#21 Don Blasingame

After a false start, we're back to my trade with Don. The next card is a player named Don - what are the odds? I think I actually like this Senators hat, with the red "W" and piping on navy, rather than the white-on-red or white-on-navy that the Nationals went with in the mid-2000s. Don Blasingame certainly wears it well, anyhow.

Fun facts about Don Blasingame:

-A native Mississippian, Don signed with the Cardinals in 1953.

-Replaced Red Schoendienst as the Cards' everyday second baseman in 1956, his rookie season.

-One of his St. Louis teammates in 1956-1957 was his future father-in-law, catcher Walker Cooper!

-Had one of his most productive seasons in 1957, hitting .271 with career highs of 8 home runs and 58 RBI, 21 steals, and 108 runs scored.

-Was an All-Star in 1958, when he hit .274 with 20 steals and 10 triples.

-Was one of the hardest batters to double up in baseball history; he grounded into one double play per 123 at-bats, second all-time behind Don Buford.

-His .289 average and 26 doubles in 1959 were personal bests.

-Four times in his career, Don collected his team's only hit in a game; Cesar Tovar and Eddie Milner hold the record with five such hits each.

-Spent parts of twelve seasons (1955-1966) in the majors with the Cardinals, Giants, Reds, Senators, and Athletics, hitting .258.

-Extended his career in Japan, playing, coaching, and managing from 1967-1982.

-"Blazer" died of heart failure in Fountain Hills, AZ in 2005; he was 73.