[GeoPoto]

Player #163B: Henry J. "Zeke" Bonura (pronounced like Sonora). First baseman for the Washington Senators in 1938 and 1940. 1,099 hits and 119 home runs in 7 MLB seasons. He had a career OBP of .380. He debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 1934. His best season was probably 1936 for the White Sox as he posted a .426 OBP with 120 runs scored and 138 RBIs in 688 plate appearances. His indifferent defense on balls hit to his right gave rise to the "Bonura Salute".

We'll let Zeke's SABR biography lead us through his time in Washington: A leading slugger of the 1930s, Zeke Bonura was “one of baseball’s best-loved figures.” He was a colorful first baseman with an indomitable spirit, and his great enthusiasm resonated with fans. In seven major-league seasons, he hit .307 and averaged 100 RBIs per season. During World War II, he received the Legion of Merit medal for creating baseball fields and leagues in North Africa, enabling service men and women to play and watch the national pastime. . .

. . . He (Bonura) was a holdout in the spring of 1938, the fourth consecutive spring in which he held out, and this time White Sox owner Louis Comiskey refused to meet his salary demands and traded him to the Washington Senators.

On Opening Day, April 18, 1938, in Washington, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Vice President John N. Garner saw Bonura slug a three-run homer in the Senators’ 12-8 victory over the Athletics. On Opening Day in Chicago the next day, many fans booed as the White Sox took the field, to protest the trade of Bonura. “South Side fans are really SORE at Comiskey,” wrote Arch Ward of the Chicago Tribune.

During the first two-thirds of the 1938 season, Bonura was mired in a slump. His batting average through games of August 3 was .232, but then his bat caught fire: From August 4 to August 27, he hit .476 and knocked in 37 runs in 23 games. He finished the season with a .289 average and led the fifth-place Senators with 114 RBIs, and his 22 home runs set a franchise record.

Bonura led AL first basemen with a .993 fielding percentage in 1938, yet his fielding was widely criticized. As he aged, he became heavier and less mobile. Sportswriter Sid Keener scoffed at the fielding stats and said, “It is a known fact that Bonura prefers to remain in a stationary position as bounders zip past his bulky frame, skipping to the outfield for base hits.” His fielding percentage reflects his errors of commission but not his errors of omission.

Bonura has “a great pair of hands,” said Jimmy Dykes. “His only weakness is on hard-hit balls to his right, but he won’t drop any thrown balls.” But Senators owner Clark Griffith said, “Zeke is too clumsy in the field and it’s too bad, because he’s a nice fellow and nobody tries harder.” Griffith traded him to the New York Giants in December 1938. If it were 35 years later, Bonura would have become a designated hitter.

(Bonura's 1940 Play Ball card includes a tease for a coming new attraction: Stop! Look! Ask for that new great sensation . . . SUPERMAN GUM with Thrilling Adventure Cards. This exciting series will soon be here.)