Фрэнк Фриш: Бейсбол жұлдызы және «Фордхэм жылқысы»

American baseball player and manager (1898–1973)

Frank Francis Frisch (September 9, 1897—March 12, 1973), nicknamed "the Fordham Flash" or "the Old Flash", was an American professional baseball second baseman and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants (1919–1926) and St. Louis Cardinals (1927–1937), and managed the Cardinals (1933–1938), Pittsburgh Pirates (1940–1946), and Chicago Cubs (1949–1951). He is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum. He is tied with Yogi Berra for most World Series doubles at 10 and holds the record for the most World Series hits at 58 for a player who never played for the New York Yankees, exceeded only by Berra and Mickey Mantle.

Born in The Bronx, New York City, Frisch attended Fordham Preparatory School, graduating in 1916. He went on to Fordham University where he continued to star in four sports: baseball, football, basketball, and track. His speed earned him the nickname "the Fordham Flash".

In 1919, Frisch left Fordham to sign with the New York Giants of the National League, moving directly to the majors without playing in the minor leagues. He made an immediate impact, finishing third in the NL in stolen bases and seventh in RBI in 1920, his first full season. Manager John McGraw was so impressed by Frisch that he soon named him team captain, advising him base running and hitting. The Giants played Frisch at both third base and second base early in his career, but by 1923 he was installed as the team's full time second baseman. Frisch batted over .300 in his last six seasons with New York. He was also an expert fielder and a skilled base runner. In 1921, he led the National League with 48 steals, in 1923 in hits, and in 1924 in runs. With Frisch adding his fiery competitiveness to the team, the Giants won the World Series in 1921 and 1922, winning the NL pennant the following two seasons as well. On September 10, 1924, Frisch went 6 for 7 in a 22–1 rout of the Boston Braves at the Polo Grounds. Frisch is tied with Pablo Sandoval for the franchise post season multi hit games record of 15.

After the 1926 season, Frisch was traded—with pitcher Jimmy Ring—to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for star Rogers Hornsby. After an August 1926 loss in which Frisch had missed a sign, costing the Giants a run, McGraw had loudly berated Frisch in front of the team; Frisch responded by leaving the team, and his previously close relationship with McGraw virtually ended. Playing second base for the Cardinals, Frisch appeared in four more World Series (1928, 1930–31, 1934), bringing his career total to eight. He was the driving force of the "Gashouse Gang", the nickname for the Cardinals clubs of the early 1930s, which were built around him to reflect his no holds barred approach. The Cardinals had won only one pennant before Frisch joined the team; the Giants would win the pennant only once in Frisch's nine seasons as the Cards' regular second baseman. Frisch played eleven seasons with the Cardinals. In 1931, he was voted the Most Valuable Player in the National League after batting .311 with 4 home runs, 82 RBI, and leading the League in stolen bases with 28. The 1931 Cardinals also triumphed in the World Series, defeating Connie Mack's defending two time champion Philadelphia Athletics in seven games. Frisch became player manager of the Cardinals in 1933 and was named to the NL's first three All Star teams from 1933 to 1935. In 1934, he managed the Cardinals to another seven game World Series victory—this time over the Detroit Tigers. Frisch finished his playing career in 1937. His career statistics totaled a .316 batting average, still the highest ever for a switch hitter, with 2,880 hits, 1532 runs, 466 doubles, 138 triples, 105 home runs, 728 walks, and 1,244 RBI over 2,311 games. He was difficult to strike out, fanning only 272 times in 9,112 at bats, or once every 33.5 at bats. He also stole 419 bases in his 19 MLB seasons. His hit total stood as the record for switch hitters until Pete Rose surpassed it in 1977. Frisch also hit .300 for his career from both sides of the plate; the only other switch hitter with more than 5,000 at bats with this distinction is fellow Hall of Famer Chipper Jones. Frankie Frisch was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947. After no players had been selected by the writers in the previous two years (the only elections since 1942), the rules were revised to limit eligibility to those players who had retired after 1921; Frisch was among the first four players to benefit from the more reasonable field of candidates. After his retirement as an active player, Frisch continued to manage the Cardinals, but was never able to capture another pennant. Frisch also had managerial stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1940–46) and the Chicago Cubs (1949–51), but without the success he had in St. Louis. Frisch's career ledger as a manager shows a 1,138–1,078 (.514) mark, including the pennant in 1934. He also spent the first two months of the 1949 season as a New York Giants' coach, working under his old double play partner, Leo Durocher, before leaving June 14 to replace Charlie Grimm as manager of the Cubs.