New York Yankees Catcher Elston Howard

Elston "Ellie" Howard was one of the best catchers in storied history of the New York Yankees. Following in the footsteps of a the great Yogi Berra. In his career with the Yankees, he would be on four World Series champion teams. His career started in the Negro Leagues with the famed Kansas City Monarchs under Buck O'Neill.  Where he would be the roommate of a future member of the baseball Hall of Fame, a kid named Ernie Banks. In 1950, he was signed by the New York Yankees. Howard was signed as an outfielder, and it wasn't until the spring training of 1954.

In 1955, he made his debut with the Yankees.  He would spend his first three seasons playing between outfield, and serving as the backup catcher. In his first season, he hit .290/.336/.477 slash line with 10 home runs, with 43 RBI, in 305 plate appearances. On April 14, 1955, he became the first black player to wear the uniform of the New York Yankees. 

During the course of his career, he was a 12 time all-star in as a member of the New York Yankees. 1963 was his best season, he hit 28 home runs with 85 RBI, and a slash line of .287/.342/.528. He would be named Most Valuable Player in the American League, and becoming the first black player to win the award in the junior circuit. He also was the Gold Glove award winner that season, and would capture the award again in 1964. 

He finished his playing career with the Boston Red Sox. After his playing days, he would return to the Yankees as a coach for two seasons, and being a part of the staff on the World Series champions in 1977 and 1978. Tragically Howard would die at the young age of 51 of heart failure after being diagnosed with myocarditis. His #32 was retired by the Yankees. 

The Alou Brothers

They were three brothers that all escaped poverty in the Dominican Republic, and were each signed by the San Francisco Giants.  The Alou brothers were the first set of three siblings to play in the outfield together on September 15, 1963. They were also the first set of three siblings to bat in the same half inning only 5 days earlier. They never started a game together in the outfield.

Jesus Rojas Alou at the time of his signing the Giants considered him the best prospect of the three brothers. The Giants signed him for $4,000. July 10, 1964 was the best game of his career going 6 for 6 with a home run and five singles. He never developed the power the Giants expected. He had a career high of 9 home runs in  1965. 1970 with the Houston Astros was his best offensive season slashing .306/.335/.384, but with only one home run his was traded to the Oakland Athletics. In Oakland, he would be part of the 1973-1974 Oakland A's World Series Champions. Always a solid outfielder, he had a long career with 15 seasons in the Major Leagues.

Mateo "Matty" Rojas Alou made his Major League debut for the Giants on September 26, 1960.  His career was wasting away in San Francisco as platoon player. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and under the instruction of Harry "The Hat" Walker his career was revived. In his first season with the Pirates in 1966, he won the National League batting title hitting .342/.373/.421. It was the start of a four-year stretch where he hit .330 or above. He was a National League all-star in 1968-1969. He was also a member of the 1972 Oakland A's World Series Champions. He closed out his career with the Cardinals, Yankees, Padres, and a three-year stint in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Felipe Rojas Alou signed with the Giants in 1955 for$200. When he made his debut in 1958, it would be the start of a 17-year career in Major League Baseball. It wasn't until 1961 that he started to get enough playing time for his power to blossom. He hit 18 home runs that season, he would hit 25 and 20 respectively before being traded to the Milwaukee Braves. In 1966, he enjoyed the best season of his career hitting 31 home runs with 74 RBI. He topped the National League in runs scored (122), hits (218), and had the best slash line of his career .327/.361/.533/.894. 1968, he again led the NL in hits with 210 hits, but at 33 his power was tapering off at a rapid rate. He would bounce between the Oakland A's, New York Yankees, Montreal Expos, and Milwaukee Brewers to close out his career. He was 3-times all-star (62, 66, and 68). He served as manager of the Montreal Expos from 1992-2001, and was National League Manager of the Year in 1994. He also managed the San Francisco Giants from 2003-2006. In 2015 he was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and 2016, Alou was elected to the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.

.The Cleveland Indians Sudden Sam McDowell

Sam McDowell was 6-5 southpaw with a nice easy motion when he delivered the ball to plate gave rise to the nickname Sudden Sam. McDowell broke in with the Cleveland Indians as an 18-year old. When in his only appearance he walked five, and fanned 5 hitters in a 6.1 innings of work. It was an omen of things to come for McDowell.  in 1962 & 1963, he struggled to find his spot on the pitching staff. 

1964 was to be McDowell's break out season. He finish with a won-loss record of 11-6 with an ERA of 2.70, he walked 100 batter, while striking out 177, in 173.1 innings of work.  In 1965, he would go 17-11 with a league leading ERA of 2.18. He would lead the league in strike outs with 325, walks 132, and 17 wild pitches. Effectively wild?  Five of the next six seasons he would lead the American League in strikes outs.  Five of the next seven seasons, he would lead the league in walks.  1970 would be his only 20 win season of his career, and after that season his numbers began to tail off. 

After the 1971 season he was traded to the San Francisco Giants where he won 10 games in 1972. McDowell would make stops at the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates before calling it a career. He was six time American League all-star (1965, 1966, 1968-1971).  His won loss record was 141-134 with an ERA of 3.17, and finished with 2,453 strike outs.

Remembering Gil Hodges

It is a mystery to many why Gil Hodges isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hodges was key member of the great Brooklyn Dodger teams of the late 1940's and 1950's. He hit 20 or more home runs in 11 consecutive seasons for the Dodgers, including six seasons of 30 or more home runs.

Hodges made his Major League debut at 19 in 1943, but he would miss the 1944-1945 due to military service in World War II, and didn't make it back to Brooklyn until 1947. 1949 was his break out season, when Hodges hit 23 home runs and knocked in 115 runs.  His slash line was .285/.360/.453.  He would drive in over 100 runs in seven consecutive seasons.  He wasn't just a slugger, but also considered to be one of the best defensive first basemen in the game during his career. 1957-1959, he was award the Gold Glove. On August 31, 1950, he would hit four home runs in one game against the Boston Braves. He would play his last two seasons with the hapless New York Mets. After his playing career was over he managed the Washington Senators and New York Mets. He died while playing golf at the age of 47 on April 2, 1972.

Hodges was an eight-time all-star, he part of two World Series champions. The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, and the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1969, he would manage the Amazing Mets to the World Series championship. During his career he hit 370 home runs with 1,274 RBI. His #14 has been retired by the New York Mets, and he is a member of the New York Mets Hall of Fame.

Joe Glasgow is a former senior staff writer at Fanstop.com, and is the author of the book Play Ball! Growing Up With Baseball https://amzn.to/2o4M62h

St. Louis Cardinal Ken Boyer

Ken Boyer was only the second third baseman to cross the 250 home runs mark (Pie Traynor was the other at the time). He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1949, and made his major league debut in 1955.  He would hit 18 home runs and knock in 62 runs in his rookie campaign, and would solidify the third base position for the Cardinals for 10 of the next 11 seasons (In 1957, he played centerfield).

From 1958-1964, he would hit over twenty home runs. Seven time he would drive in 90 or more runs in a season. Including a league leading 119 in 1964.  He would finish his career with 282 home runs and 1,141 RBI. He was the 1964 National League Most Valuable Player.  Boyer was a National League All-Star eleven times, was a member of the 1964 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. He was a five-times Gold Glove winner.

In October 1965, St. Louis traded him to the New York Mets, where played until be traded to the Chicago White Sox. Boyer signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in May of 1968 after being released by the White Sox. Boyer would retire after the 1969 season. He managed the St. Louis Cardinals 1978-1980. Tragically, he would die from cancer at the age of 51, and the St. Louis Cardinals retired his #14. He is also a member of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame, but didn't get enough support for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Detroit Tigers Mickey Lolich

In the 1968 World Series southpaw Mickey Lolich registered three complete game wins, and walked away with the MVP trophy. He sparked the Tigers to comeback from a 3 games to 1 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals.  He his three complete game victories haven't been matched in World Series play since. It wasn't until 2001, when another southpaw Randy Johnson would get three World Series wins. In game two of the World Series (8-1 Tiger win), he would hit the only home run of his career.

Lolich would sign with the Detroit Tigers out of high school and toiled in their farm system for five seasons until making his major league debut in the fifth season in 1963, when he went 5-9 splitting time between being a starter and reliever. It all changed in when he had a won-loss record of 18-9, tossed six shutouts finished with an ERA of 3.26.  Lolich would be a consistent starter for the Tigers, he won 14 or more games in 11 consecutive seasons.  From 1969 through 1974, Lolich would strike out 200 or more in six consecutive seasons. His best season would be in 1971, when he would lead MLB with 25 wins, 308 strike outs, 45 starts, 29 complete games, 376 innings pitched. He was an American League all-star three times in 1969, and 1971-1972. He would follow up the 1971 with 22 wins in 1972, and sending the Tigers into postseason as the American League East champions.

Lolich would be traded after the 1975 season to the New York Mets. He went 8-13 with a 3.22 ERA, and retired at the end of the season. After sitting out the 1977 season, he signed as a free agent with the San Diego Padres pitching two seasons making only seven starts in 47 appearances. 

He retired with a career won-loss record of 217-191 with an ERA of 3.44, and 2,832 strike outs. 

The Baltimore Orioles Boog Powell

Boog Powell has a storied career for the Baltimore Orioles. He made his debut as a 19 year-old appearing four games in 1961, and in his first full season in 1962, he clubbed 15 home runs, a glimpse of the power that was to come for the slugger. He started off playing both leftfield, and first base. By 1966, when the Orioles won the World Series, he was the every day first baseman. At 6-4, 230 pounds Powell was an intimidating presence in the batters box.

Powell would hit 20 or more home runs in 9 seasons, and in four of those season, he would hit 30 or more. No easy feat with most of his early career when pitching dominated Major League Baseball. He hit 25 home runs with 82 RBI in 1963, and he followed it up with 39 home runs and 99 RBI, and end that season with a line of .290/.366/.606. 

The Orioles would sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1966 in the World Series, and in that season Powell had his best to date, hitting 34 home runs and 109 RBI. He put together another good line .287/.372/.532. The Orioles dominated the American League, and the American League Eastern division beginning in 1969. The Orioles won the World Series in 1966 and 1970. 1969 and 1971, the Orioles won the American League pennant.  Powell hit 37 home runs with 121 RBI in 1969, followed by 1970 season 35 home runs with 114 RBI.  It would be the last time he would hit over 30 home runs in a season, and have over 100 RBI.

Earl Weaver's use of a platoon system started costing Powell playing time during the 1973-1974 seasons. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians, where in 1975, he responded with a 27 home runs and 86 RBI, and line of .297/.377/.524. He would play one more season in Cleveland. His number dropped dramatically. In 1977, his final season, he ended his career with the Los Dodgers used as a pinch-hitter.

He finished his career with .339 home runs with 1,187 RBI with a slash line of .266/.361/.462. Powell was an American League all-star from 1968-1971. He was the American League Most Valuable Player, and he is a member of the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.