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| careerhighlights=<nowiki></nowiki> | careerhighlights=<nowiki></nowiki>
* Won ] twice, in 1935 and 1940. * Won ] twice, in 1935 and 1940.
* Lead the AL in home runs four times. * Lead the AL in home runs 4 times.
* Set the record for most multi-homer games in a season, with 11 in ]. * Set the record for most multi-homer games in a season, with 11 in ].
* Hit 58 home runs in the ], two less than ]'s single-season record. * Hit 58 home runs in the ], 2 fewer than ]'s single-season record.
* His 9th inning grand-slam on the final game of the ] won the pennant for the Tigers. * His 9th inning grand-slam on the final game of the ] won the pennant for the Tigers.
* Topped 100 RBI in seven seasons. * Topped 100 RBI in 7 seasons.
* His 183 RBI in 1937 ranks 3rd all-time for a single season. * His 183 RBI in 1937 ranks 3rd all-time for a single season.
* Played in four All-Star games. * Played in 4 All-Star games.
}} }}
:''This article is about the baseball player. For the insurance mogul nicknamed Hank Greenberg, see ].'' :''This article is about the baseball player. For the insurance mogul nicknamed Hank Greenberg, see ].''
'''Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg''' (], ] – ], ]), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank," was an ] ] and ] in ]. '''Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg''' (], ] – ], ]), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank," was an ] 5-time ] and 2-time ] ] and ] in ].


==Early life== ==Early life==
{{MLB HoF}} {{MLB HoF}}
He was born in ] to an ]ish family and attended ] High School in ], where he was an outstanding all-around athlete. His preferred sport was ], and his preferred position was ]. In 1929, he was recruited by the ], who already had a capable first baseman: ]. Greenberg turned them down and attended ] for a year, after which he signed with the ]. He was born in ] to an ]ish family and attended ] High School in ], where he was an outstanding all-around athlete. His preferred sport was ], and his preferred position was ].
In ], he was recruited by the ], who already had a capable first baseman: ]. Greenberg turned them down and attended ] for a year, after which he signed with the ].


==Early career== ==Early career==
He played ] for three years, and was named ] in the ]. Greenberg played ] for three years, and was named ] in the ].


In 7 of the 9 years in which he was active, he was one of the dominant players in the game. He has the 8th highest slugging percentage lifetime of any ballplayer in major league history, at .605, ahead of such sluggers as ] and ].
⚫ In 1933, he joined the Tigers and ] .301 while ] in 87 runs.


In ] he was the youngest player in the majors when he first broke in, at 19.
⚫ Starring as a first baseman and ] with the ] (1930, 1933-46), and briefly with the ] (1947), he played only nine full seasons. He missed three full seasons and most of two others to military service during ], and missed most of another season with a broken wrist. In seven of the nine years in which he was active, he was one of the dominant players in the game, beginning in ], his second major-league season, he helped the Tigers reach their first ] in 25 years. The next year Greenberg led the Tigers to their first World Series title. He received the ]'s ] Award for 1935.


⚫ In ], he joined the Tigers and ] .301 while ] in 87 runs. At the same time, he was third in the league in strikeouts (78).
⚫ As a fielder, the 6'4" Greenberg was awkward and unsure of himself early in his career, but he mastered his first-base position through countless hours of practice. When he was asked to move to the outfield in 1940 to make room for ], he worked tirelessly to master that position as well.


In ], his second major-league season, he helped the Tigers reach their first ] in 25 years. He led the league in doubles, with 63. He was 3rd in the AL in slugging percentage (.600) -- behind Foxx and Gehrig, but ahead of Ruth, and in RBIs (139).
⚫ ==Records and Baseball style==
⚫ A prodigious ] hitter, he narrowly missed breaking ]'s single-season home-run record in ], when he hit 58 home runs. The story goes that several pitchers intentionally walked Greenberg towards the end of the season rather than give a ]ish man a chance to break Babe Ruth's record. (There is some reason to dispute this as a motive. It is true that the ] did not give Greenberg good pitches to hit during the last week of the season; it is also true that Detroit and Cleveland were battling for third place, which in those days carried with it a share of World Series profits, so Cleveland players had a financial interest in keeping Greenberg from hitting home runs.)


In ] Greenberg led the league in RBIs (170) and total bases (389), tied ] for the AL title in home runs (36), was 2nd in the league in doubles (46), triples (16), and slugging percentage (.628), and was 3rd in the league in runs scored (121). He also led the Tigers to their first World Series title. He was voted the ]'s ].
⚫ For his own part, Greenberg felt that runs batted in were more important than home runs. He would tell his teammates, "just get on base," or "just get the runner to third," and he would do the rest. He batted in 170 runs in 1935 and in 1937 topped that with 183 (third all-time behind ] in 1930 and ] in 1931).


In ] Greenberg was voted to the ] Team. He led the AL by driving in 183 runs (3rd all-time, behind ] in ] and ] in ]). He was 2nd the league in home runs (40), doubles (49), total bases (397), slugging percentage (.668), and walks (102). Still, Greenberg came in only 3rd in the vote for MVP.
After moving to the outfield in ], Greenberg led the Tigers to a ] and won his second MVP award, becoming at the time only the second player ever to win the MVP award at two different positions.

⚫ A prodigious ] hitter, Greenberg narrowly missed breaking ]'s single-season home-run record in ], when he was again voted to the ] Team and hit 58 home runs, leading the league for the second time. The story goes that several pitchers intentionally walked Greenberg towards the end of the season rather than give a ]ish man a chance to break Babe Ruth's record. (There is some reason to dispute this as a motive. It is true that the ] did not give Greenberg good pitches to hit during the last week of the season; it is also true that Detroit and Cleveland were battling for third place, which in those days carried with it a share of World Series profits, so Cleveland players had a financial interest in keeping Greenberg from hitting home runs.)

He also led the league in runs scored (144) and at-bats per home run (9.6), tied for the AL lead in walks (119), was 2nd in RBI (146), slugging percentage (.683), and total bases (380), and was also 3rd in OBP (.438). Still, Greenberg came in only 3rd in the vote for MVP.

In ] Greenberg was voted to the ] Team] for the third year in a row. He was 2nd in the league in home runs (33), 3rd in the AL in doubles (42) and slugging percentage (.622), while leading the league in strikeouts (95).

After moving to the outfield in ], Greenberg was voted to the ] Team for the 4th year in a row. He led the league in home runs (41; for the third time in 6 years), RBIs (150), doubles (50), total bases (384), and slugging percentage (.670; 44 points ahead of Joe DiMaggio). He was second in the league behind Ted Williams in runs scored (129) and OBP (.433), and batted .340 (5th best in the ]). He led the Tigers to a ], and won his 2nd ] ] award, becoming at the time only the second player ever to win the MVP award at two different positions.


==WWII Service== ==WWII Service==
The Detroit ] initially classified Greenberg as ] for "flat feet." Rumors that he had bribed the board, and concern that he would be likened to ], who received negative publicity for failure to serve in World War I, led Greenberg to be reexamined, and he was found fit to serve. The Detroit ] initially classified Greenberg as ] for "]." Rumors that he had bribed the board, and concern that he would be likened to ], who received negative publicity for failure to serve in ], led Greenberg to be reexamined, and he was found fit to serve.


Although drafted in 1940, he was honorably discharged after ] released men aged 28 years or older from service, being released on December 5, ], two days before the Japanese bombed ]. Greenberg re-enlisted and volunteered for service in the ]. He graduated from ] and was commissioned as a ]. He eventually served overseas in the China-Burma-India theater, scouting locations for ] bases. Although drafted in ], he was honorably discharged after ] released men aged 28 years and older from service, being released on December 5, ], two days before the ] bombed ]. Greenberg re-enlisted and volunteered for service in the ]. He graduated from ] and was commissioned as a ]. He eventually served overseas in the ]-]-] theater, scouting locations for ] bases.


==Return to Baseball== ==Return to Baseball==
Greenberg remained in uniform until the summer of ]. Without the benefit of spring training, he returned to the Tigers and helped lead them to a come-from-behind American League pennant, clinching it with a grand-slam home run on the final game of the season. In ] he returned to peak form. Greenberg remained in uniform until the summer of ]. Without the benefit of ], he returned to the Tigers, was again voted to the ] Team, and helped lead them to a come-from-behind American League pennant, clinching it with a grand-slam home run on the final game of the season.


In ] he returned to peak form, leading the league in home runs for the 4th time (44) and RBIs for the 4th time (127). He was second in slugging percentage (.604) and total bases (316), behind Ted Williams).
⚫ It is often estimated that Greenberg, had he played in another era uninterrupted by war, would have amassed between 500 and 600 home runs and 1,800 to 2,000 RBI. As it is, his totals of 331 home runs and 1,276 RBI are amazing for a 1,394-game career. He also hit for average, batting .313.


In ], Greenberg and the Tigers had a lengthy salary dispute. When Greenberg decided to retire rather than play for less, Detroit traded him to the ]. To persuade him not to retire, Pittsburgh made Greenberg the first baseball player to earn over $100,000 in a season (though the exact amount is a matter of some dispute). Team co-owner ] recorded a song, "Goodbye, Mr. Ball, Goodbye" with ] and Greenberg, to celebrate Greenberg's arrival. The Pirates also moved in the seats in ]'s cavernous left field, renaming the section "Greenberg's Gardens," to accommodate Greenberg's pull-hitting style. Greenberg played first base for the Pirates for 1947, and was one of the few opposing players to publicly welcome ] to the majors. In ], Greenberg and the Tigers had a lengthy salary dispute. When Greenberg decided to retire rather than play for less, Detroit traded him to the ]. To persuade him not to retire, Pittsburgh made Greenberg the first baseball player to earn over $100,000 in a season (though the exact amount is a matter of some dispute). Team co-owner ] recorded a song, "Goodbye, Mr. Ball, Goodbye" with ] and Greenberg, to celebrate Greenberg's arrival. The Pirates also moved in the seats in ]'s cavernous left field, renaming the section "Greenberg's Gardens," to accommodate Greenberg's pull-hitting style. Greenberg played first base for the Pirates for 1947, and was one of the few opposing players to publicly welcome ] to the majors.

That year he tied for the league lead in walks, with 104.

==Fielding==

⚫ As a fielder, the 6'4" Greenberg was awkward and unsure of himself early in his career, but he mastered his first-base position through countless hours of practice. When asked to move to the outfield in ] to make room for ], he worked tirelessly to master that position as well.

⚫ ==Baseball style==

⚫ For his own part, Greenberg felt that runs batted in were more important than home runs. He would tell his teammates, "just get on base," or "just get the runner to third," and he would do the rest.

==Abbreviated Career==

⚫ Starring as a first baseman and ] with the ] (1930, 1933-46), and briefly with the ] (1947), he played only 9 full seasons. He missed 3 full seasons and most of 2 others to military service during ], and missed most of another season with a broken wrist.

⚫ It is often estimated that Greenberg, had he played in another era uninterrupted by war, would have amassed between 500 and 600 home runs and 1,800 to 2,000 RBI. As it is, his totals of 331 home runs and 1,276 RBI are amazing for a 1,394-game career. He also hit for average, batting .313.


==Coaching and ownership== ==Coaching and ownership==
Line 63: Line 88:


==Family== ==Family==
He married Coral ] (of the New York department store family) on ], ], three days after signing a $60,000 contract with the Tigers. Their son, Steven, played five years in the ] and ] organizations. In ], Steve Greenberg founded ], which was purchased by ] and became ]. He married Coral ] (of the New York department store family) on ], ], three days after signing a $60,000 contract with the Tigers. Their son, Steven, played 5 years in the ] and ] organizations. In ], Steve Greenberg founded ], which was purchased by ] and became ].


==Honors== ==Honors==

Revision as of 04:57, 24 August 2006

Baseball player
Hank Greenberg
debut
September 14, 1930, Detroit Tigers
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Detroit Tigers (1930-1946)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1947)
This article is about the baseball player. For the insurance mogul nicknamed Hank Greenberg, see Maurice R. Greenberg.

Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg (January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank," was an American 5-time All-Star and 2-time MVP first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball.

Early life

Template:MLB HoF He was born in New York City to an Orthodox Jewish family and attended James Monroe High School in the Bronx, where he was an outstanding all-around athlete. His preferred sport was baseball, and his preferred position was first base.

In 1929, he was recruited by the New York Yankees, who already had a capable first baseman: Lou Gehrig. Greenberg turned them down and attended New York University for a year, after which he signed with the Detroit Tigers.

Early career

Greenberg played minor league baseball for three years, and was named Most Valuable Player in the Texas League.

In 7 of the 9 years in which he was active, he was one of the dominant players in the game. He has the 8th highest slugging percentage lifetime of any ballplayer in major league history, at .605, ahead of such sluggers as Mark McGuire and Joe DiMaggio.

In 1930 he was the youngest player in the majors when he first broke in, at 19.

In 1933, he joined the Tigers and hit .301 while driving in 87 runs. At the same time, he was third in the league in strikeouts (78).

In 1934, his second major-league season, he helped the Tigers reach their first World Series in 25 years. He led the league in doubles, with 63. He was 3rd in the AL in slugging percentage (.600) -- behind Foxx and Gehrig, but ahead of Ruth, and in RBIs (139).

In 1935 Greenberg led the league in RBIs (170) and total bases (389), tied Jimmy Foxx for the AL title in home runs (36), was 2nd in the league in doubles (46), triples (16), and slugging percentage (.628), and was 3rd in the league in runs scored (121). He also led the Tigers to their first World Series title. He was voted the American League's Most Valuable Player.

In 1937 Greenberg was voted to the All-Star Team. He led the AL by driving in 183 runs (3rd all-time, behind Hack Wilson in 1930 and Lou Gehrig in 1931). He was 2nd the league in home runs (40), doubles (49), total bases (397), slugging percentage (.668), and walks (102). Still, Greenberg came in only 3rd in the vote for MVP.

A prodigious home run hitter, Greenberg narrowly missed breaking Babe Ruth's single-season home-run record in 1938, when he was again voted to the All-Star Team and hit 58 home runs, leading the league for the second time. The story goes that several pitchers intentionally walked Greenberg towards the end of the season rather than give a Jewish man a chance to break Babe Ruth's record. (There is some reason to dispute this as a motive. It is true that the Cleveland Indians did not give Greenberg good pitches to hit during the last week of the season; it is also true that Detroit and Cleveland were battling for third place, which in those days carried with it a share of World Series profits, so Cleveland players had a financial interest in keeping Greenberg from hitting home runs.)

He also led the league in runs scored (144) and at-bats per home run (9.6), tied for the AL lead in walks (119), was 2nd in RBI (146), slugging percentage (.683), and total bases (380), and was also 3rd in OBP (.438). Still, Greenberg came in only 3rd in the vote for MVP.

In 1939 Greenberg was voted to the All-Star Team] for the third year in a row. He was 2nd in the league in home runs (33), 3rd in the AL in doubles (42) and slugging percentage (.622), while leading the league in strikeouts (95).

After moving to the outfield in 1940, Greenberg was voted to the All-Star Team for the 4th year in a row. He led the league in home runs (41; for the third time in 6 years), RBIs (150), doubles (50), total bases (384), and slugging percentage (.670; 44 points ahead of Joe DiMaggio). He was second in the league behind Ted Williams in runs scored (129) and OBP (.433), and batted .340 (5th best in the AL). He led the Tigers to a pennant, and won his 2nd American League MVP award, becoming at the time only the second player ever to win the MVP award at two different positions.

WWII Service

The Detroit draft board initially classified Greenberg as 4F for "flat feet." Rumors that he had bribed the board, and concern that he would be likened to Jack Dempsey, who received negative publicity for failure to serve in ], led Greenberg to be reexamined, and he was found fit to serve.

Although drafted in 1940, he was honorably discharged after Congress released men aged 28 years and older from service, being released on December 5, 1941, two days before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Greenberg re-enlisted and volunteered for service in the United States Army Air Forces. He graduated from Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a first lieutenant. He eventually served overseas in the China-Burma-India theater, scouting locations for B-29 bases.

Return to Baseball

Greenberg remained in uniform until the summer of 1945. Without the benefit of spring training, he returned to the Tigers, was again voted to the All-Star Team, and helped lead them to a come-from-behind American League pennant, clinching it with a grand-slam home run on the final game of the season.

In 1946 he returned to peak form, leading the league in home runs for the 4th time (44) and RBIs for the 4th time (127). He was second in slugging percentage (.604) and total bases (316), behind Ted Williams).

In 1947, Greenberg and the Tigers had a lengthy salary dispute. When Greenberg decided to retire rather than play for less, Detroit traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates. To persuade him not to retire, Pittsburgh made Greenberg the first baseball player to earn over $100,000 in a season (though the exact amount is a matter of some dispute). Team co-owner Bing Crosby recorded a song, "Goodbye, Mr. Ball, Goodbye" with Groucho Marx and Greenberg, to celebrate Greenberg's arrival. The Pirates also moved in the seats in Forbes Field's cavernous left field, renaming the section "Greenberg's Gardens," to accommodate Greenberg's pull-hitting style. Greenberg played first base for the Pirates for 1947, and was one of the few opposing players to publicly welcome Jackie Robinson to the majors.

That year he tied for the league lead in walks, with 104.

Fielding

As a fielder, the 6'4" Greenberg was awkward and unsure of himself early in his career, but he mastered his first-base position through countless hours of practice. When asked to move to the outfield in 1940 to make room for Rudy York, he worked tirelessly to master that position as well.

Baseball style

For his own part, Greenberg felt that runs batted in were more important than home runs. He would tell his teammates, "just get on base," or "just get the runner to third," and he would do the rest.

Abbreviated Career

Starring as a first baseman and outfielder with the Detroit Tigers (1930, 1933-46), and briefly with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1947), he played only 9 full seasons. He missed 3 full seasons and most of 2 others to military service during World War II, and missed most of another season with a broken wrist.

It is often estimated that Greenberg, had he played in another era uninterrupted by war, would have amassed between 500 and 600 home runs and 1,800 to 2,000 RBI. As it is, his totals of 331 home runs and 1,276 RBI are amazing for a 1,394-game career. He also hit for average, batting .313.

Coaching and ownership

The following year, Greenberg retired from the field to become the Cleveland Indians' farm system director and two years later, their general manager and part-owner along with Bill Veeck. His contributions in finding and developing talent contributed to that team's successes through the 1950s, though Bill James wrote that Greenberg should also be given partial credit for the Indians' late 1950s collapse due to questionable personnel decisions. He followed Veeck to the Chicago White Sox as part-owner.

Greenberg sold off his share of the White Sox in 1961 after the American League announced plans to put a team in Los Angeles. He immediately became the favorite to become the new team's first owner, and persuaded Veeck, who had sold off his majority interest in the White Sox due to poor health, to join him as his partner. However, when Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley got word of these developments, he threatened to scuttle the whole deal by invoking his exclusive rights to operate a major league team in Southern California. In truth, O'Malley wanted no part of having to compete against an expansion team owned by a master promoter such as Veeck. Greenberg wouldn't budge, and pulled out of the running for what became the Los Angeles Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim). He later became a successful investment banker.

Family

He married Coral Gimbel (of the New York department store family) on February 18, 1946, three days after signing a $60,000 contract with the Tigers. Their son, Steven, played 5 years in the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers organizations. In 1995, Steve Greenberg founded Classic Sports Network, which was purchased by ESPN and became ESPN Classic.

Honors

Greenberg died in Beverly Hills, California and his remains were entombed at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Documentary: The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, 2000.

Autobiography: The Story of My Life, ISBN 1892049236

In 2006, Greenberg will be featured on a United States postage stamp . The stamp is one of a block of four honoring Baseball Sluggers.

Legacy

Greenberg was a sports icon in the Jewish American community.

Greenberg was not the first Jewish man to play major-league baseball, but by the end of his career he had become by far the best Jewish player ever, and the first major Jewish star. In the 50 years since Greenberg's retirement, only Sandy Koufax achieved similar success among Jewish players.

Greenberg was subject to the most vicious ethnic taunting seen in the sport prior to the arrival of Jackie Robinson in 1947, yet Greenberg nevertheless became a first-rank ballplayer.

See also

References

  1. James, Bill The New Bill Janes Historical Baseball Abstract New York: Free Press (2001) p. 435 ISBN 0684806975

External links

Preceded byMickey Cochrane American League Most Valuable Player
1935 		Succeeded byLou Gehrig
Preceded byJoe DiMaggio American League Most Valuable Player
1940 		Succeeded byJoe DiMaggio
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