Sunday, March 15, 2009

#588 Lenny Green

Photobucket
It's not every day that you see a Red Sox player in pinstripes, but as you've probably guessed, Lenny Green was a late pickup by Boston. He's something of an oddity, in that the team whose uniform he's actually wearing (the Twins) was three teams ago by the time the card was printed! Minnesota dealt him to the Angels in July of 1964, and Baltimore picked him up that September. On the verge of the 1965 season, the BoSox purchased his contract. It's enough to make your head spin.

Fun facts about Lenny Green:

-Signed with the Orioles as an amateur free agent in 1955.

-Hit above .300 in three straight minor league stops, 1955-1957.

-Tripled off of Cleveland's Mike Garcia for his first major league hit.

-His first home run of 1959 was a two-run, inside-the-park job that gave the Birds a 2-1 lead over the Yankees. Baltimore would go on to win 3-2.

-In 1959, the Orioles traded him to the Senators in the middle of a series between the teams. In 1964, the O's reacquired him from the Angels, again in the midst of a series between the two.

-Stole a career-high 21 bases (third-best in the A.L.) as a part-timer with the 1960 Senators, and hit .294 in 330 at-bats.

-When the club moved from D.C. to Minnesota in 1961, Green was their starting center fielder for two full seasons. Reached career bests with 97 runs, 33 doubles, 14 home runs, 63 RBI, and 88 walks in 1962.

-Set a Twins record with a 24-game hitting streak in 1961, a mark that wasn't broken until 1980 when Ken Landreaux hit safely in 31 straight games.

-Played just six games with his hometown Detroit Tigers in 1968, ending his 12-year career as a .267 hitter.
#588 Lenny Green (back)

2 comments:

  1. What is that object in the back right of the photo?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have no earthly idea, Andy...it looks like a bust of Sam the Eagle, doesn't it?

    ReplyDelete