Johnny Mize | |||
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First baseman | |||
Born: Demorest, Georgia |
January 7, 1913|||
Died: June 2, 1993 Demorest, Georgia |
(aged 80)|||
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MLB debut | |||
April 16, 1936, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
September 26, 1953, for the New York Yankees | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .312 | ||
Hits | 2,011 | ||
Home runs | 359 | ||
Runs batted in | 1,337 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Member of the National | |||
Baseball Hall of Fame | |||
Inducted | 1981 | ||
Election Method | Veterans Committee |
John Robert "Johnny" Mize (January 7, 1913 – June 2, 1993), nicknamed Big Jawn and The Big Cat, was a baseball player who was a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, and New York Yankees. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons between 1936 and 1953, losing three seasons to military service during World War II. Mize was a ten-time All-Star. Late in his career, he played with the Yankees when they won five consecutive World Series.
Mize retired in 1953 with 359 career home runs and a .312 batting average. He served as a radio commentator, scout and coach in the major leagues after he retired as a player. He was selected for induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1981. In 2014, he was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.
Mize was born in Demorest, Georgia to Edward and Emma Mize. After his parents separated, his mother went to Atlanta for work, but Mize remained in Demorest with his grandmother. He excelled in tennis as a child and played on his high school baseball team. He later played baseball for Piedmont College. Mize was a distant cousin of Ty Cobb and his second cousin married Babe Ruth.
Mize came up through the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system but was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1934. However, he suffered a groin injury and the Reds nullified the trade. In 1935, while struggling with one bad leg, he injured the other leg. Mize retired from baseball and returned home until the Cardinals asked him to see a physician in St. Louis. He had surgery for bone spurs.