Greenberg's 58

For decades, people have wondered if pitchers intentionally walked Hank Greenberg as he closed in on Ruth's record 60 HRs in the closing months of the 1938 season. And, if they did, if Antisemitism played a part in that.

Seems like, yeah, they did and it did.

Until the Web site Retrosheet.org recently published game logs for the 1938 season, the subject of anti-Semitism during Greenberg’s record chase was a matter of opinion.

Some members of Greenberg’s family and legions of his fans believed that anti-Semitic pitchers had walked Greenberg often to keep him from a fair shot at Ruth, who set the record in 1927. Greenberg, however, called such a view “pure baloney.” To shift responsibility for his falling short of the record onto others would have been out of character.

Greenberg received many more walks as he chased Ruth in 1938 than he did in the rest of his career. Almost no other hitter going after the home run record had anything like Greenberg’s late-season spike in bases on balls. He had 119 walks to lead the A.L., the only time he did so, and they accounted for 17.5 percent of his 681 plate appearances.

Of all the would=be 60+ home run sluggers, only Bonds would see similar shifts in his walk rate. That was a whole different kind of baggage he carried.

On a barely relevant note, on the way over to Europe, I chose A Serious Man for the red eye flight. On the way back I watched Inglourious Bastards (with The Reader as my second choice). And of course, a bat plays an important role in IB. Coincidence? I think not.