Von Hayes

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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. His 1989 season was his best overall statistically, as he was 45 batting runs over the league average and had an 8.5 adjusted WARP3 wins above replacement score (a 9.0 or above is considered Hall of Fame caliber). He also made his only appearance on the All Star team that year.

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 disappointed 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. The Phillies won the game 26-7 over the Mets, at the time the most runs scored in a single game by any Major League team in over 40 years.

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 has managed Minor League teams in South Bend, Modesto, and Midlands, and was California League Manager of the Year in 2004 and Texas League Manager of the Year in 2005. He remains an infamous Philadelphia figure, still generating discussion on Phillies fan message boards, and even inspiring an area lo-fi indie rock band called, naturally, Von Hayes.