Joel Youngblood---1986
Looking at this 1986 card of Joel
Youngblood, he is poised, leaning
against his bat wearing a warm up
jacket and batting glove, ready for
action. His gaze appears to take him
somewhere out to the field, as he
looks for a vacant spot on the
diamond or he just contemplates a
career that saw him average 100
games a season, yet he never really
had a good shot at playing every day
at one position.
But, give him a bat and glove and the
guy filled a hole in a lineup like a
road worker dealing with a pot hole
on a Friday afternoon at 4 o'clock.
Youngblood would meander through
the major leagues for 14 seasons as
he looked for steady work, yet always
found himself moving around the
diamond. During his career
Youngblood would bounce between
the three outfield positions to third
base and second base. Youngblood
was so handy, he even played a little
shortstop, first base and one game
behind the dish.
As we said, he just wanted to play.
Take for example, on August 3,
1982, when Youngblood began a
normal game day in Chicago only to
find himself in the record books by
night's end in Philadelphia.
Youngblood started an afternoon
affair against the Chicago Cubs as
the New York Mets center fielder,
collecting a single in two at bats.
During the course of the game, he
was traded to the Montreal Expos.
Exiting the game in the bottom of the
fourth inning, Youngblood said his
good byes and caught a flight to
Philadelphia.
The no-nonsense player donned an
Expos uniform and replaced Jerry
White in the Montreal outfield in the
sixth inning of the evening Expos-
Phillies match up.
There he collected a single in his
lone at bat; thus he became the first
Major Leaguer in history to get a
base hit for two different teams in two
different cities on the same day.
Coincidentally, he did so against two
future Hall of Famers, as his first hit
of the day came off Chicago’s Fergie
Jenkins; while the second single was
against Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton.
He grabbed All-Star honors for the
strike-shortened '81 season, when
he hit .350 in 43 games. Youngblood
would hit .265 with 80 homers during
a career that took him from Cincinnati
to St. Louis to the Mets and Montreal,
before a steady gig with the Giants
and a return home to Cincinnati for
his final season.
And as we found out on August 4,
1982, all he really wanted to do is
play.
(8/4/08)
Youngblood, he is poised, leaning
against his bat wearing a warm up
jacket and batting glove, ready for
action. His gaze appears to take him
somewhere out to the field, as he
looks for a vacant spot on the
diamond or he just contemplates a
career that saw him average 100
games a season, yet he never really
had a good shot at playing every day
at one position.
But, give him a bat and glove and the
guy filled a hole in a lineup like a
road worker dealing with a pot hole
on a Friday afternoon at 4 o'clock.
Youngblood would meander through
the major leagues for 14 seasons as
he looked for steady work, yet always
found himself moving around the
diamond. During his career
Youngblood would bounce between
the three outfield positions to third
base and second base. Youngblood
was so handy, he even played a little
shortstop, first base and one game
behind the dish.
As we said, he just wanted to play.
Take for example, on August 3,
1982, when Youngblood began a
normal game day in Chicago only to
find himself in the record books by
night's end in Philadelphia.
Youngblood started an afternoon
affair against the Chicago Cubs as
the New York Mets center fielder,
collecting a single in two at bats.
During the course of the game, he
was traded to the Montreal Expos.
Exiting the game in the bottom of the
fourth inning, Youngblood said his
good byes and caught a flight to
Philadelphia.
The no-nonsense player donned an
Expos uniform and replaced Jerry
White in the Montreal outfield in the
sixth inning of the evening Expos-
Phillies match up.
There he collected a single in his
lone at bat; thus he became the first
Major Leaguer in history to get a
base hit for two different teams in two
different cities on the same day.
Coincidentally, he did so against two
future Hall of Famers, as his first hit
of the day came off Chicago’s Fergie
Jenkins; while the second single was
against Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton.
He grabbed All-Star honors for the
strike-shortened '81 season, when
he hit .350 in 43 games. Youngblood
would hit .265 with 80 homers during
a career that took him from Cincinnati
to St. Louis to the Mets and Montreal,
before a steady gig with the Giants
and a return home to Cincinnati for
his final season.
And as we found out on August 4,
1982, all he really wanted to do is
play.
(8/4/08)
