Hall Of Fame Spotlight: Richie Ashburn

[oakland2001]

The ultimate singles hitter, Ashburn hit leadoff for 15 years, batting over .300 nine times, winning two batting titles and finishing second three times. He is also the most recent player to hit .300 in his last season; he batted .306 for the expansion Mets and was their only All-Star. He became a Phillies broadcaster in 1963 and is a familiar short and smiling figure who wears an Irish hunting cap.

An All-Star in his first season, Ashburn knew how to get on base, leading the NL in walks four times. He was a model of consistency. He batted 6-for-10 and scored four runs in five All-Star games, and only once did he fail to score at least 84 runs in a season for the Phillies. A spray hitter with little power, 86 percent of his hits were singles. He reached his season high for homers (seven) with the Mets in his last year, playing in the Polo Grounds with its short distances down the lines.

Together with Robin Roberts, Jim Konstanty, Del Ennis, Curt Simmons, and Granny Hammer, he was a core player on the 1950 Philadelphia Whiz Kids, who won the NL pennant on the last day of the season over the Dodgers. On May 20, 1951, he singled eight times in a doubleheader.

http://www.pubdim.net/baseballlibrar...urn_Richie.stm