Von Hayes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Von Francis Hayes (born August 31, 1958 in Stockton, California) was a Major League Baseball player from 1981 to 1992 for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, and California Angels. Hayes was originally acquired by the Phillies in a then-controversial and infamous "five-for-one" trade with the Indians in exchange for Manny Trillo, George Vukovich, Jay Baller, Jerry Willard, and Julio Franco. Hayes's best season came in 1986 with the Phillies when he hit 19 home runs, had 98 Runs Batted In and hit for a .305 batting average. There were many rumors during the 1989 season that the New York Mets were interested in acquiring Hayes in a trade for Lenny Dykstra but the Mets instead traded Dykstra for Juan Samuel, a move that disppointed Mets fans as Samuel failed to continue his hitting form.
On June 11, 1985 Von Hayes became the first player in MLB history to hit two home runs in the first inning of a baseball game, one of which was a grand slam.
He also was the inspiration for one of ESPN announcer Chris Berman's most famous "Bermanisms": Von "Purple" Hayes, a nod to the Jimi Hendrix song "Purple Haze".
Hayes remains an infamous Philadelphia figure, still generating discussion on Phillies fan message boards, and even inpsiring an area lo-fi indie rock band called, naturally, Von Hayes.
| Preceded by Kevin McReynolds |
National League Player of the Month April, 1989 |
Succeeded by Will Clark |
