Ken Harrelson went on to a professional golf career after his playing days ended. If you'd have asked me about a successful baseball player-turned-golfer, I'd have said Ralph Terry.
Harrelson faced Terry 12 times at the dish, and didn't come away with much. Ralph held 'em to just a .167 (2-12) batting average, 2 hits (Both singles) and no RBIs or runs scored. Terry made it to 5 PGA tour events, missing the cut in all of them. But Terry won a World Series in 1961 and 1962, while Harrelson had to settle for just an appearance in 1967, which his team lost.
Harrelson got into some trouble while with Kansas in 1967, and got him on the World Series-bound Boston Red Sox. The Athletics released him on August 25th, 1967. But fate came calling. Boston had lost their star rightfielder Tony Conigliaro one week before that when he was beamed by California's Jack Hamilton.
Tony would not be back until 1969, and meanwhile, destiny called "Hawk".
Harrelson showed up to Boston, and Boston signed him three days after his release. He made an immediate impact in his first game in a Red Sox uniform.
In the top of the second of a game August 29th, 1967, he stepped up to the dish against the Yankees and hit a home run. The Red Sox, up 2-0, eventually lost the game in 20 innings to the Yankees, but guess who'd found a home?
While he hit only .200 in the 24 games he got into, he made a huge impact. He drove in 13 runs, and helped drive Boston to the pennant that year, picking up the slack from Carl Yastrzemski and George Scott. Boston also added veteran Yankee catcher Elston Howard earlier that season, an old battery mate of Ralph Terry.
Harrelson didn't do much in the World Series, however, getting into just four games, including the last three contest. Ken hit just .077, and Boston lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Hawk was needed the next season, and he really came through for Boston. He drove in a league-leading 109 runs, hit 35 home runs, and batted .275. But when Tony C. returned in 1969, Ken was traded just ten games into the season, ending a short but memorable stay. Red Sox fans had grown to love him. Alas, Harrelson wouldn't be around much longer.
He went to Cleveland, and while he hit 27 home runs (Giving him a very respectable total of 77), his batting average dipped to just .222 despite 84 RBIs. Two years later, he was retired. But that didn't stop Ken from taking some cuts. Or should I say, making some.
He turned to pro golf, and had quite a round one time. Having been released by the Indians in early 1971, he had only a little bit of time to prepare, but he made it to two PGA Tour events, shooting poorly in the August events. The next year, Ken made it to the British Open, but shot 75 and 78 in the first two rounds, missing the cut.
In 1980, after an absence of 7 years, Harrelson gave the PGA another try. At the Plesant Valley Jimmy Fund Classic, he shot an opening round 68. He slumped to a 72 in the second round, and didn't contend the rest of the way. He made the cut, however. He ended up shooting 293 in four rounds, ending it at +9. Ken played in just one more PGA event before he moved on to broadcasting.
Ken wasn't the best baseball player or golfer around, but he sure could swing. He always entertained, ask fans of the Chicago White Sox! He's not the colour commentator, but he sure is colourful!
References
Anderson, Dave. "Four For The Money." Pennant Races: Baseball At Its Best. New York: Doubleday, 1994. Print. pp. 289-323.
"DatabaseGolf.com - Golf Statistics, Awards, and History." DatabaseGolf.com - Golf Statistics, Awards, And History. Roto Sports, Inc., 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2016. <http://www.databasegolf.com/>
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print. pp. 459-466.
Golenbock, Peter. Fenway: An Unexpurgated History of the Boston Red Sox. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1992. Print. pp. 299-304.
"Ken Harrelson." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 17 Nov. 2016. Web. 13 December. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Harrelson>
"Ken Harrelson - Official Profile." PGATour. PGA Tour, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016. <http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.11660.html>
"Ralph Terry - Official Profile." PGATour. PGA Tour, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016. <http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.05600.html>
"Ralph Terry." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 15 July. 2016. Web. 13 December. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Terry>
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
Harrelson faced Terry 12 times at the dish, and didn't come away with much. Ralph held 'em to just a .167 (2-12) batting average, 2 hits (Both singles) and no RBIs or runs scored. Terry made it to 5 PGA tour events, missing the cut in all of them. But Terry won a World Series in 1961 and 1962, while Harrelson had to settle for just an appearance in 1967, which his team lost.
Harrelson got into some trouble while with Kansas in 1967, and got him on the World Series-bound Boston Red Sox. The Athletics released him on August 25th, 1967. But fate came calling. Boston had lost their star rightfielder Tony Conigliaro one week before that when he was beamed by California's Jack Hamilton.
Tony would not be back until 1969, and meanwhile, destiny called "Hawk".
Harrelson showed up to Boston, and Boston signed him three days after his release. He made an immediate impact in his first game in a Red Sox uniform.
In the top of the second of a game August 29th, 1967, he stepped up to the dish against the Yankees and hit a home run. The Red Sox, up 2-0, eventually lost the game in 20 innings to the Yankees, but guess who'd found a home?
While he hit only .200 in the 24 games he got into, he made a huge impact. He drove in 13 runs, and helped drive Boston to the pennant that year, picking up the slack from Carl Yastrzemski and George Scott. Boston also added veteran Yankee catcher Elston Howard earlier that season, an old battery mate of Ralph Terry.
Harrelson didn't do much in the World Series, however, getting into just four games, including the last three contest. Ken hit just .077, and Boston lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Hawk was needed the next season, and he really came through for Boston. He drove in a league-leading 109 runs, hit 35 home runs, and batted .275. But when Tony C. returned in 1969, Ken was traded just ten games into the season, ending a short but memorable stay. Red Sox fans had grown to love him. Alas, Harrelson wouldn't be around much longer.
He went to Cleveland, and while he hit 27 home runs (Giving him a very respectable total of 77), his batting average dipped to just .222 despite 84 RBIs. Two years later, he was retired. But that didn't stop Ken from taking some cuts. Or should I say, making some.
He turned to pro golf, and had quite a round one time. Having been released by the Indians in early 1971, he had only a little bit of time to prepare, but he made it to two PGA Tour events, shooting poorly in the August events. The next year, Ken made it to the British Open, but shot 75 and 78 in the first two rounds, missing the cut.
In 1980, after an absence of 7 years, Harrelson gave the PGA another try. At the Plesant Valley Jimmy Fund Classic, he shot an opening round 68. He slumped to a 72 in the second round, and didn't contend the rest of the way. He made the cut, however. He ended up shooting 293 in four rounds, ending it at +9. Ken played in just one more PGA event before he moved on to broadcasting.
Ken wasn't the best baseball player or golfer around, but he sure could swing. He always entertained, ask fans of the Chicago White Sox! He's not the colour commentator, but he sure is colourful!
References
Anderson, Dave. "Four For The Money." Pennant Races: Baseball At Its Best. New York: Doubleday, 1994. Print. pp. 289-323.
"DatabaseGolf.com - Golf Statistics, Awards, and History." DatabaseGolf.com - Golf Statistics, Awards, And History. Roto Sports, Inc., 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2016. <http://www.databasegolf.com/>
Golenbock, Peter. Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary, 2000. Print. pp. 459-466.
Golenbock, Peter. Fenway: An Unexpurgated History of the Boston Red Sox. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1992. Print. pp. 299-304.
"Ken Harrelson." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 17 Nov. 2016. Web. 13 December. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Harrelson>
"Ken Harrelson - Official Profile." PGATour. PGA Tour, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016. <http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.11660.html>
"Ralph Terry - Official Profile." PGATour. PGA Tour, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2016. <http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.05600.html>
"Ralph Terry." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 15 July. 2016. Web. 13 December. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Terry>
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment