Home > Hank Greenberg

Born in New York City, Greenberg was not the first Jewish man to play major-league baseball. But by the end of his career he had become by far the best Jewish player ever, and the first major Jewish star. Only Sandy Koufax has had similar success among Jewish players in the 50 years since Greenberg has retired. Greenberg was subject to the most vicious ethnic taunting seen in the sport prior to the arrival of Jackie Robinson in 1947, Greenberg nevertheless became a first-rank ballplayer and an icon among Jews in the United States.

Starring as a first baseman and outfielder with the Detroit Tigers (1930, 1933-1946), and briefly with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1947), he only played nine full seasons. He missed three full seasons and most of two others to military service during World War II, and missed most of another season with a broken wrist. In seven of the nine years in which he was active, he was one of the dominant players in the game, beginning in 1934, his second major-league season, in which he won his first MVP award and helped the Tigers reach their first World Series in 25 years.

As a fielder, the 6'4" Greenberg was awkward and unsure of himself early in his career, but he mastered his first-base position through countless hours of practice. When he was asked to move to the outfield in 1940 to make room for Rudy York, he worked tirelessly to master that position as well.

A prodigious home-run hitter, he narrowly missed breaking Babe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth ( February 6, 1895 August 16, 1948), better known as Babe Ruth and also commonly known by the nicknames The Bambino and The Sultan of Swat was an American baseball player and United States national icon. He was one of the first five pla's single-season home-run record in 1938Events January -June January 3 The March of Dimes is established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. January 11 Frances Moulton is the first woman to become president of a US national bank. January 20 Wedding of king Farouk I of Egypt and Farida Zulficar in Cai when he hit 58 home runs. The story goes that several pitchers intentionally walked Greenberg towards the end of the season rather than give a Jewish man a chance to break Babe Ruth's record. (There is some reason to dispute this as a motive. It is true that the Cleveland Indians did not give Greenberg good pitches to hit during the last week of the season; it is also true that Detroit and Cleveland were battling for third place, which in those days carried with it a share of World Series profits, so Cleveland players had a financial interest in keeping Greenberg from hitting home runs.)

For his own part, Greenberg felt that runs batted in were more important than home runs. He would tell his teammates, "just get on base", or "just get the runner to third", and he would do the rest. He batted in 170 runs in 1935 and in 1937 topped that with 183 (a figure bettered only by Hack WilsonHack Wilson ( April 26, 1900 November 23, 1948) played Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1934. He is best known for his record-setting 191 RBI season of 1930. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979. Lewis Robert Wilson was a true rags-to- in 1930 and Lou GehrigLudwig Heinrich Gehrig americanized Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig ( June 19, 1903 June 2, 1941) was a baseball player and member of the United States Baseball Hall of Fame. He was born on Manhattan island in New York, New York, the son of German immigrants. in 1931).

After moving to the outfield in 1940Events January-February January 5 FM radio is demonstrated to the FCC for the first time. January 6 World War II: Mass execution of Poles, committed by Germans in the Poznan, Warthegau. January 12 World War II: Russia bombs cities in Finland. February 2 F, Greenberg led the Tigers to a pennant and won his second MVP award. He then entered military service in 19411941 is also the title of a Steven Spielberg movie made in 1979 see 1941 (film). Events January January 6 Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms Speech in the State of the Union Address. January 10 Lend-Lease is introduced into the United St. When the United States entered World War II, Greenberg remained in uniform, until the summer of 1945. Without the benefit of spring training, he returned to the Tigers and helped lead them to a come-from-behind American League pennant, clinching it with a grand-slam home run on the final game of the season. In 1946Events January January 4 Theodore Schurch becomes the last person to be executed for offences committed under the Treachery Act of 1940 January 7 Allied recognize Austrian republic with 1937 borders the country is divided into four occupation zones Januar he returned to peak form.

It is often estimated that Greenberg, had he played in another era uninterrupted by war, would have amassed over 500-600 home runs and 1,800-2,000 RBI. As it is, his totals of 331 home runs and 1,276 RBI are amazing for a 1,394-game career. He also hit for average, batting .313.

In 1947Events January January 1 British mines nationalized January 1 Nigeria gains limited autonomy January 1 The Canadian Citizenship Act went into effect January 3 Proceedings of the United States Congress are televised for the first time. January 10 United Na, Greenberg and the Tigers had a lengthy salary dispute. When Greenberg decided to retire rather than play for less, Detroit traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates. To persuade him not to retire, Pittsburgh made Greenberg the first baseball player to earn over $100,000 in a season (though the exact amount is a matter of some dispute). Team co-owner Bing Crosby recorded a song, "Goodbye, Mr. Ball, Goodbye" with Groucho Marx and Greenberg, to celebrate Greenberg's arrival. The Pirates also moved in the seats in Forbes Field's cavernous left field, renaming the section "Greenberg's Gardens", to accommodate Greenberg's pull-hitting style. Greenberg played first base for the Pirates for 1947, and was one of the few opposing players to publically welcome Jackie Robinson to the majors.

The following year, Greenberg retired from the field to become the Cleveland Indians' farm system director and two years later, their general manager. His contributions in finding and developing talent contributed to that team's successes through the 1950s. He followed Bill Veeck to the Chicago White Sox, as part-owner, then retired from baseball in 1963 to go into investment banking.

He married Coral Gimbel (of the New York department store) on February 18, 1946, three days after signing a $60,000 contract with the Tigers. Their son, Steven, played five years in the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers organizations.

Awards: American League Most Valuable Player, 1934 and 1940. American League All-Star team, 1937- 1940. Elected to the United States Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956.

Greenberg died in Beverly Hills, California and his remains were entombed at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Documentary: The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, 2000. ASIN: B00005O5L9

Autobiography: The Story of My Life, BooksEnthsiast.com