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Just a few brief moments today from the land of the Giants, regarding the baseball team that played at the Polo Grounds. When seventeen-year-old Mel Ott made his major league debut as a pinch hitter for the New York Giants on April 27, 1926, third baseman Freddie Lindstrom, who was twenty years of age, already had two major league seasons under his belt. Although Ott saw limited action for New York in 1926, he remained with the squad throughout the entire season since pilot John McGraw feared allowing a minor league manager to have any influence on the youngster’s development.
During one game that season when Freddie Lindstrom occupied first base, Mel Ott walked up to the plate and caught hold of an offering that landed safely in the outfield. Believing that the blast was good for two bases, Mel continued running with his head down and slid into second base. Ott kicked up a huge cloud of dust as he reached the keystone sack before the baseball had been returned from the outfield.
As Mel beamed with pride, someone tapped his foot. It was teammate Freddie Lindstrom, who was also standing on second base, since he could only advance one station after waiting to make sure the opposing outfielder would not catch Ott’s drive. Lindstrom stared down patiently at his teammate who was still on the ground, exhibiting wariness in his voice before he finally addressed Mel.
“Lad, that was a nice hit and a real fine slide,” said Lindstrom, “but one of us is out.”
Infielder Andy Cohen also made his major league debut for the New York Giants in 1926. After spending the 1927 campaign in the minors, Cohen became New York’s starting second baseman in 1928 and 1929 when Rogers Hornsby was traded to the Boston Braves. During a Giants spring training session one of the two seasons that Andy held down that position, high winds wreaked havoc on the player’s defensive equilibrium, causing him to miss three pop flies. When Cohen finally finished his session in the field, he ran into the dugout and approached manager John McGraw.
“What kind of winds are them?” asked Cohen sheepishly.
“Them are trade winds,” responded McGraw, “and they’re blowing you to Minneapolis tomorrow.”
There never was a dull moment in the world of Giants, thanks to youngsters such as Freddie Lindstrom, Mel Ott, and Andy Cohen who did their best to keep the mood light.
-Author Ronald T. Waldo
I’m 89 years old . I’ve been a Giants fan since 1947. Johnny Mize was my hero. Big John Mize ,like Mel Ott made right field his playground. Both sluggers used the short right field fence to huge advantage .I once saw Mize ,playing an exhibition game in Dallas ,Texas hit a ball so hard it bounced off the right field wall and was fielded by the second baseman and nearly threw out Mize at first. What memories my giants gave me. Willie Mays ,Leo Durocher,Whity Lockman,Eddie Stanky and my gosh Alvin Dark. I could go on and on!,
Great observations, Gene, thanks for checking in. Pleasse stay in touch!