Hank Sauer

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Henry John (Hank) Sauer (March 17, 1917 - August 24, 2001) was a left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1941 through 1959, Sauer played for the Cincinnati Reds (1941-42, 1945, 1948-49), Chicago Cubs (1949-55), St. Louis Cardinals (1956), New York Giants (1957) and San Francisco Giants (1958-59). He batted and threw right-handed.

In a 15-season career, Sauer was a .266 hitter with 288 home runs and 876 RBI in 1399 games.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sauer started his majors career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1941, and was traded to the Chicago Cubs in the 1949 midseason.

A two-time All-Star, Sauer was a feared slugger for the Cubs in the early 1950s, hitting over 30 home runs in six seasons, with a career-high 41 in 1954 -during those days long before steroids came along. His most productive season came in 1952, when he led the National League in home runs (37)and RBI (121), and was named the Most Valuable Player.

During a time when the Cubs were especially moribund, Sauer provided some joy for Cubs fans with his power-hitting. He was well-known for using smokeless tobacco, and it has often been reported that after he hit a home run, when he returned to his left field position, bleacher fans might shower him with packets of his favorite chew.

Sauer was not especially fleet afoot. Chicago columnist and lifelong Cubs fan Mike Royko used to say that, in contrast to the 1950 "Whiz Kids" Phillies National League champions, the Cubs outfield of guys like Sauer, Frankie Baumholtz and Ralph Kiner were called the "Quicksand Kids".

In 1955, Sauer tried to hold out for a bigger contract for the Cubs, but was released. A year later, he played with the Cardinals and finished with the Giants in 1959. He then retired to the woods of Wisconsin where he lived off the land and tried to carve Mount Rushmore replications out of rock formations...poorly.

Sauer died in Burlingame, California at age of 84.

[edit] See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time

[edit] External links

• Baseball Reference - Career statistics
• The Deadball Era

Preceded by Roy Campanella	National League Most Valuable Player 1952	Succeeded by Roy Campanella
Preceded by Ralph Kiner	National League Home Run Champion 1952 (with Ralph Kiner)	Succeeded by Eddie Mathews
Preceded by Monte Irvin	National League RBI Champion 1952	Succeeded by Roy Campanella