Hank Schenz
| Hank Schenz | ||
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Runs batted in | 24 | |
| Teams | ||
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Henry Leonard Schenz (April 11, 1919 – May 12, 1988) was an American
Baseball career
Schenz'
In
Alleged role in sign stealing (1951)
Claimed by the New York Giants on June 30, Schenz seemingly played no part in the 1951 Giants' furious late-season surge, when they won 37 of their last 44 games, including 20 of 23 at home, to overcome the Dodgers' mid-August 131⁄2-game lead, tie them at the close of the regular season, and defeat them in the final inning of the decisive third game of the 1951 National League tie-breaker series. He appeared in only eight games as a Giant, all as a pinch runner, and scored one run, on July 6.[3]
However, a decade after the 1951 season, word began leaking out that the Giants' winning streak coincided with their adoption of using a telescopic spyglass to steal opposing catchers' signs from their center-field clubhouse at their home field, the
The sign-stealing rumors began to gain credence in 1991, three years after Schenz' 1988 death, when one of the 1951 Giants, reserve catcher Sal Yvars, confirmed the accusation in The Home Run Heard Round the World, by Ray Robinson. Then, in January 2001, journalist Joshua Prager revealed details of the spying plot in The Wall Street Journal, and followed with a full account in his 2006 book The Echoing Green.[5] For his WSJ article, Prager interviewed 22 living players, including Thomson, who, although not denying that the Giants stole signs in 1951, said he ignored purloined intelligence when he batted (he found it distracting) and a stolen signal did not lead to his famous blast.[5] In addition, the Giants posted a 17–4 record in visiting ballparks during their remarkable skein, where Schenz' spyglass would have been harder to employ.
However, the telescopic device was influential, according to one 1951 Giant, Spider Jorgensen, who told Prager: “Yeah, we stole signs. Hank Schenz had a telescope that could see the spots on the moon … I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’”[5]
Schenz appeared as a pinch runner in one game of the
See also
References
- ^ Society of American Baseball ResearchBiography Project. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ Bedingfield, Gary. "Those Who Served". baseballinwartime.com. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "1951 NY N Regular Season Batting Log for Hank Schenz". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ Finder, Chuck (July 9, 2001). "The Big Picture: Former Pirate Stole Signs for '51 Giants". old.postgazette.com. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ a b c Kilgannon, Corey (February 12, 2001). "Love of Game Led to Story of Intrigue". joshuaprager.com. The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics
- Hank Schenz at Find a Grave
