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Johnny Lee Bench

Born: December 7, 1947, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: Cincinnati Reds
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1989
431 votes of 447 ballots cast: 96.42%
No one can predict the future, but it seemed Johnny Bench was destined for greatness. He won all-state honors in baseball as a high school player and in his first full season (1968) he earned National League Rookie of the Year honors. As one of the leaders of the "Big Red Machine" teams of the 1970s, Bench was an outstanding, durable, defensive catcher and won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves. He was equally impressive with a bat, belting 389 home runs. A complete player, Bench earned two MVP awards.

Did you know ... that Johnny Bench was a pioneer of the one-handed style of catching prevalent today, and was the first backstop to wear a protective helmet while behind the plate?

Hall of Fame Teammates: Joe Morgan, Tony Peréz, Tom Seaver.

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William Malcolm Dickey

Born: June 6, 1907, Bastrop, Louisiana
Died: November 12, 1993, Little Rock, Arkansas
Batted: left
Threw: right
Played for: New York Yankees
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1954
202 votes of 252 ballots cast: 80.16%
As famed sportswriter Dan Daniel once said, "Bill Dickey isn't just a catcher, he's a ballclub." A key performer for the Yankees on eight American League pennant-winners and seven World Series champions, the expert handler of pitchers with the deadly accurate throwing-arm was also a clutch hitter, batting over .300 in 10 of his first 11 full seasons. Known for his durability, he set an American League record by catching 100 or more games 13 years in a row. He finished his 17-year career with a .313 batting average.

Did you know ... that Bill Dickey starred as himself in two baseball movies: "Pride of the Yankees" with Gary Cooper and "The Stratton Story" with Jimmy Stewart?

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Orlando Manuel Cepeda (Pennes)

Born: September 17, 1937, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals
Elected to Hall of Fame by Committee on Baseball Veterans: 1999
A powerful slugger during his 17-year major league career, Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes withstood a series of knee injuries to become a seven-time National League All-Star. As a 20-year-old rookie with the Giants in 1958, the "Baby Bull" hit .312 with 25 home runs to earn unanimous National League Rookie of the Year honors. Nine years later, the Puerto Rican native compiled a league-leading 111 RBI for the World Champion Cardinals, while becoming the first unanimous MVP in the National League since Carl Hubbell in 1936.

Did you know ... that Orlando Cepeda's father, Pedro "Perucho" Cepeda, was a great Puerto Rican slugger who was known as "Babe Ruth of the Caribbean?"

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Willie Lee McCovey

Born: January 10, 1938, Mobile, Alabama
Batted: left
Threw: left
Played for: San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1986
346 votes of 425 ballots cast: 81.41%
Although Willie McCovey played hurt throughout much of his 22-year career, the Giants' first baseman used a sweeping swing to belt 521 homers. McCovey's 18 grand slams rank third to Lou Gehrig's 23 and Eddie Murray's 19. He led the National League in homers three times and in RBI twice. "Stretch" was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1959 and MVP ten years later.

Did you know ... that in his major league debut on July 30, 1959, Willie McCovey went 4-for-4 including two triples off future Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts?

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Albert Fred Schoendienst

Born: February 2, 1923, Germantown, Illinois
Batted: both
Threw: right
Played for: St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Milwaukee Braves
Elected to Hall of Fame by Committee on Baseball Veterans: 1989
Credited by his roommate Stan Musial as having "the greatest pair of hands I've ever seen," Albert "Red" Schoendienst forged a 19-year career as a sleek second baseman with the Cardinals, Giants and Braves. He led the National League in fielding percentage six times and also hit .300 or better on five occasions. As a manager, he twice piloted the Redbirds to the World Series. A regular at Cardinals games, he has worn a major league uniform every big league season since 1945.

Did you know ... that Red Schoendienst hit eight doubles over a three game span, a major league record that has stood since 1948?

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Frank Francis Frisch

Born: September 9, 1898, Bronx, New York
Died: March 12, 1973, Wilmington, Delaware
Batted: both
Threw: right
Played for: New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1947
136 votes of 161 ballots cast: 84.47%
"The Fordham Flash," an all-around athlete who jumped directly from college to the New York Giants, played on eight pennant-winners in 19 big league seasons. A fine switch-hitter, Frisch compiled a run of 11 straight .300 seasons and set fielding records for chances and assists with the Cardinals in 1927. As player-manager with St. Louis, he instilled the rollicking all-out style of hard-nosed play that prompted sportswriters to tab the Cardinals "The Gashouse Gang."

Did you know ... that Frankie Frisch's season strikeout total topped 20 only twice in his 19-year career?

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Brooks Calbert Robinson

Born: May 18, 1937, Little Rock, Arkansas
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: Baltimore Orioles
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1983
344 votes of 374 ballots cast: 91.98%
Known as "The Human Vacuum Cleaner," Brooks Robinson established a standard of excellence for modern-day third basemen. He played 23 seasons for the Orioles, setting major league career records for games, putouts, assists, chances, double plays and fielding percentage. A clutch hitter as well, Robinson hit 268 career home runs, at one time an American League record for third basemen. Robinson earned the league's MVP Award in 1964 and the World Series MVP in 1970, when he hit .429 and made a variety of sparkling plays in the field.

Did you know ... that Brooks Robinson's memorable performance in the 1970 World Series coincided with the first-ever Fall Classic to be played on artificial turf (Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium)?

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Ernest Banks

Born: January 31, 1931, Dallas, Texas
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: Chicago Cubs
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1977
321 votes of 383 ballots cast: 83.81%
Ernie Banks delighted Wrigley Field fans with his long home runs, steady fielding and cheerful disposition. "Mr. Cub" belted 512 home runs, five times hitting over 40 in a single season. After smashing a record five grand slams in 1955, he belted 47 round-trippers in 1958, the most ever by a National League shortstop. He also became the first National Leaguer to win the MVP Award in consecutive years (1958 to 1959). Banks' love for the game is still exemplified by his signature phrase, "Let's play two!"

Did you know ... that Ernie Banks played two years (1950 and 1953) with the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League?

Hall of Fame Teammates: Richie Ashburn, Lou Brock, Monte Irvin, Fergie Jenkins, Ralph Kiner, Robin Roberts, Hoyt Wilhelm, Billy Williams.

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"Honus" John Peter Wagner

Born: February 24, 1874, Chartiers, Pennsylvania
Died: December 6, 1955, Carnegie, Pennsylvania
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1936
215 votes of 226 ballots cast: 95.13%

One of the Hall of Fame's five original inductees in 1936, Honus Wagner combined rare offensive and defensive excellence throughout a 21-year career. Despite his awkward appearance — stocky, barrel chested and bow-legged — the longtime Pirates shortstop broke into the big leagues by hitting .344 in 1897 with Louisville, the first of 17 consecutive seasons of hitting over .300, including eight as the National League batting champion, compiling a lifetime average of .329. The "Flying Dutchman" also stole 722 bases and led the league in thefts on five occasions.

Did you know ... that in 1905, Honus Wagner became the first baseball player to have his signature branded into a Louisville Slugger baseball bat?

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Louis Clark Brock

Born: June 18, 1939, El Dorado, Arkansas
Batted: left
Threw: left
Played for: Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1985
315 votes of 395 ballots cast: 79.75%  

Other athletes may have worn the title "World's Fastest Human," but no one covered the 90 feet between bases more productively than Lou Brock. His 938 stolen bases set an all-time high (since surpassed by Rickey Henderson), making him an intimidating presence on the basepaths; yet Brock was also a well-rounded performer. One of a select group of players to collect 3,000 hits, Brock hit 149 career roundtrippers, including a 500-foot blast that landed in the Polo Grounds' center field bleachers in 1962.

Did you know ... that in 1967, Lou Brock became the first player to steal 50 bases and hit 20 home runs in the same season?

Hall of Fame Teammates: Richie Ashburn, Ernie Banks, Steve Carlton, Orlando Cepeda, Bob GIbson, Billy Williams.

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Edwin "Duke" Donald Snider

Born: September 19, 1926, Los Angeles, California
Batted: left
Threw: right
Played for: Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1980
333 votes of 385 ballots cast: 86.49%  

A graceful center fielder with a picture-perfect swing, Duke Snider was the biggest bat in the Brooklyn Dodgers' potent lineup of the 1950s. He hit 40 or more homers five consecutive times and led all batters in home runs and RBI during the 1950s. "The Duke of Flatbush" is the only player to hit four homers in two different World Series (1952 and 1955), while his 11 Series home runs and 26 RBI are the most ever by a National League player.

Did you know ... that Duke Snider hit the last home run at Brooklyn's famed Ebbets Field on September 22, 1957?

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Enos Bradsher Slaughter

Born: April 27, 1916, Roxboro, North Carolina
Died: August 12, 2002, Durham, North Carolina
Batted: left
Threw: right
Played for: St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Kansas City A's, Milwaukee Braves
Elected to Hall of Fame by Committee on Baseball Veterans: 1985  

In 1936 at Columbus, Georgia, after being rebuked by manager Eddie Dyer, Enos Slaughter vowed never to loaf on a ballfield again. His newfound commitment made him one of the game's greatest hustlers. Nicknamed "Country," Slaughter used a flat, level swing to become a consistent .300 batter and an outstanding contact hitter in clutch situations. He achieved instant fame for his "mad dash" home from first base on Harry Walker's double, winning the 1946 World Series for the Cardinals over the Red Sox.

Did you know ... that after being hit by a pitch in Game Five of the 1946 World Series, Enos Slaughter played the rest of the series with a broken elbow, including his Game Seven "mad dash" for home?

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Tony Oliva

Cuban-born Oliva's real name was Pedro, but he used his brother Tony's identity to get himself into the United States, signing with the Minnesota Twins in 1961. He hit .342 in three minor league seasons, winning one batting title and missing another by .0001 of a point. In two short stints with Minnesota, Oliva hit a combined .438 in 1962 and 1963 and then won the batting title and American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1964.

Bucking the "sophomore jinx," Oliva won the batting crown again in his second season, the only man to cop the title in his first two years, and later added a third title, in 1971. He played his entire 15-year career for the Twins, helping them to the post-season three times. He was a hitting machine: finishing in the top three in the AL in hitting in seven of his first eight seasons, and pacing the circuit in hits five times.

Knee injuries hampered Oliva throughout his career, especially in his 30s. He missed a month of the 1968 and 1970 seasons, and all but ten games of the 1972 season, going under the knife for knee surgery. In 1973, when the American League adopted the designated hitter, Oliva was an immediate beneficiary, extending his career by three-and-a-half seasons in that role.

Nickname "Pedro" and "Tony O"

Played For Minnesota Twins (1962-1976)

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Mateo "Matty" Rojas Alou

Born on Dec 22, 1938

Born in Haina, Dominican Republic

Bats Left, Throws Left

Played for San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees

The 5'9" 160-lb Matty was the best hitter for average and the fastest of the three Alou brothers as well as the smallest. The feisty Dominican had his finest year when he came from the Giants to the Pirates in 1966, leading the league in batting at .342. In 1969 he topped the NL in hits and doubles. The only lefty of the Alous, he lined hits to all fields and batted .300 seven times. As a late-season pick-up in 1972, he hit .381 in the LCS and helped Oakland to their first World Championship. He and Felipe played together in the 1962 Series against the Yankees, and played together near the ends of their careers on the 1973 Yankees. The three brothers were together on the same team only briefly when Jesus came up in 1963 to join the Giants, but did all appear in one game together in the outfield.

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Henry Louis Aaron

Born: February 5, 1934, Mobile, Alabama
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1982
406 votes of 415 ballots cast: 97.83%
"Hammerin' Hank" Aaron earned his nickname by clubbing 755 roundtrippers over his 23-year career. Not only did he raise the bar for home runs, but he also established 12 other major league career records, including most games, at-bats, total bases and RBI. Aaron played the infield but gained recognition as an excellent outfielder, winning three Gold Glove awards. He earned National League Most Valuable Player honors in 1957, and appeared in a record 24 All-Star Games. A quiet and effective leader, Aaron is now an executive with the Braves.

Did you know ... that Hank Aaron, a former member of the Negro American League's Indianapolis Clowns, was the last Negro league player to also play in the major leagues?

Home Run Facts
Aaron and brother Tommie rank first in homers by siblings (768); he combined with Eddie Mathews to hit most homers as teammates (863); he and Mathews are the only teammates to hit 400 homers each as teammates (442 for Hank, 421 for Eddie); hit 385 in home parks, 370 on the road; hit 185 homers in Milwaukee County Stadium as a Brave, 10 as a Brewer; hit 190 homers in Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium; he hit exactly 400 solo homers (53%); 242 two-run homers (32%); 97 three-run homers (13%); 16 grand slams; hit two homers in a game 61 times (3rd, behind Babe Ruth and Willie Mays); hit three homers in a game once (6/21/1959); hit 14 extra-inning homers; one inside-the-park home run (1967); three pinch-hit home runs (1962, 1966, 1973); hit 534 homers off right-handed pitchers (71%); 221 homers off left-handed pitchers (29%); victimized 310 pitchers in 32 ballparks; hit three homers in the World Series and three more in the 1969 National League Championship Series; blasted two All-Star game home runs.

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Robert Gibson

Born: November 9, 1935, Omaha, Nebraska
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: St. Louis Cardinals
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1981
337 votes of 401 ballots cast: 84.04%
Over 17 seasons with the Cardinals, Bob Gibson won 20 games five times and established himself as the very definition of intimidation, competitiveness, and dignity. One of the best athletes to ever play the game, the ex-Harlem Globetrotter posted a 1.12 ERA in 1968, the lowest figure since 1914, and a factor in convincing baseball officials to lower the pitching mound the next year. Known as a premier big-game pitcher, Gibson posted World Series records of seven consecutive wins and 17 strikeouts in a game, both of which remain unbroken.

Did you know ... that Bob Gibson was a star basketball player at Creighton University and that he played with the Harlem Globetrotters from 1957-1958?

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Warren Edward Spahn

Born: April 23, 1921, Buffalo, New York
Died: November 24, 2003, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Batted: left
Threw: left
Played for: Boston Braves, Milwaukee Braves, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1973
315 votes of 380 ballots cast: 82.89%
Stylish Warren Spahn was the winningest left-hander in history with 363 victories, all but seven coming with the Boston-Milwaukee Braves. He was a 20-game winner 13 times, including six years in a row; and led the National League in wins eight times and complete games on nine occasions. He still holds the National League lifetime mark for innings pitched over his 21-year career, during which he hurled two no-hitters and won the 1957 Cy Young Award. He earned the prestigious Purple Heart and Bronze Star in World War II.

Did you know ... that Warren Spahn holds the National League record for most career home runs by a pitcher with 35?

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Juan Antonio Marichal (Sánchez)

Born: October 20, 1937, Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1983
313 votes of 374 ballots cast: 83.69%
The pride of both the Dominican Republic and the Giants, Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez won 243 games and lost only 142 over 16 marvelous seasons. The high-kicking right-hander enjoyed six 20-win seasons, hurled a no-hitter against Houston in 1963, and was named to nine All-Star teams. The "Dominican Dandy" twice led the National League in complete games and shutouts, finishing 244 contests during his career while fanning 2,303 and compiling a 2.89 ERA. After his playing days, Marichal became minister of sports in his homeland.

Did you know ... that on July 19, 1960, San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal made his major league debut with a 2-0, one-hit victory over the Phillies?

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Charles Albert "Chief" Bender

Born: May 5, 1884, Crow Wing County, Minnesota
Died: May 22, 1954, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: Philadelphia Athletics, Baltimore Terrapins, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox
Elected to Hall of Fame by Committee on Baseball Veterans: 1953
Charles Albert Bender overcame subtle discrimination — including the derisive nickname "Chief" — to become one of the top pitchers of the dead ball era. A member of the Chippewa tribe and a graduate of Carlisle Indian School, Bender won 212 games over 16 seasons, mostly for Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics. He led the American League in winning percentage three times, tossed a no-hitter in 1910, and was one of the first World Series stars, winning six games and posting a 2.44 ERA in five career series.

Did you know ... that Chief Bender is credited with inventing the nickel curve, also known as the slider?

Hall of Fame Teammates: Pete Alexander, Frank Baker, Dave Bancroft, Eddie Collins, Jimmy Collins, Stan Coveleski, Johnny Evers, Red Faber, Harry Hooper, Ted Lyons, Herb Pennock, Eddie Plank, Eppa Rixey, Ray Schalk, Rube Waddell.

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David Arthur McNally

Born: October 32, 1942, Billings, Montana

Died: Dec 1, 2002, Billings, Montana

Batted: right

Threw: left

Played for: Baltimore Orioles

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Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford

Born: October 21, 1928, New York, New York
Batted: left
Threw: left
Played for: New York Yankees
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1974
284 votes of 365 ballots cast: 77.81%
Edward "Whitey" Ford was the "money pitcher" on the great Yankee teams of the 1950s and early 1960s, earning him the moniker "Chairman of the Board." The wily southpaw's lifetime record of 236-106 gives him the best winning percentage (.690) of any 20th century pitcher. He paced the American League in victories three times, and in ERA and shutouts twice. The 1961 Cy Young Award winner still holds many World Series records, including 10 wins and 94 strikeouts, once pitching 33 consecutive scoreless innings in the Fall Classic.

Did you know ... that Whitey Ford has the most career wins in the history of the New York Yankees with 236?

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Robert Granville Lemon

Born: September 22, 1920, San Bernardino, California
Died: January 11, 2000, Long Beach, California
Batted: left
Threw: right
Played for: Cleveland Indians
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1976
305 votes of 388 ballots cast: 78.61%
Eight years after making his professional debut as an infielder-outfielder, Bob Lemon realized his destiny as a pitcher. At the age of 25, he embarked on a major league pitching career that would include seven 20-win seasons over a nine-year span. The right-handed ace became a key factor in Cleveland's 1948 and 1954 pennant drives, posting records of 20-14 and 23-7, respectively. After his playing days, Lemon became a successful manager, leading the Yankees to the World Championship in 1978.

Did you know ... that Bob Lemon played the role of future Hall of Fame pitcher Jesse Haines in the 1952 film "The Winning Team," which starred Ronald Reagan as Hall of Fame pitcher Grover Alexander?

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Early Wynn

Born: January 6, 1920, at Hartford, Alabama
Died: April 4, 1999, at Venice, Florida
Batted: both
Threw: right
Played for: Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1972
301 votes of 396 ballots cast: 76.01%
Early Wynn, a burly, hard-nosed competitor, treated every ballgame as if it were a war. His durability helped him lead the American League in innings three times and also helped him last 23 seasons — an American League record. During his career with the Senators, Indians and White Sox, Wynn won an even 300 games, highlighted by five 20-win seasons. In 1959, he won the Cy Young Award at the age of 39, posting a record of 22-10 to lead the White Sox to the pennant.

Did you know ... that 300-game winner Early Wynn was also a switch hitter who tallied 90 pinch-hit appearances, including a grand slam, making him one of five major league pitchers to attain that feat?

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James Alvin Palmer

Born: October 15, 1945, New York, New York
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: Baltimore Orioles
Elected to Hall of Fame by BBWAA: 1990
411 votes of 444 ballots cast: 92.57%
Jim Palmer was the high-kicking, smooth-throwing symbol of Baltimore's six championship teams of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. His impressive numbers include 268 victories, a .638 winning percentage, eight 20-win seasons and a 2.86 ERA over 19 seasons. He also pitched his entire career without allowing a grand slam. Intensity was the trademark of this three-time Cy Young Award winner, who combined intelligence, strength, competitiveness and consistency to become the Orioles' all-time winningest hurler.

Did you know ... that Jim Palmer is the only pitcher to win World Series games in three decades, as he earned victories for the Orioles in the 1966, 1970, 1971 and 1983 Fall Classics?