Al Rosen has been named baseball’s third greatest player of all time, behind only the amazing Sandy Koufax and the awesome slugger, Hank Greenberg. Rosen played a muscular third as the Indians forced a comeback in the Big Ten’s first season. Worthy of a reputation as a tough guy, Al Rosen didn’t back down from anyone, and unlike Jackie Robinson, who hurled a barrage of insults, Al Rosen he does not turn the other cheek. But when Al Rosen missed the Triple Crown in 1953 in one of the worst ways imaginable, he really defended the decision that was being made to his honor.
Born as a bisexual baby in 1924, Al Rosen earned the nickname “Flip” as a softball pitcher when he was a kid. Growing up without a father, Rosen was raised by his mother, aunt, and grandmother, who moved the family to Miami with Al’s three children. Rosen fought asthma as a child, but it didn’t keep him on the field. He enlisted in the Navy after Pearl Harbor and spent time in the Pacific fighting the Japanese. After his release in 1946 he became a member of the Pittsfield Electric, a minor leagueand minor league team He became. leading the league in homers and runs batted in. Now called the “Hebrew Hammer”, Rosen went to Oklahoma City in the Texas League in 1947, where he had the best season in the history of the area He was named MVP. The Indians led him briefly at the end of ’47, but when star Kenny Keltner was established as third baseman, it was two more seasons before Al Rosen got his luck. kansas-city-zoo”>Kansas City of the American Association, where he was named Rookie of the Year. Finally, in 1950, Al Rosen was with the Indians and starting. to the third
It was hard to be Jewish at the time and in baseball, and at times Rosen wanted his name to be less obviously Jewish, to avoid the inevitable insults and comments from players and fans. But Rosen, who had been an amateur boxer and had broken his nose 11 times over the years, did not slow down, defending his heritage at every opportunity. Any anti-Semitic remarks to Rosen were followed by an invitation to settle matters under the stands after the game. Rosen used to cut off the sleeves of his shirt, and let out a huge swelling of his muscles, which alone would be enough for some humiliation. In his first season, in 1950, Rosen led the American League with 37 home runs, the most by a rookie at the time. Al recorded more than 500 consecutive home runs, and if he had taken the role sooner, it is possible he would have had the numbers to gain entry into the Hall of Fame.
1953 was Rosen’s best year, but it still ended the way he left wishing things had gone differently for the rest of his life. Rosen easily led the league in rushing yards, 145 more than Mickey Vernon Washington. Al clocked 43 round trippers, one more than the Athletics’ Gus Zernial. But he lost the title fight to Vernon by one point, as nasty a way as you can imagine. On the final day of the season, in the final inning, Rosen hit an infielder hard at first and grounded out to first, but was called out by umpire Hank Soar for actually hitting but missing first base with his foot. The fight was as close as he could get, and the crew has Soar. Meanwhile, the Padres knew the Senators were playing Rosen and he was hitting .336. Vernon was hitting .337, but his bat time was uncertain, until the matchup became a deliberate decision. He picked off a single after a double and a second strikeout, but kept a run at second to end the game and hit Vernon with the win. batting title. Rosen, for his part, defended Soar’s call, although he was stopped by the Triple Crown. “I called Soar right, and I’m glad he did. I don’t want any presents. Why shouldn’t I sleep at night all winter if I won a batting call that I knew was wrong.” Sports pundits, seeing Rosen rejected by the Senators, made Al Rosen the first consensus MVP of the league.
Rosen hit two home runs and collected five RBI in the 1954 All-Star Game. The Indians ran away with the American League that year, winning 111 games, only to be upset by the Giants in the World Series , where Rosen just hit .250. After a solid 1955, but not as good as the previous five, Rosen began working with his back. Whiplash from car accidents didn’t help matters, and the fans began to advance on him. Al Rosen decided to retire after the 1956 season, and became a new stockbroker. Years later he returned to baseball as an executive, helping to turn around the fortunes of teams like the Yankees and Giants. Rosen was named Performance of the Year with San Francisco in 1987.
His career highs of 192 home runs and 717 runs batted in could have been a much higher career otherwise. In 1980, Al Rosen was inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Rosen used to sit on high holy days, and after Rosen had not been named, willingly. when in the minors, he said this later, after he became a star. “When I was older, I always knew how I wanted to be about myself.
