This article is about the American baseball player. For the children's performer, see
Al Simmons (musician). For the name of the fictional comic book character, see
Spawn (comics).
Aloysius Harry Simmons (May 22, 1902 - May 26, 1956), born Aloisius Szymanski,[1] was an American baseball player. He played for two decades in the major leagues as an outfielder, and had his best years as a member of Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics during the 1930s. Simmons was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.
[edit] Career
A "bucketfoot" hitter (his nickname was "Bucketfoot Al") who strode toward third base when hitting, Simmons starred as an outfielder for the Philadelphia Athletics during their heyday in the early 1930s, then went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Red Sox.
Simmons hit 307 career home runs, also compiling more hits than any right-handed batter in American League history until surpassed by Al Kaline. A deadly clutch hitter and a favorite of manager Connie Mack, Simmons won batting titles in 1930 and 1931 to help the A's to consecutive pennants. He recorded a .300 batting average and 100 or more runs batted in (RBI) in his first eleven major league seasons. Simmons' accumulated 2,000 hits in 1,390 games, which remains the shortest number of games needed to attain that mark in major league history.
Al Simmons' best year as a player was in 1930, when he drove in 165 runs and scored 152 in 138 games. He played for twenty years from 1924 through 1941, then appearing in 1943-44 and accumulating a lifetime batting average of .334. After his playing days ended, Simmons served as a coach for Mack's Athletics (1945–49) and the Cleveland Indians (1950).
He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1951.
In a 1976 Esquire magazine article, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Al Simmons was the right fielder on Stein's Polish team.
Simmons died of a heart attack in Milwaukee at age 54. He was buried at St. Adalbert's Cemetery in Milwaukee. In 1999, he ranked number 43 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Al Simmons at baseball-reference.com, accessed January 19, 2011.
[edit] External links
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Simmons, Al |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
Major League Baseball player |
| Date of birth |
May 22, 1902 |
| Place of birth |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Date of death |
May 26, 1956 |
| Place of death |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
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