From “Princeton Charlie” Reilly, the first pinch-hitter ever, to today’s pinnacle in pinch-hitting, Lenny Harris, this book enumerates the exploits and records of the best in this craft through the 2001 season. Among the statistics are many anecdotes of their performances.
The decade-by-decade study of pinch-hitting begins in 1892 when it first became permissible to substitute players in major league baseball for reasons other than injury. In addition to focusing on the substitute batters who were the leaders in each era, there are chapters devoted to the characteristics of an effective pinch-hitter, preparation for the job, the impact of the designated hitter, and how a player becomes a pinch-hitter in the first place. The considerable accomplishments and strengths of these players, who for too long have not been given the recognition they deserve, are presented in detail.

Paul Votano is also the author of Tony Lazzeri (2005) and Late and Close: A History of Relief Pitching (2002). He lives in LaGrangeville, New York where he operates his own public relations agency.

Paul Votano
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 213
Bibliographic Info: photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2003
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1588-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8451-5
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction     1

The Makeup of an Effective Pinch-Hitter     3

1876–1899: The Pinch-Hitting Pioneers     14

1900–1909: Pinch-Hitting Begins Developing in Earnest     22

1910–1919: Moose McCormick, the Best Yet Off the Bench     34

1920–1929: Cy Williams Starts Setting Home Run Records     50

1930–1939: Red Lucas, Johnny Frederick and Bing Miller Excel     64

1940–1949: None Better Than a Couple of Joes Named Cronin and Schultz     77

1950–1959: One Extreme—Johnny Mize—to Another—Eddie Gaedel     93

1960–1969: Smoky Burgess and Jerry Lynch Make It an Art Form     111

1970–1979: Manny Mota, Jose Morales and the Designated Hitter Emerge     131

1980–1989: Del Unser, Cliff Johnson and Greg Gross Dominate     149

1990–2002: Lenny Harris, John Vander Wal and Dave Hansen Carry On     160

The Impact of the Designated Hitter     171

Appendix: All-Time Pinch-Hitting Records     179

Notes     191

Bibliography     195

Index     199

“significant detail…a nice choice”—Booklist.