RIP Jimmy Piersall 1929-2017

[G-Fafif]

The baseball legend who made a Met imprint by hitting one out and literally going his own way (backwards around the bases) dies at 87.

[MFS62]

That backwards trip around the bases fit right in with those early Mets.
RIP, Jimmy.

Later

[Guest d'Kong76]

PIR

[G-Fafif]

If Piersall saw today's game, he'd be turning over in his grave counterclockwise.

[Edgy MD]

That Frank Thomas memoir that he pimped on this site had a lot of indispensable material on young, minor league Piersall. Among other things, he got tossed from a game for riding an ump, and then joined the crowd later in the game in civilian clothes and got a whole section riding the ump, apparently teaching them songs to get the ump's goat. The guy was amazin'.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm thinking that maybe I should read Fear Strikes Out. I watched the movie many years ago (maybe as much as 40 years ago!) but somehow I never read the book.

I think there's a misconception among some about how Piersall "ran the bases backward". Some think that he ran from third base to second to first to home, which of course would have invalidated the home run. Obviously, as the famous photo indicates, he touched the bases in the proper order, but was facing in the opposite direction as he was running.

I don't think I've ever seen video of him doing that. Does it actually exist?

[Benjamin Grimm]

At the time of his death, Jimmy Piersall was the fourth-oldest living Met.

Hillman, Darius Dutton (Dave)	September 14, 1927	89 years, 263 days
Thomas, Frank Joseph (Frank)	June 11, 1929	87 years, 357 days
Pignatano, Joseph Benjamin (Joe)	August 4, 1929	87 years, 303 days
Piersall, James Anthony (Jimmy)	November 14, 1929	87 years, 201 days
Craig, Roger Lee (Roger)	February 17, 1930	87 years, 106 days
Landrith, Hobart Neal (Hobie)	March 16, 1930	87 years, 79 days
Lary, Frank Strong (Frank)	April 10, 1930	87 years, 54 days
Friend, Robert Bartmess (Bob)	November 24, 1930	86 years, 191 days
Mays, Willie	May 6, 1931	86 years, 28 days
Marshall, Rufus James (Jim)	May 25, 1931	86 years, 9 days
Sherry, Norman Burt (Norm)	July 16, 1931	85 years, 323 days
Bressoud, Edward Francis (Ed)	May 2, 1932	85 years, 32 days
Taylor, Samuel Douglas (Sammy)	February 27, 1933	84 years, 96 days
Altman, George Lee (George)	March 20, 1933	84 years, 75 days
Hicks, William Joseph (Joe)	April 7, 1933	84 years, 57 days
Charles, Edwin Douglas (Ed)	April 29, 1933	84 years, 35 days
Green, Elijah Jerry (Pumpsie)	October 27, 1933	83 years, 219 days
Hunter, Willard Mitchell (Willard)	March 8, 1934	83 years, 87 days
MacKenzie, Kenneth Purvis (Ken)	March 10, 1934	83 years, 85 days
Daviault, Raymond Joseph Robert (Ray)	May 27, 1934	83 years, 7 days

Moving into the top 20 is Felix Mantilla, age 82 years, 309 days.

[Frayed Knot]

Maybe the real mystery to that HR, as per Gary's comment yesterday, is how Piersall was able to pull off that move without big 'ol hard-ass Dallas Green, the pitcher for that AB, tackling
and then pummeling Piersall en route.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Some think that he ran from third base to second to first to home, which of course would have invalidated the home run. Obviously, as the famous photo indicates, he touched the bases in the proper order, but was facing in the opposite direction as he was running.

I thought it was improper order until the late 90's, forget how I was set straight.
Maybe it was on Mofo.

Frayed Knot wrote: Piersall was able to pull off that move without big 'ol hard-ass Dallas Green, the pitcher for that AB

Don't think I ever knew the homer was off Dallas, makes it even funnier.

[G-Fafif]

Dallas's reaction, from his memoir:

“I was pissed off by his antics. I stalked him as he rounded the bases, swearing up a storm.”

Synergy between the Mets who ran backwards dying on a day the current Mets keep going backwards explored here.

[Edgy MD]

Even teammate Tim Harkness seems to have lost his patience. Little recalled is that Carl Willey was throwing what would ultimately be a two-hit shutout.



He's shown rounding third at right, as coach Ernie White, third baseman (and also recently deceased) Ruben Amaro, and umpire Vinnie Smith stare in apparent disbelief. On the left, he's shown kicking at a Yankee fan who went after him, as an NYPD blue is torn between his love of duty and his fear of spikes

[fimg=750]http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.72906.1313825515!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/gallery_1200/gal-hated-piersall-jpg.jpg[/fimg]

Why would a fan go after him? Because Yankee fans hated him, owing back to a brawl with Billy Martin. It's easy to forget that Billy Martin was a folk hero (and popular with young ladies) because he was a little battler, and they saw him as a victim. The fact that he started most of his brawls was a lost point. Here he sends a knee into Piersall's solar plexus.

[fimg=400]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ff/13/35/ff1335b1b6ea4f9437a8c9937e9f8396.jpg[/fimg]

He took his own team's part as a bench-jockey. Is he here riding the other team's pitcher to help his team out? Perhaps riding an ump for squeezing his pitcher?

Nope, he's riding the official scorer for crediting Rod Kahehl with an error.



And lest it be forgotten, he sported movie star good looks. He was a rare ballplayer who was better looking than the actor who played him. He could have been a Cuban bandleader with that chin.

[G-Fafif]

Tim Harkness was not ready to embrace Jimmy Piersall, per his conversation with the ever curious Nick Diunte.

“He hit one of those Chinese home runs in the old Polo Grounds,” he said. “He hit it about 285 feet. When he got to first base, he turned around and started running backwards. When he rounded third, I said to myself, ‘Should I kick him in the ass?’ When he came to the plate, I just stood there with the bat just like a statue and just watched him do it. As soon as he touched home plate, the umpire said, “Home run and you’re gone!” He threw him out of the ballgame for making a travesty of the game so to speak.”

Piersall wasn't ejected, just as he wasn't released the next day, which is how it's often told. But I don't doubt Harkness debated the ass-kicking he wanted to give his teammate.

[Guest Mets Willets Point]

One of the all time great Nutmeggers in baseball. RIP.

[Benjamin Grimm]

There's an in-print paperback edition of Fear Strikes Out available on Amazon.com for $17.93.

These versions look more interesting:


$29.95


$500.00