Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg | |||||||||||||||||||
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Runs batted in | 1,276 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Member of the National | |||||||||||||||||||
Baseball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||||||
Induction | 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||
Vote | 85.0% (ninth ballot) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Henry Benjamin Greenberg (January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", and "the Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional
Greenberg played the first twelve of his 13 major league seasons for Detroit; with the Tigers, he was an
When the United States joined
Greenberg was the first
Early life
Greenberg was born on January 1, 1911, in
The family owned a successful cloth-shrinking plant in New York. Eventually, they moved from Greenwich Village to
In 1929, the 18-year-old 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Greenberg was recruited by the New York Yankees, who already had Lou Gehrig at first base. As first base was already taken on the Yankee team, Greenberg turned down the Yankees' offer and instead attended New York University on an athletic scholarship; there, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu. During this time, he also had a tryout with the New York Giants; Giants manager John McGraw, however, was not impressed by the first baseman. Hence, after his freshman year ended, Greenberg signed with the Detroit Tigers for $9,000 ($164,000 today).[4]
Professional career
Minor leagues
Greenberg played
Major leagues
Early years
On September 14, 1930, Greenberg made his major league debut as a pinch hitter against the New York Yankees. It was the only game he appeared in that year but, as a result, made him the youngest player (19) to appear in the major leagues in 1930.[6] It was another three years before he rejoined the majors. In 1933, for the Tigers, Greenberg hit .301 with 87 runs batted in. At the same time, he was third in the league in strikeouts (78).[7]
In 1934, his second season in the majors, Greenberg hit .339 and helped the Tigers reach their first World Series in 25 years. He led the league in doubles, with 63 (the fourth-highest all-time in a single season), and extra-base hits (96). Additionally, he was third in the AL in slugging percentage (.600) – behind Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig, but ahead of Babe Ruth – and in RBIs (139), sixth in batting average (.339), seventh in home runs (26), and ninth in on-base percentage (.404).[7]
Late in the 1934 season, he announced that he would not play on September 10, which was
Columnist and poet Edgar A. Guest expressed the general opinion in a poem titled "Speaking of Greenberg", in which he used the Irish (and thus Catholic) names Murphy and Mulroney. The poem ends with the lines: "We shall miss him on the infield and shall miss him at the bat. But he's true to his religion — and I honor him for that." The Detroit press was not so kind regarding the Yom Kippur decision, nor were many fans, but Greenberg in his autobiography recalled that he received a standing ovation from congregants at Congregation Shaarey Zedek when he arrived.[9] With Greenberg absent from the lineup, the Tigers lost to the New York Yankees 5–2. They went on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1934 World Series, losing in seven games against the "Gashouse Gang".[10]
In 1935, Greenberg led the league in RBIs (168), total bases (389), and extra base hits (98), tied
That season, Greenberg led the Tigers to another pennant. However, during Game 2, he sprained his wrist and was sidelined for the remainder of the series as the Tigers won their first World Series title.[13]
In April 1936, Greenberg re-injured his wrist in a collision with Jake Powell of the Washington Senators and did not play the remainder of the season. He finished the season with 16 hits, 1 home run, and 15 RBIs in 12 games.[7]
In 1937, Greenberg recovered from his injury and was voted to the AL All-Star roster, but did not play. On September 19, 1937, he hit the first home run into the center-field
A prodigious home run hitter, Greenberg narrowly missed breaking Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in 1938, when he hit 58 home runs, leading the league for the second time.[7] That year, he had 11 games with multiple home runs, a new major league record. Greenberg matched what was then the single-season home run record by a right-handed batter, (Jimmie Foxx, 1932); the mark stood for 66 years until it was broken by Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire in 1998. Greenberg also had a 59th home run washed away in a rainout. It has been long speculated that Greenberg was intentionally walked late in the season to prevent him from breaking Ruth's record, but Greenberg dismissed this speculation, calling it "crazy stories". Howard Megdal has calculated that in September 1938, Greenberg was walked in over 20% of his plate appearances, above his average for the season.[14] Baseball historian Ron Kaplan, while not dismissing antisemitism's role in Greenberg's decreased home run rate, states that there was nothing different in the way Greenberg was pitched to in the final days of the 1938 season.[15]
Greenberg was again voted to the AL All-Star roster in 1938, but because he was not named to the 1935 AL All-Star roster and was benched in the 1937 game, he declined to accept a starting position on the 1938 AL team and did not play (the NL won 4–1). He led the league in runs scored (144) and at-bats per home run (9.6), tied for the AL lead in walks (119), was second in RBIs (146), slugging percentage (.683), and total bases (380), and third in OBP (.438) and set a still-standing major league record of 39 homers in his home park, the newly re-configured Briggs Stadium. He also set a major-league record with 11 multiple-home run games and came in third in the vote for MVP, behind Jimmie Foxx and Bill Dickey.[7]
In 1939, Greenberg was voted to the AL All-Star roster for the third year in a row and was a starter at first base, and singled and walked in four at-bats (AL won 3–1). He finished second in the AL in home runs (33) and strikeouts (95), third in doubles (42) and slugging percentage (.622), fourth in RBIs (112), sixth in walks (91), and ninth in on-base percentage (.420).[7]
After the 1939 season ended, Greenberg was asked by general manager Jack Zeller to take a salary cut of $5,000 ($110,000 today) as a result of his off-year in power and run production. He was asked to move from first base to the outfield to accommodate Rudy York, who was one of the best young hitters of his generation; York was tried at catcher, third baseman, and outfielder and proved to be a defensive liability at each position. Greenberg in turn, demanded a $10,000 bonus if he mastered the outfield, insisting he was the one taking the risk in learning a new position. Greenberg received his bonus at the end of spring training.[16]
In 1940, Greenberg switched from playing the first base position to the
That season, Greenberg led the AL in home runs for the third time in six years with 41; in RBIs (150), doubles (50), total bases (384), extra-base hits (99), at-bats per home run (14.0), and slugging percentage (.670; 44 points ahead of Joe DiMaggio). Greenberg finished second in the league to Williams in runs scored (129) and OBP (.433), all while batting .340 (fifth-best in the AL).[7] He also led the Tigers to the AL pennant, and won his second AL MVP award, becoming the first player in major-league history to win an MVP award at two different playing positions.[11] However, the Tigers subsequently lost the 1940 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in seven games.[18]
Greenberg admitted in his autobiography after his career ended that he had taken part in sign stealing in September 1940 season, which was inspired by teammates Tommy Bridges and Pinky Higgins, who noticed that the new rifle they used for their hunt had a telescopic lens that could read signs when in the stands in the outfield. He also said that sign stealing was going on in the 1948 Cleveland Indians and the 1959 Chicago White Sox teams.[19]
World War II service
On October 16, 1940, Greenberg became the first American League player to register for the nation's first peacetime draft. In the spring of 1941, the Detroit
On May 7, 1941, he was inducted into the U.S. Army after playing left field in 19 games and reported to
After the
In February 1944, he was sent to the U.S. Army
Return to baseball
Greenberg remained in military uniform until he was placed on the military inactive list and discharged from the U.S. Army on June 14, 1945. He was the first major league player to return to the majors after the war. In his first game back on July 1, he hit a home run. The 1945 All-Star Game, scheduled for July 10, had been officially cancelled on April 24 and Major League Baseball did not name All-Stars that season due to strict travel restrictions in place during the last days of the war. In place of the All-Star Game, seven interleague games were played on July 9 and 10 to benefit the American Red Cross and the War Relief fund. An Associated Press All-Star roster was named for the AL and NL by a group of their sportswriters that included Greenberg as one of the All-Stars.[24]
Greenberg, who played left field in 72 games and batted .311 in 1945, helped lead the Tigers to a come-from-behind American League pennant, clinching it with a dramatic grand slam home run in the ninth inning on the final day of the season against the St. Louis Browns, avoiding a one-game playoff against the now-second-place Washington Senators.[25] The Tigers went on to beat the Cubs in the 1945 World Series in seven games. Greenberg hit two of the only three home runs hit in that World Series, with Phil Cavarretta hitting one for the Cubs in Game 1. Greenberg homered in Game 2, where he batted in three runs in a 4–1 Tigers win, and hit a two-run homer in in the eighth inning of Game 6 that tied the score 8–8; the Cubs went on to win that game with a run in the bottom of the 12th.[26]
In 1946, he returned to peak form and playing at first base. He led the AL in home runs (44) and RBIs (127), both for the fourth time. He was second in slugging percentage (.604) and total bases (316) behind Ted Williams.[7]
In 1947, Greenberg and the Tigers had a lengthy salary dispute. When Greenberg decided to retire rather than play for less, Detroit sold his contract to the Pittsburgh Pirates. To persuade him not to retire, Pittsburgh made Greenberg the first baseball player to make $100,000 in a season as pure salary. 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 reduced the size of Forbes Field's cavernous left field, renaming the section "Greenberg Gardens" to accommodate Greenberg's pull-hitting style.[27]
Greenberg played first base for the Pirates in 1947 and his time there coincided with the arrival of Jackie Robinson in the Major Leagues. He was one of the few opposing players to publicly welcome Robinson to the majors at a time when most opposing players were openly hostile. Greenberg himself had faced hostilities from opposing players and spectators who often shouted antisemitic slurs at him during games and, hence, knew what Robinson was going through.[28] During a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers, he collided with Robinson while covering first base. Afterwards, Greenberg asked if Robinson was alright and encouraged him to "Stick in there. You’re doing fine. Keep your chin up." Robinson later praised Greenberg, saying, "Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg."[29]
That year he also had a chance to mentor a young future Hall-of-Famer, the 24-year-old
In his final season of 1947, Greenberg tied for the league lead in walks with 104, with a .408 on-base percentage and finished eighth in the league in home runs and tenth in slugging percentage. Greenberg became the first major league player to hit 25 or more home runs in a season in each league. Despite still being productive, Greenberg decided to retire as a player to take a front-office post with the Cleveland Indians. No player had ever retired after a final season in which they hit so many home runs. Since then, only Ted Williams (1960; 29), Dave Kingman (1986; 35), Mark McGwire (2001; 29), Barry Bonds (2007; 28) and David Ortiz (2016; 38) have hit as many or more homers in their final season.[7]
Player profile
Career overall
He was one of the truly great hitters, and when I first saw him at bat, he made my eyes pop out.
It is speculated that, had it not been for his service in World War II, Greenberg would likely have approached 500 home runs and 1,800 RBIs; he missed all but 19 games of the 1941 season, the three full seasons that followed, and most of 1945 to World War II military service.[32]
Starring as a first baseman and
As a fielder, the 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Greenberg was awkward and unsure of himself early in his career, but mastered first base through countless hours of practice. Over the course of his career he demonstrated a higher-than-average fielding percentage and range at first base. When asked by the Tigers' front office to move to
Category | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | PO | A | E | DP | FLD% | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 1,394 | 5,193 | 1,046 | 1,628 | 379 | 71 | 331 | 1,276 | 58 | 30 | 852 | 844 | .313 | .412 | .605 | 1.017 | 11,023 | 741 | 122 | 974 | .990 | [7] |
Antisemitism
During his career, Greenberg faced a number of incidents of antisemitism, including having players stare at him because they had never before seen a Jew and having racial slurs thrown at him by both spectators and opposing players. Greenberg sometimes retaliated against the racial attacks, once going into the Chicago White Sox clubhouse and challenging manager Jimmy Dykes to a fight. On another occasion he called out the entire Yankees team, daring the perpetrator to reveal himself.[33]
In the 1935 World Series, umpire George Moriarty warned three Chicago Cubs players to stop yelling antisemitic slurs at Greenberg and eventually cleared the players from the Cubs bench. Moriarty was disciplined for this action by then-commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis.[34]
Greenberg initially resented being singled out as a Jewish ballplayer and, unlike his parents, was not a particularly observant Jew. However, he later accepted his place in baseball, saying:
When I was playing, I used to resent being singled out as a Jewish ballplayer. I wanted to be known as a great ballplayer, period. I'm not sure why or when I changed, because I'm still not a particularly religious person. Lately, though, I find myself wanting to be remembered not only as a great ballplayer, but even more as a great Jewish ballplayer.[35]
At 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and towering above his contemporaries, he disproved the commonly held stereotype that Jews were not athletic and did not belong in sports. His decision to not play on
Post-playing career
Management and ownership
After the 1947 season, Greenberg retired as a player, and
During his tenure, he sponsored more
While Ryan had initially been content to leave baseball matters to Greenberg, he tried to seize greater control after the 1952 season, when the Indians suffered a drop in attendance despite coming within two games of the pennant. The Indians board sided with Greenberg, prompting Ryan to sell out to a group headed by Myron H. Wilson, who voiced full confidence in Greenberg. Under Wilson, Greenberg's role as operating head of the franchise was cemented to the point that he represented the Indians at owners meetings alongside vice president and board member George Medinger. During this time, he and Pirates owner John W. Galbreath helped negotiate an amended player pension plan in which the players got 60% of television revenues from the All-Star Game and World Series.[40]
In 1953, he was partly responsible for an important change to baseball's
Greenberg's influence grew even more in 1956 when he joined a syndicate headed by Bill Daley that bought the Indians from Wilson. Although Greenberg had been operating head of the franchise since 1950, this was the first time that he had been a part-owner. However, in 1957, he was forced to resign as general manager, as he put it, "in order to satisfy a hostile press." He remained a part-owner, however, and in 1958 tried to buy out Daley and become principal owner. He intended to serve as his own general manager if successful. However, Daley and several other directors bought him out.[42]
In 1959, Greenberg and Veeck teamed up for a second time when they led a syndicate that purchased the Chicago White Sox; Veeck served as team president with Greenberg as vice president and general manager. During Veeck and Greenberg's first season, the White Sox won their first AL pennant since 1919. Veeck would sell his shares in the White Sox in 1961, and Greenberg stepped down as general manager on August 26 of that season.[43]
After the
In 1970, when St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood challenged Major League Baseball’s reserve clause, Greenberg was amongst the few baseball players to openly support him, and testified on his behalf.[45]
Personal life
While he grew up in an
In 1946, Greenberg married Caral Gimbel, daughter of Bernard Gimbel of the Gimbels department store family. The couple had three children: sons Glenn and Stephen, and daughter Alva. The marriage was not a happy one, however, and they eventually divorced in 1958. In 1966, Greenberg married actress Mary Jo Tarola, who appeared on-screen under the stage name "Linda Douglas", and remained with her until his death. They had no children.[47]
Greenberg died of
His son, Stephen played baseball at
Honors
Greenberg was elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956 on his eighth ballot, garnering 85% of the votes. He was the first player of Jewish descent elected to the Hall of Fame.[51]
On June 12, 1983, the Detroit Tigers retired Greenberg's number 5 during "Greenberg-Gehringer Day" at Tiger Stadium, along with former teammate Charlie Gehringer's number 2. Both Greenberg and Gehringer attended the ceremony.[52] In 1999, he was ranked No. 37 by The Sporting News on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players",[53] and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team the same year. In 2020, Greenberg was ranked by The Athletic at No. 67 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter Joe Posnanski.[54]
Greenberg was elected to the
In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Greenberg as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army Air Force during World War II.[58]
In an article in 1976 in Esquire magazine, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter", consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Greenberg was the first baseman on Stein's Jewish team.[59]
In 2006, Greenberg was featured on a United States postage stamp. The stamp is one of a block of four honoring "baseball sluggers", the others being Mickey Mantle, Mel Ott, and Roy Campanella.[60]
In 1998, Greenberg was the subject of a documentary which was directed and written by Aviva Kempner entitled The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.[61] In 2010, he was again one of the main subjects of the film Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story, alongside Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The film was directed by Peter Miller and written by Ira Berkow.[62]
See also
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball home run records
- List of Major League Baseball doubles records
- List of Major League Baseball career batting average leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career on-base percentage leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career slugging percentage leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of select Jewish baseball players
References
- ^ "Hank Greenberg (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
His parents were both Jewish immigrants from Romania. David Greenberg and Sarah Schwartz met in America, and married in 1906. Henry Benjamin Greenberg, who would later be known throughout baseball as "Hammerin' Hank", was born on January 1, 1911. He was originally supposed to be named Hyman, but apparently the man filling out his birth certificate had never heard of such a name. Henry had an older brother, Ben, an older sister, Lillian, and a younger brother, Joe.
- ^ Rosengren, p. 16.
- ^ "Hank Greenberg (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
Greenberg was a multisport star at James Monroe High, and his best sport wasn't baseball, but basketball. He also excelled at soccer and track and field, and while he wasn't a particular fan of football, he tried out nonetheless just to prove that he could play it, and wound up catching a touchdown pass in the season's final game.
- ^ Rosengren, John (March 31, 2016). "Why Hank Greenberg Never Became a New York Yankee". The Forward.
- ^ "Hank Greenberg Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers Box Score: September 14, 1930". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Hank Greenberg Career Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Keelean, Matt. "September 10, 1934: Happy New Year, Hank Greenberg!". Society for American Baseball Research (SABR Games Project).
- ^ Warikoo, Niraj (September 23, 2014). "Hank Greenberg left legacy for Jewish-Americans". USA Today.
- ^ Schoor, pp. 152–157.
- ^ a b "MLB Most Valuable Player MVP Award Winners". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Cronin, Brian (July 10, 2012). "All-Star Game: Was Hank Greenberg left off despite being RBI leader?". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Schoor, pp. 158–161.
- ^ Megdal, Howard (March 20, 2010). "Religion Aided a Home Run Chase, and May Have Led to Its Failure". The New York Times.
- ISBN 978-1613219911.
- ^ "Tigers move first baseman Hank Greenberg to the outfield". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
- ^ Spatz, Lyle. "July 9, 1940: Five NL pitchers combine for first All-Star shutout at Sportsman's Park". Society for American Baseball Research (SABR Games Project).
- ^ Schoor, pp. 178–181.
- ^ Corcoran, Cliff (October 18, 2018). "'Everybody tries to cheat a little': The weird and wild history of MLB sign-stealing". The Athletic.
- ^ a b c Bedingfield, Gary. "Baseball in Wartime: Hank Greenberg". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
- ^ Rosengren, p. 230.
- ^ Rosengren, pp. 233–234.
- ^ Rosengren, pp. 235–250.
- ^ "1945 All-Star Game". Baseball Almanac.
- ^ "Detroit Tigers vs St. Louis Browns Box Score: September 30, 1945". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Schoor, pp. 199–203.
- ^ Backer, Ron. "Greenberg Gardens Revisited: A Story about Forbes Field, Hank Greenberg, and Ralph Kiner". Society for American Baseball Research.
- ISBN 978-1597978422.
- Eugene Register-Guard. AP. May 18, 1947. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ "Hank Greenberg (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
Upon joining the Pirates in spring training, Greenberg immediately took Kiner under his wing, teaching him the finer points of what it takes to be a consistent slugger in the major leagues... Kiner went on to a Hall of Fame career, with 369 home runs.
- ISBN 978-1439202241.
- ISBN 0-8032-1337-9.
- ^ Acocella, Nick (November 19, 2003). "Greenberg was Tiger at the plate". ESPN.
- ^ "George Moriarty (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
Moriarty has the distinction of ejecting three players from World Series play, more than any other umpire. In Game 3 of the 1935 Series, he berated and then booted the Cubs' Charlie Grimm, Tuck Stainback, and Woody English for, among other things, excessive heckling of Hank Greenberg. For that stunt, Moriarty was fined $200; he had violated Kenesaw Mountain Landis' rule against ejecting players from World Series games without the commissioner's prior approval.
- ^ Kriegel, Leonard (June 8, 2011). "Hank Greenberg, Reluctant Jewish Hero". The Forward.
- ^ Halberstam, David J. (September 17, 2015). "While Koufax is rightly lauded, Yom Kippur example set by Hank Greenberg". USA Today.
- ISBN 978-0-8027-1778-8.
- ^ James, p. 435.
- ISBN 1582618402.
- ^ Greenberg and Berkow, pp. 251–252.
- ^ Sheehan, Joseph M. (August 3, 1955). "Greenberg Casts His Waiver Rule On Majors and Picks Up Maglie". The New York Times – via TimesMachine.
- ^ Bohmer, David. "Cleveland Guardians team ownership history". Society for American Baseball Research.
- ^ "September 22, 1959: White Sox clinch first American League pennant in 40 years". Society for American Baseball Research (SABR Games Project).
- ^ "Hank Greenberg (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
Always an astute investor, Greenberg plunged into the stock market and made millions on Wall Street in the 1960s. He sold his stake in the White Sox (for a neat profit), left his Manhattan home for sunny Beverly Hills, and lived the life of Reilly.
- ^ Frommer, Frederic J. (July 11, 2022). "When almost nobody else would, Hank Greenberg backed a Black player fighting for free agency". The Forward.
- ^ Greenberg and Berkow, pp. 220, 225.
- ^ "Hank Greenberg (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
... his marriage to Caral Gimbel (whose family owned the New York department store of the same name) was turning sour. The two had been husband and wife since 1946, but their paths always seemed to diverge... by 1959 he and Caral were divorced. Together, they had three children: Glenn (also known as "Little Hank"), Steve, and Alva, along with eight grandchildren... He married Mary Jo Tarola, a minor movie actress, in 1966.
- ^ Povich, Shirley (September 9, 1986). "Greenberg: One of Cooperstown's Finest". The Washington Post.
- ^ Whitford, David (May 25, 2010). "The king of the sports deal". Fortune. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- Sports Business Journal.
- ^ "Greenberg, Hank". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
- ^ "Tigers Retired Numbers". MLB.com.
- ^ "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players: No. 37, Hank Greenberg". The Sporting News. April 26, 1999. Archived from the original on April 16, 2005.
- ^ Posnanski, Joe (January 20, 2020). "The Baseball 100: No. 67, Hank Greenberg". The Athletic.
- ^ "Henry Benjamin (Hank) Greenberg". Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
- ^ "Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg, inductee (Class of 1979)". International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
- ^ "Hank Greenberg". National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007.
- ^ "WWII HOF Players – Act of Valor Award". Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ Stein, Harry. "All-Time All-Star Argument Starter". Esquire.
- ^ "The 2006 Commemorative Stamp Program". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ Kempner, Aviva (1998). "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg - Official Website".
- ^ Miller, Peter; Berkow, Ira (2010). "Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story - Official Website".
Book sources
- Greenberg, Hank; Berkow, Ira (1989). Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life. Triumph Books. ISBN 1892049236.
- Schoor, Gene (1990). The History of the World Series: The Complete Chronology of America's Greatest Sports Tradition. William Morrow and Company. ISBN 0-688-07995-4.
- James, Bill (2001). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. Free Press. ISBN 0-684-80697-5.
- Rosengren, John (2013). Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes. New American Library. ISBN 978-0451235763.
Further reading
- Kurlansky, Mark (2011). Hank Greenberg: The Hero Who Didn't Want To Be One. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300136609.
- Cottrell, Robert C. (2012). Two Pioneers: How Hank Greenberg and Jackie Robinson Transformed Baseball – And America. Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1597978422.
- Berkow, Ira (2013). "Hank Greenberg: The Plot Against Greenberg?". In Franklin Foer; Marc Tracy (eds.). Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame. Twelve Books. ISBN 978-1455-5161-31.
- Ruttman, Larry (2013). "Henry 'Hank' Greenberg: Hall of Fame Infielder and Outfielder, Revealing the Survival of American Judaism Generation by Generation". American Jews and America's Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-6475-5.
- Klima, John (2015). The Game Must Go On: Hank Greenberg, Pete Gray, and the Great Days of Baseball on the Home Front in WWII. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-1250064790.
- Kaplan, Ron (2017). Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1613219911.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Hank Greenberg at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Hank Greenberg at the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- Hank Greenberg at IMDb
- Hank Greenberg at Find a Grave