Surprising baseball facts

[Seven]

Originally Posted by Yoda

What a shame that Teddy Z is no longer with us. I am sure he could have added many nuggets to this post.

John,

Ted and I often spoke over email about how underappreciated Johnny Mize was as a ballplayer. To channel the spirit of Ted, and give an interesting Johnny Mize fact:

Mize played for the Great Lakes Naval Station baseball team, during the war where he hit .475, and smacked 17 homers in 51 games. He played with other notable major leaguers including Dom DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Sam Chapman, Johnny Lipon, and Pee Wee Reese. It's considered to be one of the best World War II teams ever assembled.

Ted and I also spoke a lot about Joe Page, former relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, who held the record for most victories as a reliever, until it was broken by Luis Arroyo. Page was very versatile and was a bit ahead of his time. One of the first "closers" out there!

- James