Thursday, April 23, 2020

In spirited balloting, Rod Carew voted IT IS HIGH all-time Yankee Opponent at 2B


Hall of Famer Rod Carew has been elected IIHIIFIIc All-Time Opposition Second-baseman. Like all recipients - (thus far, Eddie Murray at first-base) - Carew receives the "Sterling Silver Steak Knife" for torturing IT IS HIGH readers throughout their lives. He won despite a spirited, well-rounded vote, which included five Hall of Famers, two HOF candidates, and a great cheater.

The results (from 326 votes):

Rod Carew (61 votes): 19%
Dustin Pedroia (55): 17%

Frank White (42): 13%
Robbie Alomar (39): 12%
Bill Mazeroski (39): 12%
Joe Morgan (27): 8%

Lou Whitaker (24): 7%
Carlos Baerga (22): 7%
Jose Altuve (17): 5%

In 184 games against the Yankees, Carew hit .331 with 11 HRs and 70 RBIs. (In Yankee Stadium, he hit .336.) I think the fans recognized Carew as one of the greatest hitters in history, and they are rewarding him for it.  

Of course, he should have been a Yankee. Carew was born on a moving train in Panama, in a coach car required for black people. In 1962, to escape her abusive, alcoholic husband, his mom took the family to New York City. Carew couldn't play baseball at George Washington High School, because he had to work nights as a stock clerk. While playing for a sandlot team called the Cavaliers, he was discovered by a Twins scout, a transit system cop. He tried out at Yankee Stadium, then signed with Minnesota for $5,000 and $400 a month.

After his rookie league season, he served a year with the Marines to fulfill his obligations. (Though not yet a U.S. citizen, he was listed as a permanent U.S. resident.) He debuted in 1967 against Dave McNally of Baltimore and singled in his first at-bat. 

He is now 74. His number has been retired by both the Twins and Angels. 


There might be second-basemen with better career stats against the Yankees. But I doubt there was ever a better one to take the field against us.

4 comments:

JM said...

I agree, and I voted for Rod. He was simply so good, so consistently.

And the Red Sox get away with murder yet again.

HoraceClarke66 said...

A class act. And incidentally, any transit cop who scouts for a non-NYC baseball team ought to be fired immediately. That should be written into the union contract.

Anonymous said...

SORRY MY FRIENDS.

THIS ONE WAS WAAAAY OFF.

HOSS GAVE THE SIDE BY SIDE STATS.

PEDROIA PLAYED IN 29 LESS GAMES AND STILL HAD 12 MORE EXTRA BASE HITS MORE THAN CAREW!

NOT TO MENTION 1 MORE HR OVERALL. (THE FACT THAT FENWAY IS A JOKE BANDBOX DOESN'T APPLY HERE).

I BET THE CLUTCH FACTOR ISN'T EVEN CLOSE EITHER.

WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE RISP STATS BUT HOSS DIDN'T PROVIDE THEM.

I DETECT, THE WARBLER CONCURS WITH ME.

RE-VOTE! (...AND I HATE PEDROIA)!!!

LOL

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