Gordon, Sid

Sidney Gordon

Gordon, who was born in Brooklyn, was one of New York's most popular players while with the Giants in the 1940s. A two-time All-Star (as a third baseman), Sid finished in the top ten in home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and walks from 1948-1952. Sid was a clutch hitter who was built like a rock. A reliable outfielder -- and sometime infielder -- who had a .283 lifetime average in his 13-year career, Gordon helped Jewish groups and was generally admired as an all-around great guy. In 1948, the Giants had "Sid Gordon Day" at the Polo Grounds and Sid received a new car, golf clubs, and a set of luggage; this last gift proved useful when he was traded to Boston the following year. A member of the Giants' 1947 famous "221-Club" -- the team that established an all-time record of 221 home runs in one season -- Gordon was held in such esteem by the franchise that he was brought back in 1955 at the age of 36 to retire as a Giant.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. August 15, 1917 - d. June 17, 1975

Career Highlights:
After playing in only 15 games for the New York Giants in 1941 and 1942, Gordon had a good "rookie" season in 1943 when he appeared in 131 games (53 at third base, 41 at first base, 28 in the outfield, and 2 at second base), and hit .251, including 11 triples (5th in the NL). Sid then missed the next two seasons while serving in the Coast Guard during World War II before returning to the Giants in 1946. Two years later, Sid had a sensational season, finishing among the top ten in the NL in batting average (.299 - 8th), on-base percentage (.380 - 10th), slugging percentage (.537 - 3rd), runs (100- 6th), total bases (280 - 6th), home runs (30 - 5th), runs batted in (107 - 4th), walks (74 - 9th), and even stolen bases (8 -10th). To top it off, Gordon was an All-Star that season, and even finished fourth in the MVP voting.

In 1949, Gordon had another terrific season as he was an All-Star for the second straight season, hitting .284. After the season, however, he was traded by the Giants to the Boston Braves. Gordon continued his outstanding play in 1950, driving in 103 runs, hitting .304, and tying the Major League record of 4 grand slams in a single season. He remained among the league leaders in home runs, slugging, on-base percentage, and walks until 1952. From 1948-1952, Sid hit 30, 26, 27, 29, and 25 home runs respectively, superb power numbers for the time. Gordon played until 1955; in 1954, he showed he could still hit by batting .306 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He retired with a .283 average, and was such a model of consistency that he hit over .270 in 10 of his 13 seasons.

Career Dates:
Gordon played for the New York Giants, 1941-43, 1946-1949, and 1955 the Boston Braves, 1950-1952, the Milwaukee Braves, 1953, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1954-55.

Position:
Outfield and third base; also some first base and second base.

Physical description:
5'10, 185 pounds
Right-handed

Career Statistics:
Games: 1475
Batting Avg.: .283
Slugging Avg.: .466

At-bats: 4992
Hits: 1415
Doubles: 220
Triples: 43

Home Runs: 202
Home Run %: 4.0
Runs: 735
RBI: 805

BB: 731
Strike Outs: 356
Stolen Bases: 19

Pinch Hitting
At-bats: 67
Hits: 9

Fielding Statistics
Put-outs: 2676
Assists: 955
Errors: 101
Double-plays: 127

Total Chances per Game: 2.6
Fielding Avg: .973

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