Remembering Killebrew
I was born in the late 50's and became a baseball junkie at a very early age. Getting to watch the Yankees at my grandfathers house, I got to see a lot of AL players. One of my fondest memories is of Harmon Killebrew. The guy looked like he was going to rip the hide off the ball if he hit it. Not very tall, but massive shoulders. I learned later that he grew up on a potato farm in Idaho and gave the credit to lifting bushels of potatoes for his strength. He didn't hit for a high average, but pitchers feared him. Playing in a pitching rich era, he hit home runs more frequently than any others of his time. The ball came off his bat like shot out of a cannon. Every year you knew he was good for 40+ home runs and 100+ RBI.
A 13 time all-star and one time MVP, Killer, as he was called, out did them all back then. Although it took him 4 tries, he was elected to the hall of fame.
Jim Thome reminds me most of Harmon Killebrew. Both had extreme power, but also took a walk when they aren't pitching to you. Both were one dimentional players also, but that didn't cut their value to their teams. 2 of the truly great home run hitters of the last 50 years.
Good bye Harmon and thanks for the memories!
I never got to see Harmon play as I wasn't born until the late 70s. I do however remember watching reruns of Home Run Derby on ESPN as a kid. You could tell that Harmon was a basher and would destroy mistake pitches. My dad echoed similar sentiments that "Killer" was among the most feared hitters of the era. All accounts make him out to be one of the kindest men to ever suit up as well. It's been a rough few months of losing icons and legends of the game!
ReplyDeleteI saw Harmon play and he was absolutely one of the most feared hitters in his time. Nice article, RIP Harmon
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