Jeffrey Leonard
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| Jeffrey Leonard | |
|---|---|
| Left fielder | |
| Born: September 22, 1955 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 2, 1977 for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1990 for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .266 |
| Home runs | 144 |
| Runs batted in | 723 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Jeffrey N. Leonard (born September 22, 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball with a 14-year career from 1977 to 1990. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants, all of the National League, and the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners, both of the American League.
Nicknamed "HacMan" after the popular video game PacMan, Leonard was known for his "one flap down" routine: running around the bases after hitting a home run with one arm hanging motionless at his side.[1]
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[edit] Biography
Leonard was a standout in football, basketball and baseball at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, which produced basketball stars Wilt Chamberlain and Walt Hazzard. He got 60 scholarship offers for football, five for basketball and none for baseball, where he played shortstop and twice hit two home runs in one inning.
[edit] Minor league career
Leonard tied for the California League lead for assists by an outfielder with 13 while playing for the Bakersfield Dodgers in 1976.[citation needed] He also led the Pacific Coast League in hits (183) and batting average (.365) while playing for the Albuquerque Dukes in 1978.[citation needed]
[edit] Notable achievements in Major League Baseball
He was selected to the National League All-Star team in 1987[2] and to the American League All-Star team in 1989.[3]
Jeffrey Leonard's greatest moment as a player most likely occurred during the 1987 National League Championship Series while with the San Francisco Giants. During the seven game-long series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Leonard had five runs, ten hits, four home runs, five runs batted in, a batting average of .417, and a slugging percentage of .917. For his performance, Leonard was awarded the 1987 NLCS Most Valuable Player Award. As of 2010, Jeffrey Leonard is the last person to be named the Most Valuable Player of a League Championship Series or World Series while a member of the losing team. His four home runs tied a record shared by Bob Robertson (1971) and Steve Garvey (1978) for most home runs in a League Championship Series.
It was also during this NLCS that Leonard would draw ire for a "Cadillac" home run trot; the Cardinals felt he took a little too much time rounding the bases on his home runs, thereby showing up the pitcher. In response to this attitude, and for Leonard's repeated "one-flap down" routine of running bases, the late Cardinal pitcher Bob Forsch famously hit Leonard in the back with a fastball in fifth inning of Game 3. The St. Louis press began calling Leonard "both flaps down" after the incident[4].
[edit] Post-playing activities
Coached the Antelope Valley College Marauders baseball team from 2002–2005.
He currently resides in Rocklin, California.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
- Hitting for the cycle
- List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
[edit] References
- ^ 1980 Topps #106 Jeff Leonard
- ^ Walker, Ben (13 July 1987). "Reserves may decide All-Star outcome". The Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas): p. 1B. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rpEqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=olkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4484,3117865&dq=baseball+jeffrey-leonard+all-star&hl=en. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- ^ Donaghy, Jim (7 July 1989). "Managers, league presidents fill out All-Star rosters". Gettysburg Times (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania): p. B1. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_-AlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gf0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1760,428270&dq=baseball+jeffrey-leonard+all-star&hl=en. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- ^ Hummel, Rick (5 November 2011), Forsch was 'icon in Cards' history', stltoday.com, http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/forsch-was-icon-in-cards-history/article_bdfb18cc-06f5-11e1-a7f4-001a4bcf6878.html, retrieved 14 November 2011
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Retrosheet
| Preceded by Mike Scott |
National League Championship Series MVP 1987 |
Succeeded by Orel Hershiser |
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- 1955 births
- Living people
- Major League Baseball left fielders
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- Houston Astros players
- San Francisco Giants players
- Milwaukee Brewers players
- Seattle Mariners players
- National League All-Stars
- American League All-Stars
- Baseball players from Pennsylvania
- African American baseball players
- Baseball players suspended for drug offenses
- Sportspeople from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Bellingham Dodgers players
- Orangeburg Dodgers players
- Bakersfield Dodgers players
- Lodi Dodgers players
- Albuquerque Dukes players
- San Antonio Dodgers players
- Phoenix Giants players
- Omaha Royals players
