Jackie Hayes (second baseman)

Summary

Minter Carney "Jackie" Hayes (July 19, 1906 – February 9, 1983) was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball player for the Washington Senators (1927–1931) and Chicago White Sox (1932–1940).

Jackie Hayes
Second baseman
Born: (1906-07-19)July 19, 1906
Clanton, Alabama, U.S.
Died: February 9, 1983(1983-02-09) (aged 76)
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 5, 1927, for the Washington Senators
Last MLB appearance
August 29, 1940, for the Chicago White Sox
MLB statistics
Batting average.265
Home runs20
Runs batted in493
Teams
Hayes 1934 Goudey baseball card.

Early life and career edit

Hayes was born in Clanton, Alabama. The right-handed graduate of the University of Alabama made his debut on August 5, 1927. In his first full season, he batted a solid .276 with 2 home runs and 57 RBIs in 424 at bats. From there, Hayes went on to be a contributing part of the Senators in the late 1920s, and then the White Sox through the '30s. In his career, he was in the top five in sacrifice hits twice.

Baseball career highlights edit

In a 14-season career, he batted .265 with 20 homers and 493 runs batted in, in 1091 games. He accumulated 34 stolen bases, 494 runs, 196 doubles and a .318 on-base percentage. He had 1069 career hits in 4040 at bats.

He became the first player in Major League Baseball to wear a batting helmet during a game.[1][2]

Later life edit

During Spring training 1940, Hayes lost sight in one of his eyes, and legend has it that this was after a piece of cinder hit him in the eye during a game.[3][4][5] Hayes was quoted at the time as both thinking a cinder had infiltrated his eye, and that he must have gotten soap in his right eye, but it was actually glaucoma.[1][6] He later lost sight in both eyes. Hayes died at age 76 in Birmingham, Alabama, and was interred at Clanton's cemetery.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Plott, Bill (April 30, 1972). "Jackie Hayes Still Counting Blessings". news.google.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  2. ^ Lukas, Paul (April 22, 2015). "Uni Watch: History of headgear in MLB". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Holtzman, Jerome (July 2, 1985). "Comiskey Echoes Past". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  4. ^ McKenna, Brian (2007). Early Exits: The Premature Endings of Baseball Careers. Scarecrow Press. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-8108-5858-9. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  5. ^ Hill, David (March 28, 2017). "White Sox History: Jackie Hayes Gets Cinder in Eye During Game". Call to the Pen. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  6. ^ Corbett, Warren. "Jackie Hayes – Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

External links edit

  • Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference
  • Jackie Hayes at Find a Grave  
  • Interview with Jackie Hayes by Eugene Murdock, August 5, 1977, in Clanton, Alabama.