Enos Slaughter

Enos Slaughter
Right Fielder
Born: April 27, 1916
Died: August 12 2002 (aged 86)
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 19, 1938 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Final game
September 29, 1959 for the Milwaukee Braves
Career statistics
AVG	.300
Hits	2383
RBI	1304
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (1938-1953) New York Yankees (1954-1955, 1956-1959) Kansas City Athletics (1955-1956) Milwaukee Braves (1959)
Career highlights and awards
All-star in 1941, 1942, and 1946-1953 Led NL in hits in 1942 with 188 Led NL in doubles in 1939 with 52 Led NL in triples in 1942 with 17 and 1949 with 13 Led NL in RBI in 1946 with 130
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Elected	1985
Election Method	Veterans Committee

Enos Bradsher Slaughter (April 27 1916 - August 12 2002) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "Country", he batted over .300 for 19 seasons, the first 13 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Born in Roxboro, North Carolina, he joined the Cardinals in 1938 before being traded to the New York Yankees in 1954. Batting left-handed and throwing right, he was renowned for a smooth, flat swing that made him a reliable "contact" hitter. Slaughter had 2,383 hits in his career, including 169 home runs, and 1,304 RBIs in 2,380 games. Slaughter played 22 seasons with the Cardinals, Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, and Milwaukee Braves. During that period, he was a 10-time All-Star and played in five World Series. His 1,751 games played ranks third in Cardinals history behind Lou Brock and Stan Musial. In 1946 he led the National League with 130 RBI and led the Cardinals to a World Series win over the Boston Red Sox. In the seventh game of that series, Slaughter made a famous "Mad Dash" for home from first base on Harry Walker's double in the eighth inning of game seven with two outs and the game tied 3-3. This play was named #10 on the Sporting News list of Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments in 2001. He was known for his hustle, especially for running hard to first base on walks, a habit copied later by Pete Rose. When Slaughter was a minor leaguer in Columbus, Georgia, he came running towards the dugout from his post in the outfield. He slowed down near the infield and began walking the rest of the way. Manager Eddie Dyer told him, "Son, if you're tired, we'll try to get you some help." For the rest of his career, Slaughter ran everywhere he went on a baseball field.

Enos Slaughter's number 9 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1996

Sportswriters alleged that in May 1947, Slaughter and Terry Moore, both Southerners, tried to persuade their Cardinal teammates to go on strike to protest Jackie Robinson's admittance to the National League. The supposed strike plans never came to fruition, and some baseball historians now question the story's veracity. In an incident three months after the strike controversy, with Robinson playing first base for the Dodgers, Slaughter hit an infield ground ball and was thrown out by several steps. With Robinson stretched out to make the catch, Slaughter spiked him in the leg. Slaughter denied any malicious intent on the play, and some baseball historians agree that the incident was merely a result of Slaugter's old-school baseball mentality. He said, "I asked no odds and I give none. A guy got in my way, I run over him." Other commentators, however, attached racist motives to Slaughter's actions. After his retirement, sportswriters delayed Slaughter's entrance to the Hall of Fame over the questionable racial incidents that he was linked to. In later years, Slaughter was asked if he would have an objection to managing black players, and responded that as long as they produced and played hard he would have no problem doing so. Some baseball historians and many contemporaries believe that it was not perceived racism on the part of Slaughter that made him controversial, but rather that it was his relentless give-no-quarter philosophy in the era of coddled free agents that caused the modern baseball establishment to shun him.

Statue outside Busch Stadium commemorating his "Mad Dash".

Slaughter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985; his jersey number nine was retired by the Cardinals in 1996, and the team dedicated a statue depicting his famous Mad Dash in 1999. Slaughter was a fixture at statue dedications at Busch Stadium II for other Cardinal Hall of Famers during the last years of his life. During retirement he established the first Korean restaurant in Webster Groves often busing tables himself. After battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Slaughter died at age 86 in 2002.

See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
• List of Major League Baseball doubles champions

External links

• Baseball Hall of Fame
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Baseballlibrary.com
• The Sporting News' Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: The Mad Dash