Al Dark

Al Dark

Birthdate	1/7/1922
Death Date	11/13/2014
Debut Year	1946
Year of Induction
Teams	Athletics, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Indians, Padres, Phillies
Positions	Manager, Shortstop, Third Base

The 1948 Rookie of the Year, all star Al Dark finished with 2,089 hits then managed two pennant winners and one World Championship team.

Al Dark was the 1948 Rookie of the Year with the Braves and a three-time all star with the NY Giants

Largely forgotten, Alvin Dark was the 1948 National League Rookie of the Year and a three-time All Star who played 14 years and amassed 2,089 hits. Along the way he also became the first NL shortstop to hit 20 or more homers in a season more than once. His playing career on its own falls short of Co

Al Dark's final All Star game came during the 1954 World Championship season

Former Rookie of the Year Alvin Dark had a dream-like 1954 season. His New York Giants won 97 games as the National League champions. In the World Series they swept the heavily-favored 111-win Cleveland Indians. Dark’s 20-homer campaign in ’54 made baseball history. After hitting 23 the

Al Dark was nicknamed the Swamp Fox for enlisting the SF grounds crew to water down the base paths to slow Maury Wills

While many fans know Al Dark’s nickname is the Swamp Fox, few know of the moniker’s origin. It all happened as skipper of the Giants in a weekend series against Maury Wills and the Dodgers in 1962. Wills was on his way to setting the single-season record for stolen

Al Dark's playing career lasted 14 years; his time as a manager lasted 13 more

As a player Dark is most remembered for his seven years with the New York Giants. Dark reached the All Star game three times from 1951-1954 with New York. He also played for the Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, and Phillies. Each step of the way Dark was productive. He won the 1948 Rookie of the Year with t

As a skipper Al Dark guided teams to two pennants and one World Series title

Though Dark’s San Francisco teams fared well, averaging 91.5 wins during this three seasons, he gained lasting fame as the pilot for Charlie Finley and the Oakland A’s. Originally hired for the 1966 season, Dark left midyear in 1967 only to be rehired in 1974. His second stint, a two-sea

May 29th, 2020 Leave a comment

They tried and tried again. No matter what National League clubs did, they just couldn’t slow down Maury Wills in 1962. Wills’ Dodgers were in their fifth year in Los Angeles and thirsty for another World Series appearance. Winners of the 1959 Fall Classic, the team finished a disappointing fourth in 1960. They climbed to second place in ’61 and seemed poised for a return to the post season in ’62. Wills did his part. The Dodger shortstop was historically great on the bases, swiping 104 bags. To put that into perspective, the last time a National Leaguer stole even half that many was in 1920. No big league team matched Wills’ total in ’62. The Dodger squad had one .300 hitter in batting champ Tommy Davis whose 153 runs batted in led the league. Davis got help from Frank Howard, the only other Dodger to tally 100 RBI. Together they counted on Wills to get aboard and make his way into scoring position. Dodgers and Giants vie for NL supremacy While Wills was on his way to the stolen base record, the Dodgers fought the Giants for the top spot in the NL. Behind Wills, Davis, and the pitching […]