And They Said It Couldn’t Be Done! 75-Year Old Luke Appling Hits A Home Run!

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And They Said It Couldn’t Be Done!

Am I talking about breaking the four-minute mile? Lindberg flying solo across the Atlantic? May be man walking on the moon? How about the Cubs winning the World Series? Nope, none of these. Those are “kid’s stuff”!

I’m talking about a 75-year old hitting a home run in a major league ball park! Now that’s a REAL accomplishment!

And yet, it happened back in 1982 when Luke Appling stepped up to the plate in an Old-Timers’ game against Warren Spahn at RFK stadium, July 19, 1982 (see video below). Here’s a few words about Appling’s great Hall-of-Fame career:

There’s no doubt Luke Appling was a star, even if he’s been somewhat overlooked with the passage of time. Teammate Eddie Lopat once called him the best shortstop both offensively and defensively he ever saw.

Appling played his entire 20-year career (1930-1950), interrupted by WWII, as a shortstop for the White Sox. Over his career, “Old Aches and Pains” hit .310 with 2749 hits, 1319 runs, 440 doubles, 102 triples, 1116 RBIs, and 179 stolen bases. One of the game’s best lead-off hitters during his era, he topped the .400 on-base percentage mark eight times. The seven-time All-Star walked 1302 times against only 528 strikeouts in 10254 plate appearances, while compiling a remarkable .399 career on-base percentage.

“Luscious Luke” had one of the greatest offensive seasons ever recorded by a shortstop in 1936. His .388 average led the American League, the first time ever for a shortstop, also the highest average by a shortstop in the 20th century. He collected 204 hits, with 124 RBIs, 111 runs, a remarkable .474 on-base percentage, plus a White Sox record 27-game hitting streak. In 1943, he won his second batting title while hitting .328.

At the time of his retirement, Luke Appling was the all-time leader for most games played and double plays by a shortstop; and the American League leader for putouts and assists, records later broken by Luis Aparacio.

Appling was famous for an ability to foul off pitches, leading to the story that he once purposely fouled off 10 pitches in a row because ownership refused to give some baseballs to autograph seekers. Appling had a well-earned reputation throughout the league for complaining about minor ailments, which earned him the great baseball moniker: “Old Aches and Pains.”

After his playing days ended, Appling was a successful minor league manager, winning pennants in the Southern Association and the American Association; and was named minor league Manager of the Year in 1952. He was later a coach for the Indians, Tigers, Orioles, Athletics, White Sox, and Braves and was still active in the game until 1991.

In 1970, the Chicago chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America named Appling the greatest player in White Sox history. Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book “The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.” He was a finalist for the Major League All-Century team; and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964. His #4 has been retired by the White Sox.

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: All from Google search, and You Tube

Information: Excerpts edited from the Luke Appling Wikipedia page.

Check out my two books, both now available on Amazon in e-book and paperback:  “Paul Pryor in His Own Words: The Life and TImes of a 20-Year Major League Umpire”and “Memorable World Series Moments.” All profits go to the Illinois Veterans Foundation