Gus Zernial
| Gus Zernial | |||
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Zernial with Philadelphia.
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| Outfielder | |||
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Born: June 27, 1923 Beaumont, Texas |
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Died: January 20, 2011 (aged 87) Fresno, California |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 19, 1949, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 25, 1959, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .265 | ||
| Home runs | 237 | ||
| Runs batted in | 776 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Gus Edward Zernial (June 27, 1923 – January 20, 2011) was a professional baseball outfielder. A right-handed batter, he played eleven seasons in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox (1949–51), Philadelphia Athletics (1951–54), Kansas City Athletics (1955–57) and Detroit Tigers (1958–59), primarily as a left fielder. He was billed as the "New Joe DiMaggio."
Nicknamed "Ozark Ike" after the popular comic strip character, Zernial was one of the most feared sluggers in the 1950s, joining hall of famers Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Larry Doby in the American League for most home runs in the decade.
Before being called up to the major leagues, Zernial played in the Pacific Coast League, the highly successful minor league circuit. In the HBO series When It Was a Game, Zernial states that he took a pay cut to come to the majors.
After he hit 29 homers for the White Sox in 1950, Zernial was sent to the Athletics in a trade that brought Minnie Miñoso to Chicago in 1951. That year Zernial led the league in home runs (33), runs batted in (129), extra base hits (68), and 17 assists in the outfield. In 1952 he hit 29 homers with 100 RBI, 42 and 108 in 1953.
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