Up for auction “St. Louis Cardinals” Stan Musial Hand Signed 10X8 Color Photo ES-8207 Stanley Frank Musial (/ˈmjuːziəl, -ʒəl/; born Stanislaw Franciszek Musial;
November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the
Man", was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and
most consistent hitters in baseball history, Musial spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB),
playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, from
1941 to 1944 and from 1946 to 1963, before becoming a first-ballot inductee
into the Baseball Hall of
Fame in 1969.
He batted .331
over the course of his career and set National League (NL) records for career hits (3,630), runs batted in (1,951), games played (3,026), at bats (10,972), runs scored (1,949) and doubles (725). His 475 career home runs then ranked second in NL history behind Mel Ott's total of 511. A seven-time batting champion, he was
named the National League's
(NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times and was a member
of three World Series championship teams. He
also shares the major league record for the most All-Star Games played
(24) with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Musial was born in Donora, Pennsylvania,
where he frequently played baseball informally or in organized settings, and
eventually played on the baseball team at Donora High
School. Signed to a professional contract by the St. Louis Cardinals
as a pitcher in 1938, Musial was converted into an outfielder
and made his major league debut in 1941. Noted for his unique batting stance,
he quickly established himself as a consistent and productive hitter. In his
first full season, 1942, the Cardinals won the World Series. The following year, he led the NL in six
different offensive categories and earned his first MVP award. He was also
named to the NL All-Star squad for the first time; he appeared in every
All-Star game in every subsequent season he played. Musial won his second World
Series championship in 1944, then missed the 1945 season while serving in the Navy. After completing his
military service, Musial returned to baseball in 1946 and resumed his
consistent hitting. That year he earned his second MVP award and third World
Series title. His third MVP award came in 1948, when he finished one home run
short of winning baseball's Triple Crown. After
struggling offensively in 1959, Musial used a personal trainer to help maintain
his productivity until he decided to retire in 1963. At the time of his
retirement, he held or shared 17 major league records, 29 National League
records, and nine All-Star Game records. In addition to overseeing personal
businesses, including a restaurant, both before and after his playing career,
Musial served as the Cardinals' general manager in
1967, winning the pennant and World Series, then resigning that position. Musial was
selected for the Major League
Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. In February 2011,
President Barack Obama presented Musial with
the Presidential Medal of Freedom,
the highest civilian award that can be bestowed on a person by
the United States government. |