October

Who is this "bucketfoot" slugger?

I was born to Polish immigrants on May 22, 1902, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with the surname Szymanski.

I changed my name after seeing an ad for a hardware store in the newspaper.

I made my major league debut in left field with the Philadelphia Athletics on April 15, 1924. In all, I played for seven teams during my 20-year career.

But my best years were with Connie Mack's A's. I won consecutive batting titles in 1930 (.381) and 1931 (.390), and the A's won World Series titles in 1929 and 1930.

I had an unorthodox style of hitting. A right-handed hitter, I would stride toward third base (or "step in the bucket") as I prepared to swing. That's how I earned the nickname "Bucketfoot."

Concerning my swing, Mack told me: "My boy, as far as I'm concerned, you can walk to the plate on your hands and swing standing on your head ... as long as you hit safely ... and often!"

Fortunately, I did just that. My career batting average was .334. I had a total of 2,927 hits (most by a right-handed hitter in the A.L. until Al Kaline came along), 307 home runs, and 1,827 runs batted in. I hit .300 and drove in 100 runs in eleven consecutive seasons and hit .329 with 6 homers and 17 RBIs in 19 World Series games.

I was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.

I died of a heart attack in Milwaukee on May 26, 1956, four days after my 54th birthday.