Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, born on April 27, 1896, in Winters, Texas, is celebrated as one of baseball's all-time great second basemen and arguably the greatest right-handed hitter in the sport's history. His early life was marked by personal challenges, including the loss of his father, which propelled his family to relocate and ultimately influenced his passion for baseball, fueled by his mother’s enthusiasm for the game. After struggling initially in minor-league baseball, Hornsby made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals at eighteen. His perseverance and commitment to improving his physical fitness led to remarkable achievements, including winning the National League batting title for six consecutive years and hitting over .400 three times.
Known for both his prowess on the field and his brash personality, Hornsby also had a brief stint as a player-manager, leading the Cardinals to a World Series victory. Despite his success, his outspoken nature often led to conflicts with team management. Following his playing career, he pivoted to coaching and mentoring, sharing his extensive knowledge of the game. Rogers Hornsby passed away on January 5, 1963, leaving behind a legacy defined by his extraordinary skill, work ethic, and a passion for baseball that inspired many.
Rogers Hornsby
Baseball Player
- Born: April 27, 1896
- Birthplace: Winters, Texas
- Died: January 5, 1963
- Place of death: Chicago, Illinois
Sport: Baseball
Early Life
Rogers Hornsby was born April 27, 1896, in Winters, Texas. He was named for his mother, Mary Rogers Hornsby, who, with her husband Edward, operated a farm and cattle ranch. Edward died when Rogers was still a boy, and the family moved to a farm near Austin. Later, they moved to Fort Worth, where Rogers was a standout in school baseball. He was a batboy for one of the local teams, sponsored by a meatpacking company, and the older players sometimes let Rogers practice with them. Rogers’s mother was an early influence on his future. She was an avid baseball fan and encouraged him to pursue a baseball career.
The Road to Excellence
When Rogers was eighteen years old, he began playing minor-league professional baseball. He loved the game, but he was not very good at it. Rogers was barely competent in the field and was so skinny and weak he had to choke way up on the bat. Rogers was supposed to earn ninety dollars a month for playing, but he played so poorly that his team’s owner paid him only sixty dollars. Rogers was intelligent and a quick learner, and the next year, 1915, he entered the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals. His skills still were not up to par, though.
After his first season, the Cardinals’ manager, Miller Huggins, told Rogers that if he did not improve he might be “farmed out”—sent back down to the minor leagues. Rogers was not familiar with baseball slang, though. He took the warning another way and spent the winter on his uncle’s farm, doing strenuous chores, eating big meals, and getting lots of sleep. It worked. He went from 140 to 160 pounds and built up his muscles enough to improve his game. Rogers was a powerful hitter almost from the start of the next season, and he led the National League (NL) in triples in 1917. He was also a competent infielder.
The Emerging Champion
In 1920, when he moved to second base, Rogers really began to show what he could do. He became an excellent defensive player and one of the best hitters the game has ever known. Under the direction of Branch Rickey, the Cardinals’ manager from 1919 to 1925, Rogers gained another 40 pounds of muscle. That gave him the strength he needed to become a power hitter.
From 1920 to 1925, Rogers won the NL batting title every year, a league record. During those same years, he became one of only two men in history to bat more than .400 three times (Ty Cobb is the other man). In 1924, he hit .424, the fifth-highest batting average any player has ever recorded. Twice in his career—in 1922 and 1925—he captured the triple crown by leading the league in batting average, RBI, and home runs. While amassing these amazing batting averages, Rogers led the league in doubles four times, in triples once, in home runs twice, in RBI four times, in runs scored five times, and in hits four times. No one had ever seen hitting like this before. Rogers was named most valuable player in 1925.
In 1925, Cardinals owner Sam Breadon named Rogers player-manager for the team. The Cardinals had finished in last place in 1925 under Branch Rickey, and Breadon decided the team needed a change. Rogers thought Rickey had done a good job, but he agreed to manage the club. That year, the team finished with a winning record. The next year, Rogers led the team to its first pennant in the twentieth century and to victory in the World Series.
Continuing the Story
Although Rogers was always popular with fans and sportswriters because of his brash and colorful way of talking, that same trait made him unpopular with coaches and other players. He could not resist saying what he thought, even if his thoughts were unkind or self-promoting. After the 1926 season, Rogers continued to play well but he did not stay with any one team for long. Sooner or later he would get into an argument with his bosses and be traded.
If he was not careful with his tongue, Rogers was very careful of his eyes and the rest of his body. Throughout his career he tried to avoid straining his eyes. He never attended movies or read on trains because he thought it would adversely affect his eyesight. Rogers also paid close attention to his diet, never drank or smoked, got plenty of rest, and maintained a level of fitness that was not common for ballplayers in those days.
When his playing days were over, Rogers was a manager for several clubs and then was involved behind the camera the first season baseball was televised in Chicago. Rogers had always enjoyed helping other hitters improve their skills, and he used that talent again. He started a baseball school, coached professional players, and taught baseball to Chicago children.
When Rogers was asked late in his career to share his fondest baseball memory, he surprised everyone by choosing the 1926 World Series. In that series, Rogers himself did not play particularly well. He chose that event as his favorite because he appreciated the performance of the whole team. Late in 1962, Rogers entered the hospital for surgery on his eyes. While in the hospital, he suffered a heart attack and died on January 5, 1963.
Summary
Rogers Hornsby was one of the greatest second basemen in history and perhaps baseball’s greatest right-handed hitter. He did not excel because of the natural talent, but because he used his intellect to study hitting and fielding techniques and because he worked hard to maintain superb physical fitness.
Bibliography
Alexander, Charles C. Rogers Hornsby: A Biography. New York: Henry Holt, 1996.
D’Amore, Jonathan. Rogers Hornsby: A Biography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004.
Hunstein, Jim. One, Two, Six, Nine, and Rogers: The Cardinals’ Retired Numbers and the Men Who Wore Them. St. Louis: Stellar Press, 2004.
Rielly, Edward J. Baseball: An Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2005.