Hochman: A look at Frank Saucier, who was pinch-hit for by Eddie Gaedel
From Benjamin Hochman at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on March 23, 2020:
he old ballplayer was asleep in the other room. But his daughter was wide awake, so she turned on the radio. It was some overnight sports show, and they were talking about her daddy.
Now, the insomniac was incensed.
“I called in about it!” explained Sara Saucier, 66, of Amarillo, Texas. “They were saying the only thing he was known for was the Eddie Gaedel at-bat. And I said: ‘You need to do your research, because there’s much more than that.’”
Sure, yes, former St. Louis Browns player Frank Saucier forever is the answer to a trivia question — for whom did the 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel pinch-hit? But Saucier had a unique baseball career and a fascinating life.
• He’s got a college baseball field named after him.
• He served in World War II and during the Korean War.
• In 1949, his first full season in pro ball, his minor-league batting average was .446.
• In 1950, he hit .343 as a minor leaguer and made the cover of “The Sporting News.”
Then, he hit oil. Temporarily quit baseball. Was talked back into the game by Bill Veeck.
He finished as one of the rare players who has a hit — but only one — in a major-league career.
Read the full article here: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-stl-s-best-that-never-was-a-look-at/article_db75c449-847a-5c74-99f1-7e83f6610e35.html
Originally published: March 23, 2020. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.