Don Hoak
Encyclopedia
Donald Albert Hoak was a Major League Baseball
player. Nickname
d "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman
who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1954–55), Chicago Cubs
(1956), Cincinnati Reds
(1957–58), Pittsburgh Pirates
(1959–62) and Philadelphia Phillies
(1963–64). He played 1263 games and compiled a .265 batting average
with 89 home run
s and 498 runs batted in
.
, but pursued a baseball career after losing seven straight knockouts. He broke into the Major Leagues in 1954 after a stint in the United States Marines
and also having played one season in Cuba
. http://www.cubanball.com/Images/Collect/Books/Programs/Prg5354/prg5354.html Legend has it that during his one season in Cuba, Hoak actually batted against Fidel Castro
, who was a law student at the time. According to The Second Fireside Book of Baseball, Castro and some friends commandeered the park where Hoak's team was playing. Castro took some warmup pitches, then turned to face Hoak and called out the Spanish equivalent of "Batter up!" and pitched. He was wild, and threw several pitches near Hoak's head. After a few "dusters," Hoak turned to the umpire and said, "Get that idiot out of the game!" The umpire obliged, and spoke to some park policemen, who marched Castro off the field.
During his two seasons with the Dodgers, Hoak shared third base duties with Jackie Robinson
and Billy Cox. In 1955, his Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees
in the World Series
to win their only championship in Brooklyn
. Hoak played third base in place of Robinson in the seventh and deciding game of that Series—the only World Series game Robinson did not play in during his career.
After the season, Hoak was traded to the Chicago Cubs. In 1956, Hoak batted .215 with 5 home runs and 37 RBIs. He also set a National League
record by striking out six times in one game, a 17-inning marathon on May 2, won by the visiting New York Giants
.
on first when Wally Post
hit a ground ball to short. Hoak broke up a potential double play
by fielding the ball himself and flipping it to Milwaukee shortstop Johnny Logan. Hoak was called out for interference, but Post was given a single on the play. The day before, Johnny Temple
let Bell’s ground ball hit him with the same result, Temple being called out for interference and Bell being awarded a single. The two incidents prompted league presidents Warren Giles
and Will Harridge
to jointly announce a rule change that declared both the runner and batter out if the runner intentionally interfered with a batted ball, with no runners allowed to advance. (Without the new rule, it was sometimes advantageous for a runner to touch a batted ball, because doing so avoided a double play. The rule which put Temple and Hoak out still exists that a runner is out if a batted ball touches him in fair territory before it touches a fielder, with the batter getting a single and no runner advancing unless forced.)
1957 would also mark Hoak's only All-Star
appearance, but it would also be mired in controversy—though not of Hoak's doing. At the time, as they do now, fans had the right to vote for the starters (minus the starting pitchers). As a result, a ballot stuffing
campaign by Reds fans resulted in Hoak, Post, Temple, Bell, Ed Bailey
, Roy McMillan
, and Frank Robinson
being voted into the starting lineup. First baseman George Crowe
, then 36 and the eventual team home run leader with 31, was the only Red not selected; the fans instead voted for Stan Musial
. (Crowe would be selected to the All-Star team in 1958—the only Red so honored.) Commissioner Ford Frick
removed Bell and Post from the starting lineup and replaced them with Willie Mays
and Hank Aaron; Bell remained on the team as a reserve, but Post was taken off altogether. Frick also stripped the fans of the right to vote for the starters, which they’d held since 1947 and wouldn’t hold again until 1970 (ironically, the Reds’ newly opened Riverfront Stadium
would host the All-Star Game that year). In the third inning of that game, Hoak grounded out to shortstop Harvey Kuenn
in his only plate appearance. He was subsequently replaced by Eddie Mathews
.
Hoak batted .261 for the Reds during the 1958 season before being traded, along with Harvey Haddix
and Smoky Burgess
, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for four players (one of whom was Frank Thomas
) and cash in January 1959. Hoak batted .294 in 1959 and .282 in 1960 on a Pirates team that won the World Series
; like the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh defeated the Yankees in seven games, and the Pirates won the 1960 Series on Bill Mazeroski
’s famous ninth-inning home run in Game Seven. During the Pirates’ championship season, Hoak finished second in National League MVP
honors to teammate Dick Groat
.
Hoak played two more seasons with the Pirates (in 1961 he batted a career-high .298) before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. After batting .231 during the 1963 season he was released in early 1964.
Hoak will be remembered by many fans for his intense style of play, sometimes shrugging off injuries to stay in the game. Typically, in one game, he played with numerous stitches in his foot to patch up a previous-game injury. During the game the stitches gradually pulled from his flesh, an event which he successfully ignored. After the game, other players and sportswriters were surprised to see Hoak remove a sock entirely soaked in blood from shoe-level down. Hoak shrugged it off.
Don Hoak also played in the Dominican Republic during the 1956 season with the Escogido team. His game always rapid and daring and full of risks. In those days the radio announcer called him "el loquito Hoak" (crazy Hoak) for his risky plays which contribued to his team winning several games and the season. In a final series a game was won when he stole home after making the pitcher nervious several times moving between third and home.
while chasing his brother-in-law’s stolen car. Earlier that very day, the Pirates had re-hired Danny Murtaugh
as their manager—a position for which Hoak had believed himself a contender. His widow, actress/singer Jill Corey
(whom Hoak married after the 1961 season and with whom he had a daughter, Clare), would claim for decades after that Hoak died of a broken heart because the Pirates had passed him over.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player. Nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1954–55), Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1956), Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1957–58), Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(1959–62) and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1963–64). He played 1263 games and compiled a .265 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with 89 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 498 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
.
Early career
As a youngster, Hoak was a professional boxerBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, but pursued a baseball career after losing seven straight knockouts. He broke into the Major Leagues in 1954 after a stint in the United States Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and also having played one season in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. http://www.cubanball.com/Images/Collect/Books/Programs/Prg5354/prg5354.html Legend has it that during his one season in Cuba, Hoak actually batted against Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, who was a law student at the time. According to The Second Fireside Book of Baseball, Castro and some friends commandeered the park where Hoak's team was playing. Castro took some warmup pitches, then turned to face Hoak and called out the Spanish equivalent of "Batter up!" and pitched. He was wild, and threw several pitches near Hoak's head. After a few "dusters," Hoak turned to the umpire and said, "Get that idiot out of the game!" The umpire obliged, and spoke to some park policemen, who marched Castro off the field.
During his two seasons with the Dodgers, Hoak shared third base duties with Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
and Billy Cox. In 1955, his Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the World Series
1955 World Series
The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in seven games to capture their first championship in franchise history. It would be the only Series the Dodgers won in Brooklyn . The last time the Brooklyn franchise won a World...
to win their only championship in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Hoak played third base in place of Robinson in the seventh and deciding game of that Series—the only World Series game Robinson did not play in during his career.
After the season, Hoak was traded to the Chicago Cubs. In 1956, Hoak batted .215 with 5 home runs and 37 RBIs. He also set a National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
record by striking out six times in one game, a 17-inning marathon on May 2, won by the visiting New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
.
Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia
After the 1956 season the Cubs traded Hoak to the Cincinnati Redlegs in a five-player deal. In 1957 Hoak improved his batting average to .293, after leading the league well into May at over .400, and set career highs in home runs (19) and RBIs (89), as well as leading the National League in doubles with 39. In a game against the Milwaukee Braves on April 21, Hoak was involved in a controversial play that would lead to a change in the rules. He was on second base and teammate Gus BellGus Bell
David Russell "Gus" Bell, Jr. was an American center and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates , Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs , New York Mets and Milwaukee Braves...
on first when Wally Post
Wally Post
Walter Charles Post was a right fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1949 through 1964, Post played for the Cincinnati Reds & Redlegs , Philadelphia Phillies , Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians...
hit a ground ball to short. Hoak broke up a potential double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
by fielding the ball himself and flipping it to Milwaukee shortstop Johnny Logan. Hoak was called out for interference, but Post was given a single on the play. The day before, Johnny Temple
Johnny Temple
John Ellis Temple was a Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Redlegs/Reds ; Cleveland Indians , Baltimore Orioles and Houston Colt .45s . Temple was born in Lexington, North Carolina. He batted and threw right-handed.Temple was a career .284 hitter with 22 home runs and 395 RBI...
let Bell’s ground ball hit him with the same result, Temple being called out for interference and Bell being awarded a single. The two incidents prompted league presidents Warren Giles
Warren Giles
Warren Crandall Giles was a National League executive in Major League Baseball.-Baseball:Giles was elected president of the Moline, Illinois baseball club in the Three-I League in 1919 and began a 50-year career in baseball that saw him rise all the way to the presidency of the National League...
and Will Harridge
Will Harridge
William Harridge was an American executive in professional baseball whose most significant role was as president of the American League from 1931 to 1958...
to jointly announce a rule change that declared both the runner and batter out if the runner intentionally interfered with a batted ball, with no runners allowed to advance. (Without the new rule, it was sometimes advantageous for a runner to touch a batted ball, because doing so avoided a double play. The rule which put Temple and Hoak out still exists that a runner is out if a batted ball touches him in fair territory before it touches a fielder, with the batter getting a single and no runner advancing unless forced.)
1957 would also mark Hoak's only All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
appearance, but it would also be mired in controversy—though not of Hoak's doing. At the time, as they do now, fans had the right to vote for the starters (minus the starting pitchers). As a result, a ballot stuffing
Ballot stuffing
Ballot stuffing is the illegal act of one person submitting multiple ballots during a vote in which only one ballot per person is permitted. The name originates from the earliest days of this practice in which people literally did stuff more than one ballot in a ballot box at the same time...
campaign by Reds fans resulted in Hoak, Post, Temple, Bell, Ed Bailey
Ed Bailey
Lonas Edgar Bailey, Jr. was an American professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues from through . Bailey batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee...
, Roy McMillan
Roy McMillan
Roy David McMillan was a shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1951 through 1966, McMillan played for the Cincinnati Reds , Milwaukee Braves and New York Mets . He batted and threw right-handed...
, and Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956–1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues...
being voted into the starting lineup. First baseman George Crowe
George Crowe
George Daniel Crowe was a Major League first baseman. He attended Franklin High School in Franklin, Indiana, graduated from Indiana Central College, now the University of Indianapolis, in 1943 and played baseball and basketball. He was the first Indiana "Mr. Basketball"...
, then 36 and the eventual team home run leader with 31, was the only Red not selected; the fans instead voted for Stan Musial
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...
. (Crowe would be selected to the All-Star team in 1958—the only Red so honored.) Commissioner Ford Frick
Ford Frick
Ford Christopher Frick was an American sportswriter and executive who served as president of the National League from to and as the third Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1951 to . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970...
removed Bell and Post from the starting lineup and replaced them with Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
and Hank Aaron; Bell remained on the team as a reserve, but Post was taken off altogether. Frick also stripped the fans of the right to vote for the starters, which they’d held since 1947 and wouldn’t hold again until 1970 (ironically, the Reds’ newly opened Riverfront Stadium
Cinergy Field
Riverfront Stadium , later known as Cinergy Field , was the home of the Cincinnati Reds National League baseball team and the Cincinnati Bengals National Football League team. Located on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, the stadium was best known as the home of "The Big Red Machine," as the...
would host the All-Star Game that year). In the third inning of that game, Hoak grounded out to shortstop Harvey Kuenn
Harvey Kuenn
Harvey Edward Kuenn was an American player, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. As a shortstop and outfielder, he played with the Detroit Tigers , Cleveland Indians , San Francisco Giants , Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies . He batted and threw right-handed...
in his only plate appearance. He was subsequently replaced by Eddie Mathews
Eddie Mathews
Edwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game.-Early life:...
.
Hoak batted .261 for the Reds during the 1958 season before being traded, along with Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix, Jr. was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Redlegs , Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles . Haddix was born in Medway, Ohio, located just outside of Springfield...
and Smoky Burgess
Smoky Burgess
Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1949 to 1967. Later in his career, he became known for his ability as a pinch hitter, setting the major league career record for career pinch-hits...
, to the Pittsburgh Pirates for four players (one of whom was Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas (NL baseball player)
Frank Joseph Thomas is a former left fielder and first and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Cincinnati Reds , Chicago Cubs , Milwaukee Braves , New York Mets , Philadelphia Phillies , and the Houston Astros...
) and cash in January 1959. Hoak batted .294 in 1959 and .282 in 1960 on a Pirates team that won the World Series
1960 World Series
The 1960 World Series was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and the New York Yankees of the American League from October 5 to October 13, 1960...
; like the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh defeated the Yankees in seven games, and the Pirates won the 1960 Series on Bill Mazeroski
Bill Mazeroski
William Stanley Mazeroski , nicknamed "Maz", is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
’s famous ninth-inning home run in Game Seven. During the Pirates’ championship season, Hoak finished second in National League MVP
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
honors to teammate Dick Groat
Dick Groat
Richard Morrow Groat is a former two-sport athlete best known as a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He played for four National League teams, mainly the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in after winning the batting title with a .325...
.
Hoak played two more seasons with the Pirates (in 1961 he batted a career-high .298) before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. After batting .231 during the 1963 season he was released in early 1964.
Hoak will be remembered by many fans for his intense style of play, sometimes shrugging off injuries to stay in the game. Typically, in one game, he played with numerous stitches in his foot to patch up a previous-game injury. During the game the stitches gradually pulled from his flesh, an event which he successfully ignored. After the game, other players and sportswriters were surprised to see Hoak remove a sock entirely soaked in blood from shoe-level down. Hoak shrugged it off.
Don Hoak also played in the Dominican Republic during the 1956 season with the Escogido team. His game always rapid and daring and full of risks. In those days the radio announcer called him "el loquito Hoak" (crazy Hoak) for his risky plays which contribued to his team winning several games and the season. In a final series a game was won when he stole home after making the pitcher nervious several times moving between third and home.
Post-playing career
After his playing career, Hoak was a Pirates' broadcaster for two years, a coach for the Phillies in 1967, and a manager in the Pirates' farm system for the next two years. He died on October 9, 1969 of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while chasing his brother-in-law’s stolen car. Earlier that very day, the Pirates had re-hired Danny Murtaugh
Danny Murtaugh
Daniel Edward Murtaugh was an American second baseman, manager, front-office executive and coach in Major League Baseball best known for his 29-year association with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player and manager...
as their manager—a position for which Hoak had believed himself a contender. His widow, actress/singer Jill Corey
Jill Corey
Jill Corey is a retired American traditional pop singer.Nee Norma Jean Speranza in Avonmore, Pennsylvania, about forty miles east of Pittsburgh, a coal mining community, Corey was the youngest of five children...
(whom Hoak married after the 1961 season and with whom he had a daughter, Clare), would claim for decades after that Hoak died of a broken heart because the Pirates had passed him over.