Norm Cash
Norm Cash | ||
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Runs batted in | 1,104 | |
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Norman Dalton Cash (November 10, 1933 – October 11, 1986) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. A power hitter, his 377 career home runs were the fourth most by an American League left-handed hitter when he retired, behind Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig; his 373 home runs with the Tigers rank second in franchise history behind teammate Al Kaline (399). He also led the AL in assists three times and fielding percentage twice; he ranked among the all-time leaders in assists (4th with 1,317) and double plays (10th with 1,347) upon his retirement, and was fifth in AL history in games at first base (1,943). He was known to fans and teammates during his playing days as "Stormin' Norman."
Early life and career
Cash was born in
MLB career
Detroit Tigers
Cash filled the middle of the Tigers lineup for 15 seasons as part of one of the sport's top offenses.
In 1960, Cash grounded into no double plays, the first American League player with at least 400 plate appearances in a season to accomplish that since league records on this stat were started in 1940.
He enjoyed his breakout season in
Cash later said of the 1961 season: "It was a freak. Even at the time, I realized that. Everything I hit seemed to drop in, even when I didn't make good contact. I never thought I'd do it again."[4]
Pitcher Mickey Lolich once asked Cash why he never hit for a high average after that season. "He told me, 'Jim Campbell pays me to hit home runs,'" said Lolich, referring to the team's general manager in those years. "Norm then said, `I can get hits if I want to, just watch tomorrow.' The next day he went 3-for-4."[4]
On June 11, 1961, Cash became the first Detroit Tiger to hit a home run ball out of Tiger Stadium. Cash hit the ball over Tiger Stadium's right-field roof four times in his career.[4]
On June 27, 1963, he played an entire game at first base without a defensive chance, as the Minnesota Twins won 10–6.[1]
On his own team, Cash was overshadowed by his future Hall-of-Fame roommate Al Kaline. While his batting average fell off sharply after 1961, Cash hit 30 or more homers four more times, and hit at least 20 in ten of the next eleven seasons. He was the only American League player to hit at least 20 home runs every season from 1961 to 1969. He also finished second in the league in home runs three times (behind Harmon Killebrew in 1962, Tony Conigliaro in 1965, and Bill Melton in 1971), with the Tigers finishing among the AL's top three scoring teams every year from 1961 through 1968.
Cash was also considered one of the better defensive first basemen of the 1960s, leading the league in putouts (1961), fielding percentage (1964, 1967) and assists (1965–67).
In the 1968 World Series, Cash hit .385 (10-26) with one home run. With two out in the seventh inning of Game 7, Cash singled off Bob Gibson to start a three-run rally that broke a scoreless tie and propelled the team to its first title since 1945. He also hit a home run to give Detroit a 1–0 lead in Game 1 of the 1972 American League Championship Series, though the Tigers went on to lose the game and the series.
He was released by the Tigers in August 1974 after hitting .228 in 53 games.
Relationship with fans and players
Apart from his batting accomplishments, Cash was a favorite with his teammates, the media, and Tiger fans. He was known for his hard living and his sense of humor.
On July 15, 1973, as Nolan Ryan was working on his second career no-hitter, Cash went to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth (after striking out his previous three at-bats), holding a table leg from the clubhouse instead of a regulation bat. The stunt drew immediate action by home plate umpire Ron Luciano, who ordered Cash to use a legal bat (though the announcers of the game reported that Luciano was amused by the attempt).[5] Cash popped out using a regulation bat to end the game. [2]
Teammate Jim Northrup told the story as follows: "In his last at-bat, Norm walked up to the plate with a table leg from the locker room. The plate umpire, Ron Luciano, says, `You can't use that up here.' Cash says, `Why not, I won't hit him anyway.' He then gets a bat, then hit a popup to shortstop to end the game. As he was walking away he says to Luciano, `See, I told ya.'"[4]
"When you mention Norm Cash, I just smile", said Al Kaline, who had a locker adjacent to Cash's for years. "He was just a fun guy to be around and a great teammate. He always came ready to play."[4]
Once Cash was trapped between first and second base about to be tagged out. He stopped in his tracks and formed a "T" with his hands to call time-out. There was also a time when Cash missed a foul ball in the stands, turned a little boy's cap around, stuck his hand into the young fan's popcorn box and said, "Thanks, kid", as the boy looked up in bewilderment.[4]
One trick Cash frequently tried, occurred when play resumed after a rain delay, Northrup recalled. "If Norman was on second before the rain delay, he would go to third", Northrup said. "If he was on first, he would go to second." Northrup said: "Norm had more fun than anybody."[4]
Cash was also noted for never wearing a batting helmet during his major league career, being one of the few veteran players who was permitted not to do so after helmets were mandated in 1971. Protective liners, however, were required to be worn inside their caps.[6]
Career statistics
Cash was a career .271 hitter with 377 home runs, 1104 RBI, 1046 runs, 1820 hits, 241 doubles, 41 triples, 43 stolen bases, a .374 on-base percentage, and a .488 slugging average in 2089 games. He holds Tigers career defensive records at first base in games (1912), putouts (14,926), assists (1303), and double plays (1328), having broken the marks set by Hank Greenberg and Rudy York. He had a .992 fielding percentage at first base in his career. Cash is one of eight players in Tigers history (with Sam Crawford, Ty Cobb, Charlie Gehringer, Al Kaline, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell and Miguel Cabrera) to have played at least 2,000 regular season games with the team.
Cash summed up his success as follows: "I owe my success to expansion pitching, a short right-field fence, and my hollow bats."[7] Later in his career, Cash claimed he used a corked bat in 1961, even showing Sports Illustrated how he made one.[8]
Caribbean baseball
In between, Cash played winter ball with the Indios de Oriente club of the Venezuelan League during the 1958–59 season. As the league champions, the Indios represented Venezuela in the 1959 Caribbean Series, as Cash posted a .360 average (9-for-25) and led the tournament in home runs (2), RBI (11) and slugging (.680), while driving in six runs in a game – also a Series record – and earning MVP honors.[9][10]
Later life
After retiring from baseball, Cash signed with the
Cash was a
In October 1986, Cash drowned in an accident off
On April 23, 2005, the high school and
See also
- 1961 Detroit Tigers season
- 1968 Detroit Tigers season
- 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 batting champions
- Alpine Cowboys
References
- ^ ISBN 0-87795-984-6.
- ^ "The Misleading Myth of the Corked Bat".
- ^ "The Physics of Cheating in Baseball".
- ^ a b c d e f g Dow, Bill (2001). "Former Tiger Norm Cash". Baseball Digest. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ "Broadcast of July 15, 1973 Angels-Tigers game". YouTube. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ Cooperstown Confidential: batting without a helmet Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- ^ "Norm Cash Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac". Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ISBN 1-892129-34-5.
- ISBN 980-07-2389-7
- ^ Serie del Caribe 1959. Word Press.Retrieved on December 29, 218.
- ^ "5 Jun 1979, Page 11 - Detroit Free Press at". Newspapers.com. 1979-06-05. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
- ^ "Norm Cash, 51, Is Found Dead – New York Times". The New York Times. October 13, 1986. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Cash Autopsy Finding – New York Times". The New York Times. October 30, 1986. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
- ^ "Norm Cash Field". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Norm Cash at the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- Norm Cash Biography at Baseball Biography
- Norm Cash at Find a Grave