Brown: Mark Belanger’s 18-year career included eight Gold Gloves
From Garry Brown at the Springfield Republican on January 12, 2019:
In Elmira, New York, they called him “Blade” because of his wiry physique. In Rochester, they called him “Remarkable Mark” because of his grace and quickness afield.
That was Mark Belanger, a Pittsfield native who would go on from those minor league cities to win eight gold gloves with Baltimore Orioles powerhouse ball clubs of the 1960s and ’70s. Altogether, he had an 18-year big league career in which he played 2,016 regular-season games and 43 in the postseason.
Frank Vaccaro, a writer for the Society of American Baseball Research, called him “the most electrifying defensive shortstop of his generation.”
Belanger’s name will take its rightful place in the Western Mass. Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2019. At his induction, he will be represented by family members. Mark passed away in 1998 at the age of 54.
Read the full article here: https://www.masslive.com/sports/2019/01/mark_belangers_18-year_big_lea.html
Originally published: January 14, 2019. Last Updated: January 14, 2019.