 22, 2001(2001-01-22) (aged 58) New York City, New York
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
September 14, 1962, for the Cleveland Indians
Last appearance
September 30, 1973, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Batting average	.255
Home runs	130
Runs batted in	433
Teams
Cleveland Indians (1962–1964) Chicago White Sox (1965–1967) New York Mets (1968–1972) Houston Astros (1973) St. Louis Cardinals (1973)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star (1966, 1967) World Series champion (1969) 2× Gold Glove Award (1966, 1970) AL Rookie of the Year (1966) New York Mets Hall of Fame

Tommie Lee Agee (born August 9, 1942 – died January 22, 2001) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1973. Tommie Agee is best known for being a key player on the New York Mets team in 1969. This team was famously called the "Miracle Mets". They went from being a team that often lost to winning the 1969 World Series. They beat the strong Baltimore Orioles in one of the biggest upsets in World Series history. Agee made two amazing defensive plays in center field during Game 3 of the series. These plays helped the Mets win that game.

Tommie Agee was chosen for the Major League All-Star team twice. He also won the Gold Glove Award twice for his excellent fielding. In 1966, he was named the American League Rookie of the Year while playing for the Chicago White Sox. He also played for the Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, and St. Louis Cardinals. After he passed away in 2001, he was honored by being added to the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2002.

Early Life of Tommie Agee

Tommie Agee was born in Magnolia, Alabama. He played both baseball and football at Mobile County Training School. His future New York Mets teammate, Cleon Jones, was also on these teams. After playing one season at Grambling State University in 1961, Agee signed with the Cleveland Indians. He received a $60,000 bonus to join the team.

Tommie Agee's Baseball Career

Playing for the Cleveland Indians

Tommie Agee spent two seasons playing in the Indians' minor league system. He played for the AAA Portland Beavers. In 1962, he was called up to play for the Cleveland Indians in September. Agee made his first major league appearance on September 14. He pinch-hit for a pitcher in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins.

He also got called up to the major leagues in September of the next two seasons. During his time with the Indians, he played a total of 31 games. He had a batting average of .170, with one home run and five runs batted in. After the 1964 season, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. This trade was part of a big three-team deal.

Time with the Chicago White Sox

In 1965, Agee played for the Pacific Coast League's Indianapolis Indians. He batted .226 there. He also played ten games with the White Sox, batting .158. In 1966, he earned the starting center fielder job during spring training. He hit a two-run home run in the first game of the season.

By the time of the 1966 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, he was batting .264. He had nine home runs and 38 RBIs. He was the only White Sox player chosen for the All-Star team that year. He finished the season with a .273 batting average, 22 home runs, and 86 RBIs. This earned him the American League Rookie of the Year award. His great defense in center field also won him a Gold Glove.

In 1967, Agee was batting .247 with ten home runs and 35 RBIs. This earned him his second straight All-Star selection. However, his performance slowed down in the second half of the season. He ended the year batting .234 with 52 RBIs. The White Sox finished only three games behind the first-place team. Their lack of offense might have cost them the American League championship. To fix this, the White Sox traded Agee to the New York Mets.

Joining the New York Mets

This marker showed where Agee's home run landed at Shea Stadium. It was removed when the stadium was taken down.

In 1968, Tommie Agee had a tough start with the Mets. He was hit in the head by a pitch in spring training. At the start of the regular season, he had a long streak of not getting hits. For the whole season, he batted .217 with five home runs and 17 RBIs.

The Amazing 1969 Season

Agee had his first game with more than one home run in 1969. This was against the Montreal Expos. One of his home runs went very high into the stands at Shea Stadium. No other player ever hit a ball that far there. A sign was painted in that section to remember his amazing home run.

By May 21, Agee was batting over .300. The Mets won their third game in a row, reaching a .500 winning percentage. This was the first time in the team's history they were at .500 this late in the season. After a short losing streak, the Mets went on an 11-game winning streak. Agee hit two home runs and had four hits in one game during this streak.

On September 8, the Mets were two and a half games behind the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs came to Shea Stadium for an important two-game series. Agee hit a two-run home run in the third inning of the first game. He also scored the winning run. The Mets then swept the Expos in a doubleheader. With a Cubs loss, the Mets moved into first place for the first time ever in 1969.

The Mets kept their lead from that point on. On September 24, the New York Mets won the NL East division title. For the season, Agee batted .271. He led his team with 26 home runs, 97 runs scored, and 76 RBIs. He was also named the Sporting News NL Comeback Player of the Year.

The 1969 World Series

In the 1969 National League Championship Series, Agee batted .357. He hit two home runs and had four RBIs. The Mets swept the Atlanta Braves in three games. The Mets were seen as big underdogs when they went into the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.

In Game 3, which was the first World Series home game for the Mets, Agee had an incredible performance. Sports Illustrated called it the greatest single performance by a center fielder in World Series history. In the first inning, Agee hit a leadoff home run. This ended up being the game-winning hit and RBI. The Mets won the game 5-0. In the same game, Agee also made two amazing catches. These catches might have saved five runs for the Orioles.

Seasons from 1970 to 1972

Agee started the 1970 season with a 20-game hitting streak. He had one of his best games on June 12. He got four hits, two home runs, and scored four runs. He was named the NL Player of the Month for June. He batted .364, hit 11 home runs, and had 30 RBIs that month. He also hit for the cycle on July 6. This means he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game.

Agee also showed off his daring base running. In the 10th inning of a game against the LA Dodgers, he stole second base. Then he took third base on a wild pitch. Everyone was surprised when he stole home plate to win the game! For the season, Agee batted .286. He set new Mets records for hits (182), runs (107), and stolen bases (31). He also won his second Gold Glove award. This made him the first African-American player to win a Gold Glove in both the American and National Leagues.

In 1971 and 1972, Agee had problems with chronic knee injuries. Despite this, he still batted .285 in 1971. He also tied for the Mets' lead with 14 home runs. In 1972, he was second on the Mets with 47 RBIs, even though his batting average was .227.

Later Career in Baseball

Tommie Agee was traded from the Mets to the Houston Astros in November 1972. He faced the Mets for the first time on April 24, 1973. He got two hits and scored a run in the Astros' 4-2 win. He was batting .235 with eight home runs and 15 RBIs when the Astros traded him again. This time, he went to the St. Louis Cardinals on August 18. The Cardinals were fighting for the lead in the NL East division.

He was traded from the Cardinals to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 1973. However, he was released during spring training and never played a regular season game for the Dodgers.

Career Statistics

Here are some of Tommie Agee's career statistics in Major League Baseball:

Life After Baseball

After he retired from playing baseball, Tommie Agee ran a place called the Outfielder's Lounge near Shea Stadium. He was also known for being very active in his community. He took part in many charity events. He also helped with baseball clinics for children in New York and Mobile, Alabama. In 1999, he appeared as himself in an episode of the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond. Other members of the 1969 Mets team were also in the episode.

Tommie Agee often visited Shea Stadium. He also attended old-timers games and card shows. He was later inducted into the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Tommie Agee met his wife, Maxcine, at a nightclub and restaurant he owned. They had a daughter named Jnelle.

Tommie Agee had a heart attack on January 22, 2001. He was leaving an office building in Midtown Manhattan. He passed away later that day at Bellevue Hospital Center at 58 years old. He was buried in Pine Crest Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama.

Legacy

Tommie Agee was honored by being inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 2002. This happened after he passed away.

A middle school was built on the land where Agee's former nightclub used to be. This school is in East Elmhurst, Queens. It opened in 2022 and is named the Tommie L. Agee Educational Campus in his honor.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
• List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle

Images for kids

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  Agee with the New York Mets around 1970

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  The spot where Agee's home run landed at Shea Stadium.