Baseball record books are filled with statistics on home runs, runs batted in, errors, double plays, earned run averages, etc. but there’s nothing on the intangible factors. For example, Chicago traded Eddie Stanky to the Dodgers in 1944. He played fifty-eight games at second base and the Dodgers finished seventh. In 1945, he became the regular second baseman and The Dodgers rose to third. In 1946, they finished second and in 1947, the Dodgers won the pennant.


Boston finished third in 1947. In 1948 the Dodgers traded Stanky to Boston and with Stanky at second, Boston won the pennant and the Dodgers dropped to third. In 1949 the Giants finished fifth. After the season the Braves traded Stanky to the Giants and in 1950, with Stanky at second, the Giants finished third and the Braves dropped to fourth. In 1951 the Giants won the pennant, the Dodgers finished second, the Braves finished fourth.From 1945 through 1951, putting Stanky at second base was baseball’s magic bullet, but there are no stats on Most Times Turning Second-Rate Team Into Pennant Winner, Most Games Won By Out-Thinking, Out-Hustling or Demoralizing Opposing Team, or Most Games Won That Opposing Team Deserved To Win.

Still another unrecorded statistic is Most Changes To The Rule Book Caused By The Actions of a Single Player. Stanky caused amendment (a) to Rule 7.10 which reads, “A runner is not permitted to take a flying start from a position in back of his base.“ He caused amendment (l) to Rule 6.05 on intentionally dropped infield flies, which reads, “In this situation, the batter is not out if the infielder permits the ball to drop untouched to the ground.” And he caused amendment (b) to Rule 6.02 which reads in part,“Once a batter has taken his position in the batter’s box, he shall not be permitted to step out of the batter’s box in order to use the resin or the pine tar rag…,Umpires will not call “Time” at the request of the batter or any member of his team once the pitcher has started his windup or has come to a set position even though the batter claims “dust in his eyes,” “steamed glasses,” “didn’t get the sign” or for any other cause.”

However, Stanky was and always will be most notorious for the rule change caused by his actions in four games played during August of 1950. The Giants were playing in Boston, when Bob Elliott, Boston’s third baseman came to bat. Elliott spent fifteen years in the big leagues, got over two thousand hits and in 1947 was voted MVP. He’d played alongside Stanky and Dark in the Boston infield for two years, they won a pennant together and played in the World Series together.

Al Barlick, one of only eight umpires elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame, was umpiring second base and standing in a line directly behind the pitcher that made it difficult for Elliott to see the ball as it left the pitcher’s hand. Elliott called time and explained that to Barlick. Barlick moved away, but Stanky’s eyes lit up. Before the next pitch, he moved to a place directly behind Dave Koslo, the Giant pitcher, in line with where Barlick had been standing but ten steps closer to Elliott and began waving his arms to echo Koslo’s pitching motion. Elliott struck out and Stanky had invented another infuriating weapon.

Two days later, the Giants traveled to Philadelphia to play against the Phillies who with Robin Roberts, Curt Simmons, Jim Konstanty, Richie Ashburn, Del Ennis, Dick Sisler and Eddie Waitkus, won the pennant that year. There were bad feelings between the Phillies and Giants. Eddie Sawyer, Philly manager had accused Giant pitchers of trying to hit Philly batters. Giant manager, Leo Durocher had accused Andy Seminick, Philadelphia’s tough, powerful catcher of blocking home plate and trying to injure Giant base runners.

Sal Maglie, the Giants’ most hated pitcher—nicknamed Sal the Barber because he threw the ball that close to batters' chins—was pitching. In the eighth inning, after three double plays, the Giants were winning 3-1 and Andy Seminick came to bat. Seminick, an ex-coal miner, son of a coal miner, like Stanky, had grown up in tough blue-collar Pennsylvania, but outside Pittsburgh rather than in Philadelphia. Stanky stood in front of second, right behind the pitcher's mound, and began swinging his arms in time with Maglie’s throwing motion. Seminick complained to Barlick, the same umpire who’d been umpiring second base in Boston. Barlick said he couldn’t do anything; Stanky wasn’t breaking any rule.

Maglie had shaved Seminick’s chin with pitches in previous games and in return, Seminick had deliberately bunted down the first base line to get Maglie to field the bunt so he could smash into him. Maglie never took the bait, but now, to punish Seminick for past sins and for complaining about Stanky, Maglie aimed at Seminick’s ribs and hit him on the left elbow with his fastball.

Seminick, tough, stoic, said nothing at the time, but after the Giants won the game his elbow swelled and turned black and blue. He became furious and spent a sleepless night plotting his revenge. The following day was "Kiddies" Day and the stands were filled with children. On Seminick's first at bat, Stanky moved in front of second base and made his distracting motions, but Seminick walked. The next batter singled to left and Seminick rounded second and went to third where Hank Thompson was waiting for the throw from the outfield. Seminick smashed his forearm into Thompson’s mouth, not only knocking Thompson unconscious, but knocking out several of his teeth and forcing him out of the game.

When Seminick came to bat two innings later, he was a marked man. Stanky stood at second base, right behind pitcher Kramer, rotating his arms in time with Kramer’s throwing motion and adding jumping jacks to his routine. On the next pitch, Seminick swung and let go of his bat. The bat just missed Kramer, and flew at Stanky standing right behind him. The umpire, Lon Warneke, an All-Star game pitcher, who’d won 192 games for the Cubs and Cardinals, called time and threw Stanky out of the game.

Durocher protested the game, and minutes later when Seminick slid into second with his spikes high, Bill Rigney who’d replaced Stanky at second, got into a fight with Seminick who was much too strong for him. Over the ensuing half hour, the Kiddie’s Day crowd was treated to a Giants/Phillies free-for-all complete with takedowns, punches and duels with baseball bats.

When the dust settled, yet another Stanky-inspired amendment was made to the rules of baseball.
“Section 4.06 (b) No fielder shall take a position in the batter’s line of vision, and with deliberate unsportsmanlike intent, act in a manner to distract the batter.”

“I didn’t mean to be unsportsmanlike,” I can imagine Stanky (R.I.P. 1999) saying to St. Peter. “I was trying to win the ballgame.”

Herb L
oldtimewriter.com