Duke Snider
- Los Angeles Dodgers (1947-1957)
- Brooklyn Dodgers (1958-1962)
- New York Mets (1963 )
- San Francisco Giants (1964 )
- 8 × All-Star (1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1963)
- 2 × World Series champion (1955, 1959)
- # 4 is no longer awarded in his honor at the Dodgers
Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider ( born September 19, 1926 in Los Angeles, California, † February 27, 2011 in Escondido, California ) was an American baseball player who during his career in Major League Baseball World Series twice the could win. Snider, who carried the nickname "The Silver Fox " and " The Duke of Flatbush ", played for the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers, the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. In 1980, Snider was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Early years
Snider, who was nicknamed Duke since he was five years old, grew up in Southern California. His athletic talent was recognized early on. In addition to baseball, which he played successfully at the high school in Fallbrook, Snider was also active as a basketball and football player. Even at the high school got Snider in 1943 his first professional baseball contract. A year later he came to his debut with the Montreal Royals in the International League. After a brief interruption of his young career by the time the military in 1945, he played in 1946 in Fort Worth and in 1947 in Saint Paul.
After good performances he was invited by Branch Rickey, the famous manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, on trial. Mid-season of 1947, Duke Snider was first appointed to the MLB team.
Scientology
Duke Snider was a leading member of Scientology.
MLB career
From 1947 to 1962 Duke Snider was active with the Dodgers. He made the move of the franchise from Brooklyn to his native city of Los Angeles in 1958 and was elected to this period seven times in the team of the National League at the annual MLB All- Star Game.
After Snider only sporadically came into use in 1947 and 1948, he was from the season 1949 a permanent fixture in the outfield of the Dodgers. In 1950, he has recently acquired a season record after he scored 199 hits. This year he was also the first time invited to the All-Star Game.
In the following years he kept his offensive performance was constant and in parts even increase. In 1953 he reached 132, the most runs the entire MLB. When selecting the MVP of the National League, he was for years a leading role in the vote, but could never get the award. Especially in 1955, when he landed in second place of the election, he ran a close second. His team-mate, the catcher Roy Campanella, won the vote. After the counting of votes was kindled a discussion of whether this has been done correctly. Each voters ( one for each city with MLB franchise ) determines its top 10 players. Then, the points will be awarded (10 for 1st place, 9 for 2nd place, etc.). The voters of Philadelphia had the player Roy Campanella stated in its vote twice. Firstly, at No. 1 and the other at position 5 The attempt to elucidate the error was unsuccessful. The Responsible Baseball Writers Association of America decided that Campanella was seen at position 1 and the points were not awarded for fifth place. This had the consequence that Campanella won the election with 226-221 votes. Had the voice been invalid, Snider would have won 221-212. Also victorious he would have been, could have been credited to him the points of the now "free" fifth place. In this case, he would have won with 227-226 points.
In the controversy surrounding the MVP award, the Dodgers had previously the World Series in 1955 with 4:3 victories can decide against the New York Yankees for themselves. Snider scored four home runs in the series. With the defeat in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium he succeeded one, as well as the victory in Game 4 at Ebbets Field. In the fifth game of the series, also in Brooklyn, Snider finally had two home runs large share in the victory.
In the following season, Snider succeeded with his team the way into the World Series and he scored a home run there. However, the Dodgers lost the series with 3:4. Opponents were once again the Yankees.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers were difficult going. Also Snider personally played a weak season by his standards and was with his team at the end of the seventh of eight teams. Only a year later, Snider celebrated his second World Series title. In the final series in 1959, which won the Dodgers 4-2 in games against the Chicago White Sox, Snider succeeded in the decisive sixth game of a home run.
In the years 1960 to 1962 Snider got less and less operating time with the Dodgers. In his last season in LA, he played only 80 games and returned for season 1963 back to New York City. There, he played 129 games once again for the New York Mets and was invited to the eighth and last time the All- Star game. In the following season he moved to the San Francisco Giants, where he played his last season as an active player.
Death
Duke Snider died on 27 February 2011 at the age of 84 years at the Valle Vista Convalescent Hospital in Escondido, California. He was the last survivor of the Dodgers, who won the 1955 World Series.