The Race to .400

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

In today’s game, batting averages are in the back of the bus, when it comes to hitting. It is all about the launch angle and hitting as many home runs as possible. Boston’s Ted Williams was the last player to end a season hitting .400, when he ended the 1941 season with a .406 average.

That would be inconceivable today. Ironically “the shift” that is a regular part of defensive alignments today, was specially designed for Teddy Ballgame by Cleveland Indians player-manager Lou Boudreau. Then it was called “the Boudreau Shift”, however historians noted that the first to use a shift against Ted Williams was Jimmy Dykes, manager of the Chicago White Sox on July 23, 1941.

Two hall of fame players, which I had the privilege to cover and interview were involved in a race to 400. Rod Carew and George Brett, two great players who were among the best in baseball during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Kansas City Royals George Brett ended the 1980 season with a .390 batting average; he won a total of three batting titles. Rod Carew ended the 1977 season with a .388 average and won seven batting championships. During that great 1977 season the Panamanian-born Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins, was the day-to-day story for his country of Panamá.

So much that I remember meeting Iván Molino-Mola who was following Carew across the country, a sports radio reporter for a leading station in Panamá. When the Twins visited the Oakland Coliseum Molino-Mola who had a regular telephone and every time Carew came to bat he would pick it up and send a play by play description LIVE of each at bat.

He told me he was doing that from every city where Carew and the Twins were playing on the road. Carew had captivated his country, just like Japanese superstars Ichiro Suzuki did with Seattle and currently Shohei Ohtani of the Angels are doing with the people in Japan.

Rod Carew was a very quiet player, who usually didn’t give many interviews. I remember when he told me: “yo vengo aqui a jugar no a hablar” trans- “I come here to play not to talk”. I joked with him that I was there to talk, just like hitting was his job, talking into a microphone was mine.

I did get to speak with him a few times. He was pleasant and mild-manner and never wanted to talk about his accomplishments. Over two decades later (years after his retirement) he visited the LA Angels FSN Spanish television booth at Angel Stadium and sat for a few innings as José Mota and yours truly asked him questions about his ordeal.

Carew was there for a press conference prior to the game, which many attended, including yours truly. During that press conference he introduced his surgeons and talked about the massive heart attack he had suffered in 2015 and talked in detail talk about his successful heart transplant.

Rod Carew is one of the biggest sports heroes that were born in the small (about 4 million) Central American country of Panamá, as well as Hall of Fame great closer Mariano Rivera and great boxer and champion of the world Roberto Durán.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez the Spanish play by play voice for the Oakland A’s on flagship station 1010 KIQI LeGrande San Francisco and does for News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com