That's a full life, but it's always a little sad when we lose the old timers. It's even a little sadder when it happens right on the cusp of a new season. Boys of summer indeed.
Duke Snider was part of the 1955 Brooklyn championship team along with other legendary Dodgers players like Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Carl Erskine, and Johnny Podres. Sandy Koufax and Tommy Lasorda were also part of that team. The club was managed by Walter Alston.
Mr Snider hit .309 with 42 home runs and 136 RBI for the championship season. He finished second in the MVP voting in 1955. It's said that he missed out by one ballot that had teammate Campanella listed twice. Rather than disallow the ballot, the BBWAA accepted it with the second Campanella vote left blank.
Mr Snider played for the Dodgers from 1947 through 1962. He hit .295 for his career, with 407 home runs and 1,333 RBI. He was a 2-time World Series champion, in 1955 and 1959, and played for the title four other times. He was an 8 time All Star, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 with 86% of the vote. His #4 was retired by the Dodgers in 1980 as well.
Mr Snider is still the all time home run leader for the Dodgers, with 389. He hit 316 of those out of Brooklyn and the rest after the Dodgers franchise moved to LA. Mr Snider played for the Mets in 1963 and hit 14 home runs. His final year was 1964, when he hit his final 4 homers while playing for the Giants in SF.
Edwin Donald Snider (19 Sept 1926 - 27 Feb 2011)
The Duke of Flatbush
"If Cooperstown is calling, it's no fluke. They'll be with Willie, Mickey, and the Duke."
From the song Talkin' Baseball by Terry Cashman
