George Brett
| Birthdate | 5/15/1953 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1973 |
| Year of Induction | 1999 |
| Teams | Royals |
| Position | Third Base |
George Brett is one of 5 players with 3,000 hits, 300 homers, and a .300 average — the others are Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, & Miguel Cabrera.
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The pine tar game was the one of the most memorable of George Brett's career
The pine tar game was the one of the most memorable of George Brett's career
George Brett is remembered today for many things. The 13-time All Star won three batting titles, a Gold Glove Award, three Silver Sluggers and was the 1980 American League Most Valuable Player.
Despite all the accomplishments, the singular moment for which he is best known in the pine tar game.
It happened on July 24, 1983, at at Yankee Stadium. Brett came to bat with two out in the top of the ninth with the Royals down 4-3. He slammed a two-run homer to give Kansas City the lead.
Yankees skipper Billy Martin was lying in wait. Earlier in the season Martin noticed that Brett used pine tar on his bat all the way to the start of the barrel. MLB rules of the time stipulated that the substance could be be affixed on only the first 17 inches of the bat – the width of home plate.
Per the rulebook, the use of an illegal bat results in an automatic out. The Yankee skipper waited until after Brett circled the bases to appeal to home plate umpire Tim McClelland who declared Brett the third out of the ninth, thereby ending the game.
Though the umpires were correct in their application of the rule, Royals’ GM John Schuerholz appealed the decision to American League President Lee MacPhail who overruled the on-field decision. In this letter MacPhail writes about his reasoning and discusses his reluctance to supersede the his umpires’ decision.
Tim McClelland was the home plate umpire for the Pine Tar game on July 24, 1983
Tim McClelland was the home plate umpire for the Pine Tar game on July 24, 1983
George Brett’s singular most memorable moment in the big leagues was the Pine Tar incident. On July 24, 1983, he hit a two-out ninth inning homer off of Hall of Famer Goose Gossage to give the Royals a 5-4 lead.
New York manager Billy Martin appealed the play citing a rule that a foreign substance can extend no more than 17 inches from the knob. Home plate umpire Tim McClelland ultimately ruled Brett out and chaos ensued.
Here are McClelland’s thoughts in which he strongly defends the decision of him and his crew. This provides a besides a behind-the-scenes look into one of the most recognizable plays in the history of the decade.
KC GM John Schuerholz wrote the protest letter to AL President Lee MacPhail
KC GM John Schuerholz wrote the protest letter to AL President Lee MacPhail
After George Brett’s homer was wiped away by the umpires, KC GM John Schuerholz had to file a letter of formal protest. Shown here is a questionnaire in which Schuerholz writes of the protest letter and the events surrounding the Pine Tar game.
Interesting to note that the 9th inning was replayed and that, “Yankee Stadium was virtually empty for an early afternoon, midweek make up…”
Schuerholz was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
AL chief Lee Mac Phail overruled the on-field decision of the umps
AL chief Lee Mac Phail overruled the on-field decision of the umps
Longtime executive Lee MacPhail joined his father in 1998 when he was voted into the Hall of Fame. The pair remains the only father-son duo in Cooperstown.
Shown here is a handwritten reflection from the junior MacPhail about his role in the Pine Tar decision. The focus of the letter is the spirit of the rule. He felt the pine tar did not affect the flight of the ball and therefore allowed the homer to stand.
George Brett won batting titles in three different decades
George Brett won batting titles in three different decades
George Brett played his entire career in Kansas City, making the All Star game 13 consecutive times over the course of his 21-year career.
The only player to earn a batting title in three different decades, Brett is one of the greatest third basemen in the history of the game. A career .305 hitter, Brett averaged a career-high .390 in his MVP year of 1980.
Shown here is a typed letter on Royals letterhead in which Brett shares his favorite quote.
Late in his career, George Brett climbed the MLB leaderboard
Late in his career, George Brett climbed the MLB leaderboard
George Brett’s long and illustrious big league career places him among the game’s greats. With an MVP, batting titles in three different decades and 13 consecutive All Star berths, Brett’s place in baseball history is secure.
His career statistics include 3,154 hits, 317 homers, 1,583 RBI, and a .305 average. Toward the end of his career, he climbed the all-time leaderboard in many categories. Along the way he passed fellow Cooperstown men.
Shown here is the lineup card from the first game of a doubleheader on August 10, 1990. Filled out and signed by Royals manager John Wathan, it features Brett in the three-hole.
George went 4-for-5 with a double, a triple, and four runs batted in. His four base hits put his career total at 2,647; his four RBI elevated his mark to 1,369. Both figures put him ahead of Hall of Famers.
Legendry slugger Jimmie Foxx retired with 2,646 hits, 29th in baseball history at the time. In this game, Brett passed The Beast.
On the RBI side Brett passed former Rookie of the Year and MVP Orlando Cepeda.
Brett continued playing past his 40th birthday in 1993. The games of his final three years often found him statistically passing the game’s greats.
Frank White and George Brett set the AL record for games played as teammates
Frank White and George Brett set the AL record for games played as teammates
George Brett and Frank White joined the Kansas City Royals in 1973 and stayed teammates for nearly two decades. Lifelong Royals, they anchored the infield through the 70s, 80s, and into 1990.
In their final year together, they set the American League record for most games as teammates, reaching 1,914. That mark broke the previous record held by Red Sox stars Dwight Evans and Jim Rice.
The Royals pair held the record for five years. On September 13, 1995, Detroit’s Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker passed them with game number 1,915.
Shown here is a ticket to Tiger Stadium for the game that Trammell and Whitaker passed the Kansas City duo.
Brett was a first-ballot selection for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999
Brett was a first-ballot selection for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999
George Brett was given baseball’s highest honor on July 25, 1999 when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Sunday ceremony included three other immortals, Robin Yount, Nolan Ryan, and Orlando Cepeda. Each of the three played against Brett.
Brett faced Ryan have a long history. The Royals third baseman tallied 115 career plate appearances against him. Nolan faced George more than any other hitter. Brett’s 29 hits off of Ryan are the most Ryan surrendered to any batter. On the plus side of the pitcher’s ledger is the 18 times he struck out Brett – the most he whiffed any hitter.
The 1958 Rookie of the Year and 1966 MVP, Cepeda also overlapped with Brett. In his last productive season in ’73, Cepeda was the designated hitter for the Red Sox. Then in ’74, Cepeda closed out his career as Brett’s Kansas City teammate.
Brett began his career in the bigs the year before Yount broke in. The pair played each other each for the next 20 years before retiring together in 1993. Each was a first-ballot selection for Cooperstown.
Shown here is a lineup card from a historic game in Yount’s career. The September 26, 1991 contest featured Yount in the cleanup spot of Tom Trebelhorn’s Brewers lineup.
In the fourth inning of the game Yount hit a single for his 2,874th hit. The total put Yount one ahead of the great Babe Ruth. Robin signed the card and added the inscription, “PASSED BABE RUTH ON HITS LIST”.
Lineup cards from historic games like this are usually found either in the player’s possession or at the Hall of Fame.
Grew up KC Athletics fan the became a Royals fan. Lucky enough to attend first World Series game ever in KC., game 3, 1980 and game 6 in 85. None of this happens without George Brett.
Miguel Cabrera has nearly 3,100 hits, 500+ homers and a BA over .300.
My son named his son after Nolan and George