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Home > Baseball > MLB Hall of Famers > Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby is one of the former baseball players who hold the honor of being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hornsby was born on April 27, 1896 in the Winters suburb of Texas. As a player, he listed a height of 5 feet 11 inches and a weight of 175 pounds. He was just 19 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 10, 1915, with the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. He died on January 5, 1963 in Chicago.
At the plate, Hornsby was imperturbable. He never argued with umpires, and was never thrown out of a game. He hit line drives to all fields, and was swift down to first and going for extra bases. His power was formidable and led his league four times in doubles, once in triples, and twice in home runs. His 289 home runs as a second baseman are an all time record. He hit safely in 33 consecutive games in 1922. He was amongst the top players who amassed 1,011 extra base hits with 0.577 career slugging average.
Hornsby came to the Cardinals as a shortstop, but was tried at third, and even in the outfield. By the 1920 season, he was settled at second position overall. As a shortstop in 1917 he tied a Major League record with 14 assists in a game. He was known for the difficulty he had with pop flies, due to a balance problem when going back and looking up. He is also admired as handsome, professional, spirited, and motivated player to prove his preeminence.
Hornsby led the Cubs to third place in 1931, batting 0.331, but was fired in mid 1932 season due to a heel spur. Hornsby played out his career as a pinch hitter, hitting 0.300 for both St. Louis teams. He then managed the Browns and a succession of minor league teams. In 1961 he scouted for the about-to-be New York Mets, and then he coached for them in 1962. He never had any equal as a fielder, cool headed base runner and batsman, combined with heady work of a quality.
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