Enos Slaughter

Enos Slaughter
Enos Slaughter during the 1948 season.
Right Fielder
Born: (1916-04-27)April 27, 1916 Roxboro, North Carolina
Died: August 12, 2002(2002-08-12) (aged 86) Durham, North Carolina
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 19, 1938 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
September 29, 1959 for the Milwaukee Braves
Career statistics
Batting average	.300
Hits	2,383
Home runs	169
Runs batted in	1,304
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (1938–1942, 1946–1953) New York Yankees (1954–1955) Kansas City Athletics (1955–1956) New York Yankees (1956–1959) Milwaukee Braves (1959)
Career highlights and awards
10× All-Star selection (1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953) 4× World Series champion (1942, 1946, 1956, 1958) St. Louis Cardinals #9 retired
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1985
Election Method	Veterans Committee

Enos Bradsher Slaughter (April 27, 1916 – August 12, 2002), nicknamed "Country", was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 19-year baseball career, he played from 1938–1942 and 1946-1959 for four different teams, but is noted primarily for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is best known for scoring the winning run in Game Seven of the 1946 World Series.

Biography

Slaughter was born in Roxboro, North Carolina and joined the Cardinals in 1938 before being traded to the New York Yankees in 1954.

Slaughter during his retirement.

When Slaughter was a minor leaguer in Columbus, Ohio he came running towards the dugout from his post in the outfield. He slowed down near the infield and began walking the rest of the way. Manager Eddie Dyer told him, "Son, if you're tired, we'll try to get you some help." For the rest of his career, Slaughter ran everywhere he went on a baseball field.^{[citation needed]} In 1937, he had 245 hits and 147 runs scored for Columbus.

Batting left-handed and throwing right, he was renowned for his smooth swing that made him a reliable "contact" hitter. Slaughter had 2,383 hits in his career, including 169 home runs, and 1,304 RBIs in 2,380 games. Slaughter played 19 seasons with the Cardinals, Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, and Milwaukee Braves. During that period, he was a 10-time All-Star and played in five World Series. His 1,820 games played ranks fourth in Cardinals' history behind Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, and Stan Musial. He presently ranks second in RBIs with 1,148; fifth in ABs with 6,775; and sixth in doubles with 366. His career accomplishments are especially impressive considering that he missed 3 seasons beginning in 1943 (when he was 27) to serve in the military during World War II.

Immediately upon his return from the service in 1946, he led the National League with 130 RBI and led the Cardinals to a World Series win over the Boston Red Sox. In the decisive seventh game of that series, Slaughter, running with the pitch, made a famous "Mad Dash" for home from first base on Harry Walker's hit in the eighth inning, scoring the winning run after a delayed relay throw by the Red Sox' Johnny Pesky. The hit was ruled a double, though most observers felt it should have been ruled a single, as only the throw home allowed Walker to advance to second base. This play was named #10 on the Sporting News list of Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments in 2001.

He was known for his hustle, especially for running hard to first base on walks, a habit later imitated by Pete Rose and David Eckstein. Slaughter was also known, however, as one of the leaders of racial taunting against the first black major league player, Jackie Robinson, and he had injured Robinson during a game by inflicting a seven inch gash on Robinson's leg. Slaughter had denied that he had any animosity towards Robinson, however, claiming that such allegations had been made against him because he was "a Southern boy," and that the injury suffered by Robinson had been typical of Slaughter's rough playing style.

Enos Slaughter is cousin of Henry Slaughter, southern gospel musician.

Honors

Enos Slaughter's number 9 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996.

Slaughter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. His jersey number 9 was retired by the Cardinals in 1996, and the team dedicated a statue depicting his famous Mad Dash in 1999. Slaughter was a fixture at statue dedications at Busch Stadium II for other Cardinal Hall of Famers during the last years of his life.

Death

After battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Slaughter died Aug. 12, 2002, at age 86, just days before a scheduled autograph appearance in St. Louis Missouri on Aug. 18.

See also

• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
• List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
• List of Major League Baseball triples champions

External links

• Enos Slaughter at the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Enos Slaughter at Find a Grave

Preceded by Dixie Walker

National League RBI Champion 1946

Succeeded by Johnny Mize