Norm Zauchin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norbert Henry Zauchin (November 17, 1929 - January 31, 1999) was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox (1951, 1955-1957) and Washington Senators (1958-1959). He batted and threw right-handed.
A native of Royal Oak, Michigan, Zauchin started his professional career in 1950 with the Double-A Birmingham Barons, where he set a Rickwood Field field record with 35 home runs. But he is best remembered for driving in 10 runs during a major league game.
In a six-season career, Zauchin was a .233 hitter with 50 home runs and 159 RBI in 346 games. His most productive season came in 1955, when he hit .239 with 27 home runs for the Red Sox and finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting, behind Herb Score and Billy Klaus. Zauchin played in 130 games and led AL first basemen in fielding percentage (.995).
On May 27, 1955, Zauchin collected 10 RBI with three home runs and a double in the first five innings of a 16-0 victory over Washington.
Before the 1958 season, Zauchin was traded with Albie Pearson to the Senators for Pete Runnels. Runnels went on to win two batting titles for Boston, in 1960 and 1962, and just miss another by six points in 1958. Zauchin retired in 1959.
Zauchin died in Birmingham, Alabama, after a long illness. He was 69 years old.
[edit] Trivia
- Zauchin hit a home run on State of Maine Day, and was given a caged black bear named Homer. He had no idea what to do with it; eventually the bear was sent to the city zoo in Birmingham, Alabama.
