Jim Hickman (baseball player)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jim Hickman | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Outfielder | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 14, 1962 for the New York Mets | |
| Final game | |
| July 14, 1974 for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Career statistics | |
| AVG | .252 |
| HR | 159 |
| RBI | 560 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Jim Hickman (born James Lucius Hickman on May 10, 1937 in Henning, Tennessee) is a former Major League Baseball player.
An outfielder who batted and threw right-handed, Hickman played for the New York Mets (1962-1966), Los Angeles Dodgers (1967), Chicago Cubs (1968-73) and St. Louis Cardinals (1974).
Hickman was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent prior to the 1956 season. He spent six seasons in the Cardinals’ farm system until he was selected by the New York Mets in the expansion draft. In his five seasons with the Mets, with whom he played 624 games, Hickman batted .241 with 60 home runs with 210 RBI.
Hickman has three places in Mets history. He was the first Met to hit for the cycle, against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 7, 1963. A month later, on September 18, he hit the last ever home run at the Polo Grounds, a solo against Chris Short of the Philadelphia Phillies in a 5-1 Mets' loss, in the final game ever played at that stadium. Hickman was also the first Met to hit three home runs in one game, on September 3, 1965, in a 6-3 road victory over the Cardinals. All three home runs were hit off Ray Sadecki.
Perhaps the best season of Hickman’s career was 1970 while with the Cubs. He batted .315 with 162 hits, 33 doubles, 32 home runs, 115 runs batted in, 102 runs scored and 93 walks—all career highs which won him the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award. He also made his only All-Star appearance at the newly opened Riverfront Stadium where, in the 12th inning, his RBI single drove in Pete Rose for the winning run, Rose barreling over Cleveland Indian catcher Ray Fosse to score the run. The winning hit came off fellow Tennessee native Clyde Wright; coincidentally, Wright would be named American League Comeback Player of the Year that same 1970 season. In another coincidence, the game's winning pitcher was also a Tennessee native - Claude Osteen.
In his 13-year career, Hickman batted .252 with 159 home runs and 560 RBIs in 1421 games played.
[edit] Trivia
- Hickman helped rookie relief pitcher Earl Stephenson earn his first big league win by hitting a 2-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning against the San Diego Padres. Stephenson had given up a run in the top of the 10th. {Wrigley Field -- May 16, 1971 (1)}
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Tommie Agee |
NL Comeback Player of the Year 1970 |
Succeeded by Al Downing |
Categories: Living people | 1937 births | People from Tennessee | Major league players from Tennessee | National League All-Stars | Chicago Cubs players | New York Mets players | Los Angeles Dodgers players | St. Louis Cardinals players | Major league outfielders | Major league first basemen | Baseball players who have hit for the cycle
