Lou Brock

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{{Mlbretired |bgcolor1=#c41e3a |bgcolor2=white |textcolor1=white |textcolor2=black |name=Lou Brock |position=Outfielder |image=MajorLeagueBaseball.png |bats=Left |throws=Left |debutdate=September 10 |debutyear=1961 |debutteam=Chicago Cubs |finaldate=September 30 |finalyear=1979 |finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals |stat1label=Batting average |stat1value=.293 |stat2label=Home runs |stat2value=149 |stat3label=RBI |stat3value=900 |teams=

|highlights=

Louis Clark "Lou" Brock (born June 18, 1939, El Dorado, Arkansas) is an American former player in Major League Baseball.

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An Impact Player

Lou Brock was a left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1960s and 1970s. He batted and threw left-handed, breaking into the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs in 1961 and later traded to the Cardinals during the 1964 season. Brock was traded to the Cardinals for pitcher Ernie Broglio. To this day, the trade is considered by Cubs fans to be the worst in franchise history. His last season of play was 1979. He batted .293 in 19 seasons, amassing a total of 3021 hits.

Template:MLB HoF Blessed with great speed and baserunning instincts, Brock helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1964 and 1967, defeating the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, respectively, before a Series loss to the Detroit Tigers in 1968.

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Just The Facts And Stats

In 1967, Brock became the first player to steal 50 bases and hit 20 home runs in the same season.

That same year, Brock hit 5 home runs in the first 4 games of the season, becoming the first to do so. It would later be matched by Barry Bonds in 2002 and Chris Shelton in 2006. The odd part is that Brock is not considered a power hitter.

His best batting average was in 1964, when he bated .315, one of 5 years he batted over .300, he was a 6-time National League ALL-STAR, he led the league in runs 2 times (1968 and 1971),led the league in doubles (46 in 1968), and led the league in triples (14 in 1968). He of course led the league in stolen bases 8 times.

Brock held the record for career stolen bases (938) until it was broken by Rickey Henderson. He led the National League in stolen bases seven times, with his best year being 1974 in which he stole 118 bases (a new single-season record, also later broken by Henderson).

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Awards,Honors And Life After Baseball

Brock was named the 1967 National League Babe Ruth award, the 1974 Major League Player Of The Year, the 1975 Roberto Clemente Award, the 1977 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, and the 1979 Hutch Award.

Brock was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. His number 20 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1999, he ranked Number 58 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

After retiring from baseball, Brock prospered as a businessman, especially as a florist in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Lou Brock is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.

Brock is the father of former USC Trojan and NFL player Lou Brock Jr.

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Trivia

Brock was one of only three players to homer over the center field wall at the Polo Grounds. His blast came on June 17, 1962, and would be followed by Hank Aaron's shot the very next day. Joe Adcock was the first to hit a ball over that wall, in 1953.

Brock was also the first player ever to bat in a regular season game in Canada. He led off the April 14, 1969 game against the Montreal Expos at Jarry Park by lining out to second.

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External links

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