Unfortunately, one incident can define your life. Just ask Bill Buckner.
Gil McDougald, who died Nov. 28 at the age of 82, was a solid player for the juggernaut Yankees teams of the 1950s, averaging 14 home runs, 76 RBIs, and .276/.356/.410 for 10 seasons. He was Rookie of the Year in 1951, a five-time All-Star, and finished among the top 20 MVP vote-getters five times.
But he’ll always be known as the batter who hit Indians pitcher Herb Score in the face with a line drive, effectively destroying a promising career. Ironically, according to the Richard Goldstein obituatry in The New York Times, “an old baseball injury overshadowed his life.
“Like Score, he had been victimized by a line drive, this one hit by Yankees outfielder Bob Cerv during batting practice before a game in August 1955. McDougald, who was standing near second base, was struck in the ear. He missed only a few games, but he gradually began to lose his hearing.”
Len Berman paid tribute to the Yankees’ infielder, including this video from the old Phil Silvers Show, featuring MacDougald and teammates Phil Rizzuto, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra (who, of course, got the best lines), along with Yankees owner Dan Topping.
I wonder how much McDougald, et al got paid for that. Couldn’t have been too taxing.
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