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| Jimmy Piersall (1929-2017) |
As a little kid, I always felt that
Jimmy Piersall was one of the most exciting ballplayers on the Red Sox roster. I didn't know anything about his personal life. For most of his career, he was unfairly underrated because of health issues that he battled his entire life. Many will remember him only for those psychological problems—famously portrayed by
Anthony Perkins in the terrific movie
'Fear Strikes Out'. But Piersall was a
consistent performer—a two-time Gold Glover, a two-time All-Star, 95 OF assists, 349 putouts, and a stunning .990 career fielding percentage. Over his seventeen MLB seasons (eight in
Carmine Hose), Piersall hit .272—with 104 HRs and 591 RBIs. He passed away on Saturday at the age of 87. We'll always remember him as that exciting young ballplayer in the Red Sox outfield.
