Frankie Frisch (1898-1974) died on this date 38 years ago. He was the driving force in the St Louis Cardinals teams known as the "gas house gang" which won four NL Pennants and two World Series titles with the Cardinals as well as four more NL Pennants and two World Series with the San Francisco Giants. Prior to Frisch's arrival in St Louis, the team had only amassed one NL Pennant. During Frisch's nine years with the Cardinals, the Giants had only one NL Pennant.
Frisch was signed by the Giants in 1919, and being an instant favorite of manager John McGraw, started playing everyday for the Giants that season. He never played a game in the minors. He was named captain of the team the following season, a title that would hold until his trade for Rogers Hornsby after the 1926 season. From 1921-1931, he hit over .300 every season. Though he never hit more than 12 homeruns in a season, he managed to drive in over 100 runs three times in his career and finished with 1244. As a switch-hitter, he finished his career with 2880 hits, the most ever in the big leagues until Pete Rose passed his total in 1977. That was over 40 years after he stopped playing.
He first started as a manager for the Cardinals in 1933, leading the team to the 1934 World Series as a player/ manager. He stopped playing after the 1937 season, and was let go during the 1938 season as manager. He took over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1940, predicting the success of a rookie power hitter named Ralph Kiner. But, despite a winning record, he never led the Pirates to the Pennant in his nearly seven years at the helm. The same could be said about his three seasons with the Cubs from 1949-1951. In between his terms in Pittsburgh and Chicago, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1947.
Frisch was signed by the Giants in 1919, and being an instant favorite of manager John McGraw, started playing everyday for the Giants that season. He never played a game in the minors. He was named captain of the team the following season, a title that would hold until his trade for Rogers Hornsby after the 1926 season. From 1921-1931, he hit over .300 every season. Though he never hit more than 12 homeruns in a season, he managed to drive in over 100 runs three times in his career and finished with 1244. As a switch-hitter, he finished his career with 2880 hits, the most ever in the big leagues until Pete Rose passed his total in 1977. That was over 40 years after he stopped playing.
He first started as a manager for the Cardinals in 1933, leading the team to the 1934 World Series as a player/ manager. He stopped playing after the 1937 season, and was let go during the 1938 season as manager. He took over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1940, predicting the success of a rookie power hitter named Ralph Kiner. But, despite a winning record, he never led the Pirates to the Pennant in his nearly seven years at the helm. The same could be said about his three seasons with the Cubs from 1949-1951. In between his terms in Pittsburgh and Chicago, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1947.
RSS Feed
