Joe Gordon was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,565 |
26 Facts About Joe Gordon
3.
Joe Gordon was the first AL second baseman to hit 20 home runs in a season, doing so seven times, is second all-time for career home runs at second base behind Robinson Cano, and he held the single-season record until 2001.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,567 |
4.
Joe Gordon played a major role on the 1948 champion Indians, leading the team in homers and runs batted in.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,568 |
5.
Joe Gordon was born in Los Angeles, on February 18,1915, to Benjamin Lowell Gordon and Lulu Pearl Evans.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,569 |
6.
In 1937, Joe Gordon was moved to the Newark Bears, another AA team in the International League and continued to excel, hitting.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,570 |
7.
Joe Gordon's success led to the release of 33-year-old Tony Lazzeri following the 1937 season, and he made his debut with the Yankees in April 1938.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,571 |
8.
Joe Gordon would hold the AL record for home runs by a second baseman 64 years before being surpassed by Bret Boone's 36 home runs in 2001.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,572 |
9.
Joe Gordon led the AL in putouts, assists and double plays, and was second on the team to Joe DiMaggio and fifth in the league in both homers and RBI.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,573 |
10.
Joe Gordon led the Yankees to another pennant in his 1942 MVP season, edging Triple Crown winner Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox for the award.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,574 |
11.
Joe Gordon again fielded brilliantly, setting still-standing records for a five-game Series of 20 putouts, 23 assists, 43 total chances, and a 1.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,575 |
12.
Joe Gordon returned to the Yankees in 1946, which turned out to be his most challenging year in major league baseball.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,576 |
13.
Joe Gordon was spiked in an exhibition game and severed a tendon in his hand, which required surgery, and he suffered a chipped bone in his finger.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,577 |
14.
Joe Gordon taped the leg and resumed playing, only to tear a muscle in his other leg.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,578 |
15.
Joe Gordon played in just 112 games that year and stepped up to the plate just 376 times, nearly 170 fewer at bats than his pre-war 1943 season.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,579 |
16.
Joe Gordon departed New York after precisely 1,000 games and 1,000 hits: the only player in baseball history with those statistics.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,580 |
17.
Over Doby's first two seasons, Joe Gordon became close to the player who was theoretically there to replace him, and Doby would later refer to him as his first friend in white baseball; however, reports that Joe Gordon deliberately struck out in Doby's first game to keep him from looking bad are erroneous.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,581 |
18.
Joe Gordon placed sixth in the MVP vote, won by teammate and manager Lou Boudreau.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,582 |
19.
Joe Gordon might have had even higher batting totals had he played in other stadiums.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,583 |
20.
Joe Gordon was selected for the All-Star team nine times, in all but his first and last seasons.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,584 |
21.
Joe Gordon then worked as a scout with the Tigers from 1953 to 1955, and as a coach during the early months of the 1956 season.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,585 |
23.
Joe Gordon began his major league managing career with the Indians in 1958, but had difficult relations with general manager Frank Lane, who publicly questioned his decisions.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,587 |
24.
Joe Gordon later went into real estate and died of a heart attack at age 63 in Sacramento, California.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,588 |
25.
Two of Joe Gordon's grandchildren were present for his induction ceremony.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,589 |
26.
On December 7,2008, Joe Gordon was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee with 10 out of 12 possible votes, 83.
| FactSnippet No. 2,322,590 |