Cornwall ON – February is a brutal month. So many pass away and sure enough Sunday, Hall of Fame Baseball legend Duke Snider died at the age of 84.
I know most people will remember him for leading the Brooklyn Dodgers to the World Series and his great career, but for this Montreal boy my childhood was of hearing Duke and Dave on the radio calling Expos game.
Duke had a bit of an edge to him that I liked and was great. He helped a lot of Canucks embrace and learn about one of the greatest games in the world; Baseball.
No the Expos are just a memory and sadly so is Duke, but what memories they are…
From his WIKI
Accomplishments
- Eight-time All-Star (1950–56, 1963)
- Six-time Top 10 MVP
- 1950: 9th
- 1952: 8th
- 1953: 3rd
- 1954: 4th
- 1955: 2nd
- 1956: 10th
- .540 slugging percentage (37th all-time)
- .919 OPS (50th all-time)
- 3,865 total bases (87th all-time)
- 407 home runs (41st all-time)
- 1,333 RBI (77th all-time)
- 1,481 runs scored (74th all-time)
- 850 extra-base hits (65th all-time)
- 17.6 at-bats per home run (59th all-time)
- Dodgers career leader in home runs (389), RBI (1,271), strikeouts (1,123), and extra-base hits (814)
- Holds Dodgers single-season record for most intentional walks (26 in 1956)
- Only player to hit four home runs (or more) in two different World Series (1952, 1955)
- One of only two major leaguers with over 1,000 RBI during the 1950s. The other was his teammate, Gil Hodges.
Duke on What’s My Line?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkQNut9DUrs
One of the Boys of Summer, Duke Snider died of natural and is survived by his wife and four children.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZE59gP4Uls
