41 Facts About Bill Mazeroski

Bill Mazeroski received the Babe Ruth Award for his play in the Series, during which he batted.

An 8-time Gold Glove Award winner, Bill Mazeroski was particularly noted for his ability to make the pivot in turning double plays.

Bill Mazeroski led the National League in double plays eight consecutive years, and recorded over 100 double plays eleven times, both major league records.

Bill Mazeroski led the major leagues in assists a record nine times, and led the NL in putouts five times and in fielding percentage three times.

Bill Mazeroski provided contributions on offense which were not typical for his position; his 138 career home runs and 853 runs batted in were the most by any second baseman during the period between 1944 and 1974, with his home run total putting him behind only Rogers Hornsby among NL second basemen when his career ended.

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Bill Mazeroski's home run production was particularly impressive due to the Pirates playing in cavernous Forbes Field, where the distant reaches in left and center field made it typically the league's most difficult home run stadium until the mid-1960s; Mazeroski hit more than twice as many homers on the road than at home in his career.

Bill Mazeroski closed out his career by helping the Pirates to three consecutive division titles; he and Roberto Clemente were the only members of the 1960 champions who were on the team when they picked up another title in 1971, beating the favored Baltimore Orioles in seven games.

Bill Mazeroski later became a coach for the Pirates and the Seattle Mariners.

Bill Mazeroski was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Bill Mazeroski often went by the name of Catfish because of a penchant for fishing, not because of any real passion for the sport but to put food on the table.

Bill Mazeroski counted Lou Boudreau, Bob Feller, Ken Keltner and Joe Gordon as his heroes.

Bill Mazeroski attended Warren Consolidated High School in Tiltonsville, Ohio, where he was a multi-sports star, most notably in baseball and basketball.

Bill Mazeroski was a four-year starter with the varsity baseball team, normally as a shortstop or pitcher.

Bill Mazeroski turned down college scholarship offers from Duquesne, Ohio State and West Virginia to pursue a professional baseball career.

Originally a shortstop, Bill Mazeroski was moved to second base after one season in the minors and made his first big league appearance on July 7,1956, against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds in New York.

Bill Mazeroski's first hit was a single off Johnny Antonelli in his first at bat.

Bill Mazeroski played exclusively at shortstop, where he was charged with 31 errors.

Bill Mazeroski moved up to the Triple A Hollywood Stars farm club to begin the 1956 season.

Bill Mazeroski returned to Hollywood at the outset of the 1956 campaign, only this time things were noticeably different.

The young Bucs promptly stunned the baseball world with a second-place finish, while Bill Mazeroski blossomed into an All-Star for the first time in his career.

Bill Mazeroski turned the double play into an art form with Gene Kelly-like footwork, magical hands, sure arm and exceptionally strong legs that survived countless attempts by baserunners to break up the play.

Remarkably, Bill Mazeroski was able to accomplish this even though he played nearly half of his games at Forbes Field, whose infield was widely thought to be the worst in the majors because of its alabaster-like surface and many errant hops.

Five decades after Bill Mazeroski played his final game, he still holds the major league records for second basemen for most double plays in a season, most double plays in a career, most years leading the league in twin killings and most seasons leading in assists.

Bill Mazeroski was known for extraordinary durability, especially given the physical demands of the second base position and chronic lower body issues later in his career.

In 1961, Bill Mazeroski recorded 144 double plays, breaking the NL record of 137 shared by Jackie Robinson and Red Schoendienst.

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In 1967, Bill Mazeroski broke Schoendienst's NL record of 1,368 career double plays.

Meanwhile, Bill Mazeroski was an NL starter in both All-Star Games.

At that point, Bill Mazeroski admittedly got caught up in the sudden turn of events.

Bill Mazeroski signed the ball for him in the clubhouse, but the keepsake was lost during a neighborhood game a short time later.

In September 2010, a statue of Bill Mazeroski was unveiled outside PNC Park in Pittsburgh, depicting his legendary home run celebration — a runner pose with both arms extended, ball cap in right hand.

Bill Mazeroski was the focus of a staged game-ending triple play as part of a cameo appearance in the 1968 hit film The Odd Couple.

In reality, Bill Mazeroski never suffered such an inglorious moment during his playing days, but he did record two triple plays as a fielder, both against the Cincinnati Reds.

On induction day in Cooperstown, Bill Mazeroski only made it as far into his prepared remarks as thanking the Veterans Committee voters for choosing a player based largely on defensive skills before getting so overcome with emotion that he had to stop.

In 1979, Bill Mazeroski was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.

In 2004, the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference saluted Bill Mazeroski by electing him among the inaugural members of their Hall of Fame, alongside Boston Celtic great John Havlicek and Olympic wrestler Bobby Douglas.

Bill Mazeroski was recognized by Major League Baseball by being selected to throw out the first pitch of the Home Run Derby that preceded the 2006 All Star Game at Pittsburgh's PNC Park, receiving a long standing ovation.

Bill Mazeroski was picked to manage the National League during the All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game during the All-Star week celebrations.

In 1987, Bill Mazeroski ran for the Democratic nomination for County Commissioner in his home of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania but his bid was unsuccessful.

Bill Mazeroski has two sons; Darren is a retired junior college baseball coach, while Dave is an atmospheric scientist.

In 2010, the 50th anniversary of the 1960 World Series, Bill Mazeroski was to be the guest of honor at the first showing of the original television broadcast of Game 7; it was thought to be lost before it was discovered at the home of Bing Crosby, who had been co-owner of the Pirates throughout Bill Mazeroski's career.

Bill Mazeroski was featured in an FSN Pittsburgh commercial that featured former Pirates first baseman Sean Casey.