Andy Hansen
Encyclopedia
Andrew Viggo "Andy" Hansen (November 12, 1924 – February 2, 2002), nicknamed Swede, was a right-handed pitcher
in Major League Baseball
. In a nine-season career, he played for the New York Giants
and the Philadelphia Phillies
. Hansen was officially listed as standing 6 in 3 in (190.5 cm) and weighing 185 pounds (83.9 kg).
A two-sport star in high school, Hansen rose quickly through the Giants' minor league
system and made his major league debut at age 19. He played for the Giants until 1946, when he voluntarily retired due to a family illness and then served in the United States Army
. He returned to baseball in 1947 and earned a career-best five wins
in 1948. After a contract holdout in 1949, Hansen's bullpen
workload increased in 1950, leading to an elbow injury and the Giants sending him to the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft
.
As a Phillie, Hansen assumed the closer's
role at times from 1950 National League Most Valuable Player Jim Konstanty
, and worked nearly exclusively from the bullpen after being an occasional starting pitcher
with New York. After tying his career high with five victories in 1952, Hansen went winless in 1953 and had a short tenure with the minor-league Hollywood Stars
before retiring and beginning a 31-year career with the United States Postal Service
.
. As a young player, he was a second baseman
and third baseman
before moving to pitcher. He attended Lake Worth High School, where he played offensive end on the football
team and pitched for the baseball team. In 1942, Hansen was a member of Lake Worth's "Trojans
" football team that went undefeated, and the school's baseball team went to the state tournament in the 1943 season with Hansen as a member of the pitching staff. After graduating that year, Hansen spurned football scholarship offers from "a number of schools, including Georgia Tech
" to sign an amateur free agent
contract worth $75 ($ today) per month with the National League
's New York Giants
.
affiliate, the Bristol Twins
, where, at age 18, he posted a "sensational[win–loss] record" of 12–3 in 16 games started
. He allowed 39 runs
in 115 innings pitched
while walking
15 batters
. Hansen began the 1944 season pitching for the Jersey City Giants
, New York's top-level farm team. Managed by Hall of Fame
catcher Gabby Hartnett
, Hansen posted an 8–4 record, compiling a 1.89 earned run average
(ERA) in 11 starts
and 4 relief appearances
. He allowed 90 hits
and 28 walks in 100 innings pitched (1.18 WHIP
).
. He started the second game of a doubleheader
against the Pittsburgh Pirates
, pitching innings, striking out
two and allowing six earned run
s. However, the Giants scored five runs in the sixth inning against Pirates starter Fritz Ostermueller
, so Hansen did not receive a decision
; the Giants lost the contest, 9–8. His first career loss came the next week on July 5, a 4–1 defeat against the St. Louis Cardinals
. Hansen pitched six innings and allowed four runs, but Cardinals starter Red Munger
, 10–2 on the season to that point, pitched a complete game
and allowed only one run. He lost again on July 9, this time to the Chicago Cubs
in the first game of a doubleheader. Hansen pitched only innings, allowing five runs, before being relieved by Rube Fischer
.
Hansen earned his first win a week later, an 8–3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies
on July 16. The victory came in relief of Frank Seward
, who started the game but pitched only one inning. He pitched four innings, allowing only one run; Ace Adams
followed with four scoreless innings and earned the save. His fourth decision, a second career victory, did not come until July 31, when he defeated future teammate Jim Konstanty
in a 9–7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds
. Hansen appeared again in a relief role, but pitched eight innings of one-run ball after starter Bill Voiselle
allowed six runs in the game's first inning. At the plate, Hansen got his first major-league hit and scored his second career run while striking out once.
Philadelphia provided Hansen with his third career win as well; it came on August 4 when he pitched against Ken Raffensberger
. Hansen entered in the eighth inning and pitched three scoreless frames in relief of Voiselle as the game went to extra innings. The Giants won, 4–3, on a 10th-inning run with no one out
. Sporting a 3–2 record, Hansen earned his first career save against the Phillies on August 6, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of Harry Feldman
and striking out two. It was his only save of the season. He lost his third decision of the year on August 19, allowing five runs and walking six batters in the Giants' 12th consecutive loss out of a season-long 13-game streak. For his rookie season, Hansen finished with a 3–3 record and a 6.49 ERA in innings pitched; he appeared in 23 games (4 starts) and struck out 15 batters while walking 32 at age 19.
as New York's fifth starter, he was the Giants' youngest pitcher, and second-youngest player (Whitey Lockman
), in 1945.
Hansen started New York's third game of the season, pitching against the Boston Braves
; he struck out three and allowed one run through seven innings, earning the victory. He defeated Raffensberger and the Phillies again on April 24, pitching his first career complete game
in a 5–2 Giants win. After that game, manager Mel Ott
said that he was encouraged by the performance because pitching was a concern of the Giants entering the season. Hansen's first loss of the season came against the Brooklyn Dodgers
, a 4–3 defeat. After dueling to a stalemate in a tie game with Boston—he and Braves starter Al Javery
each allowed one run through seven innings in the second half of a rain-shortened doubleheader—Hansen earned his third victory on May 13 against the Cardinals; it was the last game of New York's season-long eight-game winning streak. Hansen earned a no decision in a May 17 start against the Cubs, but a 5–2 loss to the Pirates on May 21 dropped his record to 3–2; he allowed four earned runs in four innings. His first save of the season came on May 24, when he pitched two innings following Adams, the regular closer, who earned the win; his final decision in May was a victory over Cincinnati, a 5–1 win which was the last in a four-game win streak. He started the first game of a doubleheader on May 30, pitching innings and allowing six runs; the Giants managed an 8–6 win, however, as Slim Emmerich
relieved him and pitched scoreless innings.
In early June, Hansen pitched in both games of a doubleheader against the Cardinals; he started the first game (allowing two runs in of an inning) and relieved Feldman in the second (pitching innings and giving up three runs). He earned his second save of the season pitching perfect innings against Brooklyn in relief of Van Mungo on June 7, but followed that with his third loss against Boston, where he allowed three runs in six innings. The third loss was Hansen's final major league decision of the season. He pitched in four more games in June, starting on June 15 and allowing four earned runs in five innings, and pitching in relief on June 17, 22, and 24. He picked up a save in his final June game, pitching the final third of an inning in relief of Voiselle and Feldman in a 7–6 victory over Philadelphia. On June 26, Hansen reported to Camp Blanding
in his home state of Florida for a pre-induction examination for the United States Army
; his service commitment had previously been deferred due to a breathing handicap from an earlier broken nose.
In July, Hansen appeared for the first time on Independence Day
, pitching of an inning in relief of Emmerich and allowing three runs. His final start of 1945 came against the Reds on July 7; he allowed four runs through innings as the Giants won, 11–7. Hansen allowed two runs in four innings facing the Cubs on July 15, and gave up three runs in against the Pirates on July 20. His final outing of the season was also his shortest; he allowed a run to Boston without putting out
a single batter in the second game of a doubleheader.
At the beginning of August, Hansen injured his shoulder and was optioned to Jersey City in favor of Sal Maglie
, where he appeared in five games (1–3, 7.31 ERA). After serving seven months in the military, Hansen asked the team to voluntarily retire him in early 1946 due to his father's severe illness. He did not appear in a game at any level during the 1946 season, but stated that he did not plan to give up baseball as a career.
In August, Hansen appeared in nine games, his most in a single month during the 1947 season; he began on August 3 by allowing two runs to the Pirates in of an inning. He made his second start of the season against the Braves on August 10; although he pitched innings and allowed just three runs, he did not factor in the decision. Closer Ken Trinkle
, who relieved Hansen, took the loss after a three-run home run by Tommy Holmes
in the ninth inning as the Giants lost, 7–5. After a one-inning appearance against the Phillies on August 13, Hansen made his third start of the year on August 17 and notched his second loss of the season, this time to Boston. He allowed one run through seven innings, but the Braves defeated New York, 3–1. The defeat was Hansen's first of four consecutive appearances in the second games of doubleheaders, the third of which was another start and his third loss of the year. He allowed the game's only runs in a inning performance; the Giants lost, 4–0. After two more multi-inning relief appearances against Chicago on August 24 and 25, Hansen pitched seven innings in a start against Brooklyn in what would be his last appearance in the month. He allowed one run in seven innings, walking six batters. In the seventh inning, his middle finger was bruised by a line drive hit up the middle by Dixie Walker
. Hansen walked Arky Vaughan
, the first batter in the eighth inning, before leaving the game, and Cookie Lavagetto
singled with the bases loaded to drive in the winning runs for the Dodgers; the Giants fell, 3–1.
Hansen returned to the mound on September 4, starting his sixth game of the season. Although he pitched eight innings and allowed two runs, Hansen earned his fourth loss of the season, as the Giants lost to Brooklyn, 2–0. His next outing, which came in relief against the Dodgers, was scoreless, but he allowed four runs in three innings to the Pirates the following day. After two more scoreless relief appearances, Hansen started against the Phillies on September 20. He pitched a complete game, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits; the 5–3 victory was his first and only win of the 1947 season, defeating Philadelphia starter Ken Heintzelman
. Hansen appeared twice more in the 1947 season: he pitched innings in a start against the Dodgers on September 24, allowing four runs; and he lost his final start of the season against the Phillies four days later, pitching four innings and allowing three runs. For the season, Hansen posted a 1–5 record, a 4.37 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in 27 games as a 22-year-old, the Giants' second-youngest pitcher (Mario Picone
).
Hansen's June appearances consisted of three starts and five relief outings. In two of his three starts, he lasted two innings or less, allowing three runs in two frames to Cincinnati on June 4, and four runs in of an inning against St. Louis 14 days later. The latter game was his second loss of the season—the first having been earned on July 11 in his other start of the month, wherein he pitched six innings, allowed three runs, and walked five batters. Hansen's appearances from the bullpen were more successful; in innings, he allowed three runs, all in a single outing on June 24 against the Cubs. His longest appearance of the month was a seven-inning relief outing against the Cardinals on June 13; starter Dave Koslo
took the loss in the game for allowing three runs in the game's first inning, and Hansen completed the remainder of the game without allowing a run. In July, Hansen began with a start on July 2, and ended with a win on July 31. His only start in July came against Brooklyn, when he pitched innings and allowed four runs. He made two appearances in high-scoring games during the month without recording any outs: he faced two batters against Brooklyn on July 4, walking one and allowing a hit; and repeated the outing on July 10, this time allowing two hits and giving up two runs. Between those two outings, he appeared in both games of a July 5 doubleheader against the Braves, pitching two perfect innings in each game. His July victory came against the Cubs, when he struck out two batters and walked none in scoreless innings on the month's final day.
In August, Hansen did not earn any decisions, but he did notch his only save of the season in his second August contest. He pitched scoreless innings against Boston to secure a 6–5 win for Koslo. Three days later, he allowed two earned runs in a three-inning appearance against Philadelphia; they would be the only earned runs he allowed in the entire month of August, lowering his ERA from 3.40 to 3.10. He finished the month with four consecutive scoreless appearances, striking out two batters and walking one between August 15 and August 31. On September 3, Hansen was pressed into service as a starter for the first time in two months of play, and he delivered a quality start
for New York, allowing three runs in eight innings pitched—his third victory and first complete game of the season. He was rewarded with another start on September 7, and pitched his second consecutive complete game to earn a fourth win, this time scattering ten hits in nine innings against the Phillies, striking out three batters and allowing only a home run to Bert Haas
. Starting again on September 11, Hansen allowed two runs in innings before being relieved by Koslo; neither pitcher earned the win in the shortened game, as Trinkle pitched the sixth and final inning of the doubleheader's second game to notch the victory. Hansen earned his fifth win out of the bullpen when the Giants came from behind to defeat Cincinnati, 12–7, on September 18, and completed his season record with a loss in a start against Chicago on September 22; he allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits while walking three hitters and striking out two. For the season, Hansen accumulated a 5–3 record, a 2.97 ERA (his best career season to date), and 27 strikeouts, having faced a career-high 419 batters in 100 innings pitched.
; and Walker Cooper
, the Giants' captain. He signed on February 6, and opened the 1949 season pitching in New York's second contest, allowing 1 run while pitching innings of a 6–2 loss to Brooklyn. Hansen took his first loss of the season in his next contest; after the Phillies and Giants played to a tie in nine innings, New York scored two runs in the top of the 11th, but Hansen, who entered to relieve, allowed three to score while recording only two outs, handing the Giants a 12–11 extra-inning defeat. In the next game against the Dodgers, however, he recorded his first victory of the year behind a pinch-hit inside-the-park
grand slam
from Pete Milne
, pitching a scoreless seventh inning and striking out two. Hansen had one other appearance in April, allowing a single run in three innings against Brooklyn the following day in a 15–2 loss. In the next month, he also made four appearances, the first of which came on May 24; he pitched two scoreless innings against the Cubs. After allowing his only run of the month to the Phillies on May 27, Hansen pitched in both games of a doubleheader on May 30, throwing of an inning in the first contest and earning his only save of the season in the second by striking out two batters in scoreless innings.
On June 1, Hansen started his first game of the season, pitching innings and allowing four runs; he was replaced by Red Webb
, who pitched the remaining and won the game, 11–5. Hansen earned his second defeat of the season on June 12, when he allowed a single game-winning run to the Pirates in innings of work; he walked three batters and struck out five in the contest. He appeared in back-to-back games on June 17 and 18: a 6–4 loss to Pittsburgh the first day, and a 5–4 win for New York on the second. This game would be his last appearance in a Giants win until the season's final month. His next two outings—against the Cardinals on June 22 and the Cubs on June 24—were perfect; he allowed no baserunners until June 25, when he gave up a single hit to Chicago in a 4–1 defeat. His final appearance of June came in the first game of a June 30 with the Boston Braves, in which he pitched two innings and allowed one hit. In July, Hansen struggled mightily, appearing in four games; each contest was a loss for the Giants, and each decision was tallied against him. On July 2, he allowed 5 runs in innings against Brooklyn, walking one batter and allowing two home runs. His five runs allowed accounted for the Dodgers' margin of victory in the 13–8 Giants defeat. He pitched four innings in relief of Sheldon Jones
on July 10, suffering the loss when he walked three batters and allowed three runs to score. Hansen's one run allowed on July 16 proved once again to be his undoing as the Pirates defeated the Giants, 7–6, and dropped his record to 1–5; nevertheless, he earned the start against Pittsburgh on July 26 and took his sixth loss, allowing 4 runs on 4 walks in innings to finish July at 1–6 on the season.
In August, all of Hansen's appearances came in Giants losses, the first of which was on August 7—he pitched the two final innings against the Cardinals, allowing one hit but no runs. After a scoreless inning on August 12, Hansen appeared in back-to-back games against Boston on August 17 and 18, walking one and striking out one in the former game and allowing two runs in of an inning in the latter. He allowed a run to Philadelphia on August 19, then pitched in consecutive games on August 27 and 28, the second and first games of doubleheaders, respectively. The Giants lost to St. Louis, 11–2, on August 27; Hansen allowed one unearned run in that game. The next day, he pitched two perfect innings against the Cincinnati Reds, striking out one, but New York was defeated, 10–3. In his first September game, Hansen earned his final decision of the season when he defeated Pittsburgh, 9–5, pitching one scoreless inning in relief of Hank Behrman
. He pitched the next game as well—the following day against Brooklyn—but the Giants were shut out, 8–0. He made a scoreless appearance against Philadelphia on September 6, and allowed 4 runs in innings on September 8, raising his ERA from 4.18 to 4.64. Hansen made his final appearance on September 11 with a perfect of an inning, striking out the only batter he faced; his final game of the season was logged on September 18, but he faced no batters and did not physically appear in the game. His final record for the year was two wins against six losses; he amassed 26 strikeouts and 28 bases on balls, allowing an average of 4.61 runs per nine innings.
In June, Hansen began a heavy workload from the Giants' bullpen; the converted starter, who had never appeared in more than nine games in a single month in his major league career, was pressed into service 11 times in the third month of the season. On the month's first day, Hansen pitched in both games of a doubleheader against Cincinnati, throwing a perfect of an inning in the first half, and three scoreless in the second contest. The following day, he blew a save against the Reds in the sixth inning, allowing two hits and recording no outs. Against the Pirates on June 5, he recorded his second save of the season in a 5–4, ten-inning win, and followed it with another on June 8 in Chicago. On June 10, Hansen allowed 2 runs in innings against the Cardinals, and the next week gave up four runs to the Cubs by facing 12 batters. Two scoreless outings on June 19 and 21 were followed by an appearance in Game 1 of a June 25 doubleheader; he gave up one run on three hits and one walk. His final June appearance came against the Braves, a scoreless inning in which he walked two batters.
The workload continued into July, when Hansen appeared in the first game of a July 2 doubleheader. He entered in the first inning in relief of starter Koslo, who allowed two runs without recording an out; none of the Giants' pitchers in the 11–5 defeat escaped unscathed, as all allowed at least two runs, topped by Hansen's five. His next two appearances came on July 4, as he pitched both games of a doubleheader against the Dodgers; he tossed two innings in each contest, striking out two in the first game and walking one in the nightcap. On July 5, he gave up five runs in the seventh inning against Philadelphia, recording two outs and allowing five hits. In his next two outings against Boston and Pittsburgh, he allowed no runs, but the game against the Pirates would be his last scoreless outing with New York. Pitching against the Reds on July 16, Hansen allowed 3 runs in innings; this was followed by four runs given up against the Cardinals on July 19. His final contest of the season came on July 25, when he pitched four innings against Cincinnati, allowing two runs before injuring his pitching elbow. Speaking with manager Leo Durocher
, he claimed to feel a painless pop in his elbow as he threw a pitch; two hours later, the elbow had swollen "as big as a football" and visibly bruised, ending his season. Hansen ended the season with an 0–1 record, a 5.53 ERA, and 19 strikeouts; thereafter, he was selected by the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft
.
. He was called up to the major league club in July after posting a 1–1 record with a 5.45 ERA and 14 strikeouts, working exclusively from Baltimore's bullpen. Hansen's first appearance with Philadelphia came on July 6; he pitched two innings in relief of Russ Meyer, who allowed three runs without recording an out. Three straight appearances in doubleheader openers followed Hansen's Phillies debut: he faced two Cardinals batters without a putout on July 15; pitched two scoreless innings against Cincinnati two days later; and could have earned his first victory of the season on July 22 had Konstanty—the closer and 1950's National League Most Valuable Player—not collected his fifth blown save of the year. Hansen pitched in three more games that month, recording his first decision of the season on July's final day: he defeated the Reds, 7–5, pitching one inning and allowing two runs.
Hansen appeared in five games for the Phillies in August. All were multi-inning appearances as a relief pitcher, and only one was not scoreless—he allowed four runs to the Braves in innings on August 15. He opened September with a victory, however—a 5–3 win over Boston—to raise his record to 2–0; it was his first of eleven appearances in the season's final month. Including the September 2 victory, Hansen finished
three of his first four games for Philadelphia in the month, allowing no runs in any of those four appearances. The Pirates notched Hansen's first September runs allowed on the month's 12th day; although none of the runs were earned, Hansen still collected his first and only defeat of the 1951 season.
In his next appearance, Hansen struck out a season-high four Cardinals in innings pitched on September 16; it was his only appearance in 1951 wherein he struck out multiple batters. Following a scoreless two-inning appearance against the Cubs on September 18, Hansen pitched the eighth inning against the Dodgers on September 23, allowing his first earned runs in over a month. After relieving starter Ken Johnson
in the first inning of September 26's contest—pitching two innings and allowing one run—Hansen earned his final decision of the season on September 28, pitching three scoreless frames against Brooklyn to earn his third win. His 1951 season ended with a single scoreless inning the following day, also against the Dodgers; this lowered his season ERA to 2.54, the best mark among Phillies pitchers that year, and a career low for Hansen. On the season, he struck out 11 batters while walking 7, allowing 34 hits in 39 innings of work.
to the Giants' Alvin Dark
with the bases loaded. Although it was no blemish on Hansen's ERA—the runner having been allowed by starter Howie Fox
—he still earned a blown save in his first appearance of the year. His second appearance two days later was worse: Hansen entered the game in the eighth inning with a 7–6 lead, but allowed two runs in the top of the ninth, and a third earned was added to his tally after closer Konstanty, who relieved Hansen, allowed a sacrifice fly immediately thereafter. The Braves, Philadelphia's opponents in that contest, won the game, 9–7, and Hansen was saddled with his second blown save in as many appearances and his first loss of the season. His next three appearances were scoreless, but on May 16, he entered in the eighth inning of a game against the Reds with the Phillies leading, 2–1, and runners on first and second bases. He allowed a single to Bobby Adams
, scoring Roy McMillan
and blowing his third save, but the Phillies would win, 3–2, after Heintzelman pitched scoreless innings and the Phillies used small ball
tactics (a walk to Eddie Waitkus
, Heintzelman reaching on a fielder's choice
, and a bunt single by Richie Ashburn
) to load the bases in the bottom of the tenth inning, winning on a single by Granny Hamner
. After two scoreless appearances against St. Louis and New York, Hansen allowed one run in a three-inning appearance against his former club on May 24. Hansen pitched in both extra-inning games of a doubleheader on May 27, pitching the twelfth and final inning against Boston in a 4–2 loss in the first contest, and earning his first victory in the tenth inning of the second after Del Ennis
' triple and Willie Jones'
sacrifice fly scored the winning run in the bottom half of the frame. Three more relief appearances closed out the month, two of them scoreless; his only run allowed was against the Pirates on the final day of May.
Hansen's June was also inauspicious, as all six of his appearances came in Phillies losses. He had two scoreless one-inning stints against the Reds and the Cubs on June 5 and 10, respectively, before a three-inning appearance against the Pirates in the first game of a June 15 doubleheader. In the contest, he struck out one and walked one in a scoreless outing to lower his ERA to 2.75, and followed with a scoreless inning on June 19 to push it down to 2.61, his lowest to that point of the season. He allowed his only earned runs of the month on June 22, when Hansen walked the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning against Cincinnati; Konstanty entered, allowing a double to former teammate Andy Seminick
that scored two. In his final June game, he allowed three runs, but none were earned due to a throwing error by third baseman Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones
. At the end of June and beginning of July, closer Konstanty blew two saves, one of which resulted in a 4–3 loss to Brooklyn, so Hansen assumed some of the closing duties for the season's fourth month. He collected his first save of the season on the second of July, pitching two scoreless innings against the Dodgers in relief of Russ Meyer. After allowing two runs to the Cardinals on July 10, Hansen bounced back with consecutive saves—on July 13 against Chicago; and again on July 16 versus the Pirates, in which Hansen relieved Roberts after the latter allowed a two-run ninth-inning home run. On July 22, he earned his fourth save of the month in a two-inning performance against Pittsburgh, and closed the month with two consecutive victories, defeating the Cubs on July 27, and the Reds two days after.
In August, Hansen pitched innings in the team's first contest, allowing two runs to the Cardinals on four hits and losing his third game of the season. He appeared in three consecutive doubleheaders (August 9, 11, and 13) and followed by pitching of an inning in a 15–0 loss at Brooklyn on August 16. Hansen rested until August 22, when he relieved Curt Simmons
against the Cincinnati Reds; he pitched innings, allowing two runs on three hits, walking two, and absorbing a fourth loss. Beginning on August 24, he finished three games against the Cubs on consecutive game-days: pitching a perfect inning on August 24; earning a win with two scoreless innings on August 25; and taking the loss on August 26 in the 13th inning of the series' final contest. He bounced back to close the month with a fifth win, though, defeating Boston, 8–6, behind a -inning relief performance. In his first September game, Hansen took the loss by allowing a single run to the Giants on the month's third day; he finished the month by pitching in two consecutive losses, with his final appearance coming on September 12. For the season, he finished with a 5–6 record, a 3.26 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in a team-leading 43 games pitched—a year in which his performance was described as "excellent relieving".
Hansen opened June with a doubleheader, pitching in both games and allowing no runs; he gave up a hit in the first game and walked a batter in the second, striking out one batter in each contest. He pitched the ninth inning in both games, earning his third save of the year in the nightcap. He gave up two runs to the Braves in his next appearance, allowing a home run and an RBI single in three innings. On June 9, he again allowed two runs, this time to the Cubs; the two home runs given up resulted in his first blown save of the season. After a perfect inning against Cincinnati on June 12, he made his first scoreless appearance against Milwaukee in the season; he allowed two hits in of an inning but neither runner scored. On June 17, he faced the Braves again, this time pitching three scoreless innings and allowing two singles
and a double
. Waiting ten days until his next appearance, Hansen took the mound for two scoreless innings against St. Louis, and earned a hold
on June 30 against Brooklyn after Konstanty blew a save. In his first July game, he pitched innings, allowing two runs on three hits and walking three batters. Two days later, he pitched five scoreless innings within both halves of a doubleheader against his former team, the Giants; he walked one batter in each game and struck out three hitters in the second. After an 11-day hiatus, he returned to the hill in an 11–0 loss to the Reds, allowing an unearned run on three hits in relief of Konstanty. One-and-two-thirds scoreless innings against the Cubs on July 21 was his final scoreless outing of the month, followed by a single run allowed to the Braves on July 27 and two runs given up to the Reds three days later.
On August 3, Hansen entered in the second inning of a contest against the Reds after Konstanty and Thornton Kipper
allowed 7 runs in innings against the Reds; he pitched frames and allowed 1 run. On August 17, he made his first start in three years, absorbing the loss as the Phillies were shut out, 6–0. His final two August games came on back-to-back days: the second half of a doubleheader on August 30 (1 walk and 1 strikeout in scoreless innings); and the first half of a twinbill on August 31 (one run allowed on one walk and two hits in a single inning). He made one September appearance, allowing two runs without recording an out; for the year, he finished with an 0–2 record and three saves with a 4.03 ERA. After the conclusion of the season, Hansen was traded with Jack Lohrke and $70,000 ($ today) to Pittsburgh in exchange for Murry Dickson
.
, an Open-classification minor league team based in Los Angeles
, California
. He appeared in three games, accumulating a 1.35 ERA on the mound and one hit in three at-bats at the plate. In one of those contests, he and Red Munger
combined to hold the rival Los Angeles Angels
to a 1–0 shutout. After being voted outstanding player of the week for his short tenure, Hansen voluntarily retired himself a second time after Pittsburgh Pirates president Branch Rickey
refused to pay him $750 ($ today) that he was owed. The Pirates sent him a contract to play for the Triple-A New Orleans Pelicans
, along with a paycheck, but he did not report, opting to remain retired.
Hansen was first married to Bertha Mae ( Perkins), also a native of Lake Worth, Florida. They had two children, one a daughter named Gale Andra, before his wife contracted cancer and died. He had dated his second wife, Joy, when he was playing for the Giants in his early career, and they were described as "recently wedded" when interviewed by author Wes Singletary for his 2006 book. Hansen worked seasonally for the United States Postal Service
during his baseball career, and became a permanent employee for 31 years until retiring. In 1988, he was inducted into the Palm Beach County
Sports Commission's Hall of Fame
. He died on February 2, 2002, in his hometown.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. In a nine-season career, he played for the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
and the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Hansen was officially listed as standing 6 in 3 in (190.5 cm) and weighing 185 pounds (83.9 kg).
A two-sport star in high school, Hansen rose quickly through the Giants' minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
system and made his major league debut at age 19. He played for the Giants until 1946, when he voluntarily retired due to a family illness and then served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He returned to baseball in 1947 and earned a career-best five wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
in 1948. After a contract holdout in 1949, Hansen's bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
workload increased in 1950, leading to an elbow injury and the Giants sending him to the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
.
As a Phillie, Hansen assumed the closer's
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
role at times from 1950 National League Most Valuable Player Jim Konstanty
Jim Konstanty
Casimir James "Jim" Konstanty was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball and National League Most Valuable Player of 1950. He played for the Cincinnati Reds , Boston Braves , Philadelphia Phillies , New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals...
, and worked nearly exclusively from the bullpen after being an occasional starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
with New York. After tying his career high with five victories in 1952, Hansen went winless in 1953 and had a short tenure with the minor-league Hollywood Stars
Hollywood Stars
The Hollywood Stars were a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early and mid 20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels.-Hollywood Stars :...
before retiring and beginning a 31-year career with the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
.
Early life
Hansen was born November 12, 1924, in Lake Worth, FloridaLake Worth, Florida
Lake Worth is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, which takes its name from the body of water along its eastern border, originally called "Lake Worth", and now generally known as the Lake Worth Lagoon. The lake itself was named for General William J. Worth, who led U.S. forces during the last...
. As a young player, he was a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
and third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
before moving to pitcher. He attended Lake Worth High School, where he played offensive end on the football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team and pitched for the baseball team. In 1942, Hansen was a member of Lake Worth's "Trojans
Sports teams named Trojans
"Trojans", evoking the soldiers of the ancient city of Troy depicted in The Iliad, is a popular name for modern sports teams, including those listed here.- Non-scholastic teams :* Rotterdam Trojans "Trojans", evoking the soldiers of the ancient city of Troy depicted in The Iliad, is a popular name...
" football team that went undefeated, and the school's baseball team went to the state tournament in the 1943 season with Hansen as a member of the pitching staff. After graduating that year, Hansen spurned football scholarship offers from "a number of schools, including Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
" to sign an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
contract worth $75 ($ today) per month with the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
's New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
.
Minor leagues
The Giants assigned Hansen to their Appalachian LeagueAppalachian League
The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...
affiliate, the Bristol Twins
Bristol Twins
The Bristol Twins were a Minor league baseball team that operated in the Class D Appalachian League between the and seasons.The Twins were an affiliate team of the New York Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees Major League organizations...
, where, at age 18, he posted a "sensational
Games started
In baseball statistics, games started indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he faces the first opposing batter...
. He allowed 39 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
in 115 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
while walking
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
15 batters
Batting (baseball)
In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher...
. Hansen began the 1944 season pitching for the Jersey City Giants
Jersey City Giants
The Jersey City Giants was the name of a high-level American minor league baseball franchise that played in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the top farm system affiliate of the New York Giants from 1937 through 1950. The Jersey City club played in the International League...
, New York's top-level farm team. Managed by Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
catcher Gabby Hartnett
Gabby Hartnett
Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs. Until the career of Johnny Bench, Hartnett was considered the greatest catcher in the history of the National League...
, Hansen posted an 8–4 record, compiling a 1.89 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(ERA) in 11 starts
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
and 4 relief appearances
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
. He allowed 90 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and 28 walks in 100 innings pitched (1.18 WHIP
Walks plus hits per inning pitched
In baseball statistics, walks plus hits per inning pitched is a sabermetric measurement of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. It is a measure of a pitcher's ability to prevent batters from reaching base...
).
1944: Major league debut
Hansen was called up to the major league club to make his debut on June 30, 1944, in place of Cliff MeltonCliff Melton
Clifford George Melton was a professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher over parts of eight seasons with the New York Giants. For his career, he compiled an 86-80 record in 272 appearances, with an 3.42 earned run average and 660 strikeouts...
. He started the second game of a doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
against the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, pitching innings, striking out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
two and allowing six earned run
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned run...
s. However, the Giants scored five runs in the sixth inning against Pirates starter Fritz Ostermueller
Fritz Ostermueller
Frederick Raymond Ostermueller , was a pitcher in major league baseball from 1934–1948, for the Boston Red Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Browns....
, so Hansen did not receive a decision
Decision (baseball)
A decision is a statistical credit given to a baseball pitcher.There are two types of decisions: win and loss.In order to receive a win, the starting pitcher must complete at least five innings and leave with the lead. If the pitcher's lead is preserved by the bullpen, he is credited with a win...
; the Giants lost the contest, 9–8. His first career loss came the next week on July 5, a 4–1 defeat against the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. Hansen pitched six innings and allowed four runs, but Cardinals starter Red Munger
Red Munger
George David "Red" Munger was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who spent a decade in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates...
, 10–2 on the season to that point, pitched a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
and allowed only one run. He lost again on July 9, this time to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
in the first game of a doubleheader. Hansen pitched only innings, allowing five runs, before being relieved by Rube Fischer
Rube Fischer
Reuben Walter Fischer was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Giants.-External links:...
.
Hansen earned his first win a week later, an 8–3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
on July 16. The victory came in relief of Frank Seward
Frank Seward
Frank Martin Seward was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Giants.-External links:...
, who started the game but pitched only one inning. He pitched four innings, allowing only one run; Ace Adams
Ace Adams
Ace Townsend Adams was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Giants . Adams batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Willows, California....
followed with four scoreless innings and earned the save. His fourth decision, a second career victory, did not come until July 31, when he defeated future teammate Jim Konstanty
Jim Konstanty
Casimir James "Jim" Konstanty was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball and National League Most Valuable Player of 1950. He played for the Cincinnati Reds , Boston Braves , Philadelphia Phillies , New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals...
in a 9–7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. Hansen appeared again in a relief role, but pitched eight innings of one-run ball after starter Bill Voiselle
Bill Voiselle
William Symmes Voiselle was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1942 through 1950, Voiselle played for the New York Giants , Boston Braves and Chicago Cubs . He batted and threw right-handed.While born in Greenwood, South Carolina, Voiselle grew up in the nearby town of Ninety Six...
allowed six runs in the game's first inning. At the plate, Hansen got his first major-league hit and scored his second career run while striking out once.
Philadelphia provided Hansen with his third career win as well; it came on August 4 when he pitched against Ken Raffensberger
Ken Raffensberger
Kenneth David Raffensberger was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1939 through 1954, he played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Chicago Cubs , Philadelphia Phillies , and Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs . Raffensberger batted right-handed and threw left-handed...
. Hansen entered in the eighth inning and pitched three scoreless frames in relief of Voiselle as the game went to extra innings. The Giants won, 4–3, on a 10th-inning run with no one out
Out (baseball)
In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired...
. Sporting a 3–2 record, Hansen earned his first career save against the Phillies on August 6, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of Harry Feldman
Harry Feldman
Harry "Hank" Feldman was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Giants from 1941 to 1946. In 1962, at age 42, the 6' 0",...
and striking out two. It was his only save of the season. He lost his third decision of the year on August 19, allowing five runs and walking six batters in the Giants' 12th consecutive loss out of a season-long 13-game streak. For his rookie season, Hansen finished with a 3–3 record and a 6.49 ERA in innings pitched; he appeared in 23 games (4 starts) and struck out 15 batters while walking 32 at age 19.
1945–1946: New York, Jersey City, and the Army
In the 1945 season, Hansen spent most of his playing time with the major league Giants, appearing in 23 games for them that year. Described by Baseball-ReferenceBaseball-Reference
Baseball-Reference.com is a website providing statistics for every player in Major League Baseball history. The site is often used by major media organizations and baseball broadcasters as a source for statistics.-History:...
as New York's fifth starter, he was the Giants' youngest pitcher, and second-youngest player (Whitey Lockman
Whitey Lockman
Carroll Walter "Whitey" Lockman was a player, coach, manager and front office executive in American Major League Baseball.-Role in miraculous 1951 comeback:...
), in 1945.
Hansen started New York's third game of the season, pitching against the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
; he struck out three and allowed one run through seven innings, earning the victory. He defeated Raffensberger and the Phillies again on April 24, pitching his first career complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
in a 5–2 Giants win. After that game, manager Mel Ott
Mel Ott
Melvin Thomas Ott , nicknamed "Master Melvin", was a Major League Baseball right fielder. He played his entire career for the New York Giants . Ott was born in Gretna, Louisiana. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
said that he was encouraged by the performance because pitching was a concern of the Giants entering the season. Hansen's first loss of the season came against the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, a 4–3 defeat. After dueling to a stalemate in a tie game with Boston—he and Braves starter Al Javery
Al Javery
Alva William Javery , was a professional Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1940–1946, spending all seven seasons with the Boston Braves. He became a key part of the rotation during World War II, which he did not serve in due to varicose veins...
each allowed one run through seven innings in the second half of a rain-shortened doubleheader—Hansen earned his third victory on May 13 against the Cardinals; it was the last game of New York's season-long eight-game winning streak. Hansen earned a no decision in a May 17 start against the Cubs, but a 5–2 loss to the Pirates on May 21 dropped his record to 3–2; he allowed four earned runs in four innings. His first save of the season came on May 24, when he pitched two innings following Adams, the regular closer, who earned the win; his final decision in May was a victory over Cincinnati, a 5–1 win which was the last in a four-game win streak. He started the first game of a doubleheader on May 30, pitching innings and allowing six runs; the Giants managed an 8–6 win, however, as Slim Emmerich
Slim Emmerich
Slim Emmerich was an American baseball player.Emmerich made his Major League Baseball debut in 1945 with the New York Giants. He was drafted from the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1944 Rule 5 draft, and played for the 1945 and 1946 seasons.-External links:...
relieved him and pitched scoreless innings.
In early June, Hansen pitched in both games of a doubleheader against the Cardinals; he started the first game (allowing two runs in of an inning) and relieved Feldman in the second (pitching innings and giving up three runs). He earned his second save of the season pitching perfect innings against Brooklyn in relief of Van Mungo on June 7, but followed that with his third loss against Boston, where he allowed three runs in six innings. The third loss was Hansen's final major league decision of the season. He pitched in four more games in June, starting on June 15 and allowing four earned runs in five innings, and pitching in relief on June 17, 22, and 24. He picked up a save in his final June game, pitching the final third of an inning in relief of Voiselle and Feldman in a 7–6 victory over Philadelphia. On June 26, Hansen reported to Camp Blanding
Camp Blanding
Camp Blanding Joint Training Center is the primary military reservation and training base for the Florida National Guard, both the Florida Army National Guard and certain non-flying activities of the Florida Air National Guard. The installation is located in Clay County, Florida near the city of...
in his home state of Florida for a pre-induction examination for the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
; his service commitment had previously been deferred due to a breathing handicap from an earlier broken nose.
In July, Hansen appeared for the first time on Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, pitching of an inning in relief of Emmerich and allowing three runs. His final start of 1945 came against the Reds on July 7; he allowed four runs through innings as the Giants won, 11–7. Hansen allowed two runs in four innings facing the Cubs on July 15, and gave up three runs in against the Pirates on July 20. His final outing of the season was also his shortest; he allowed a run to Boston without putting out
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
a single batter in the second game of a doubleheader.
At the beginning of August, Hansen injured his shoulder and was optioned to Jersey City in favor of Sal Maglie
Sal Maglie
Salvatore Anthony Maglie was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played from 1945-1958 for the New York Giants, Cleveland Indians, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals. Maglie was known as "Sal the Barber", because he gave close shaves—that is, pitched inside to...
, where he appeared in five games (1–3, 7.31 ERA). After serving seven months in the military, Hansen asked the team to voluntarily retire him in early 1946 due to his father's severe illness. He did not appear in a game at any level during the 1946 season, but stated that he did not plan to give up baseball as a career.
1947: One win for New York
Hansen returned to the Giants in April 1947, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in his first appearance against the Phillies. In his second game back, he allowed four runs to the Braves, working three innings in relief of Monty Kennedy; the Giants lost the game, 14–5. Hansen did not appear for the Giants in May, but returned to action on June 1 for his first start of the season. After allowing four runs in of an inning, Hansen was relieved by Junior Thompson, who earned the victory as the Giants defeated the Reds, 13–9; the outing raised Hansen's ERA to a season-high 16.62. He did not appear again for New York until June 21, when he pitched of an inning against the Cardinals, allowing no runs. As the summer months continued, Hansen was used more heavily; he made six appearances in July, all in Giants losses. On July 2, he pitched the final inning of an 11–3 loss to Brooklyn, allowing no hits. Hansen allowed runs in each of his next two outings, both against St. Louis: he pitched two innings on July 10, and threw five innings on July 12 in the second game of a doubleheader. In a 10–5 loss to the Cardinals on July 22, Hansen made his third consecutive appearance against the Redbirds, allowing no earned runs in innings. On July 28, he turned in a hitless, scoreless performance against Cincinnati, working one inning in a 5–0 shutout, and received his first decision—a loss—against the Reds on the final day of that month in an 8–7 contest.In August, Hansen appeared in nine games, his most in a single month during the 1947 season; he began on August 3 by allowing two runs to the Pirates in of an inning. He made his second start of the season against the Braves on August 10; although he pitched innings and allowed just three runs, he did not factor in the decision. Closer Ken Trinkle
Ken Trinkle
Kenneth Wayne "Ken" Trinkle is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who served for the military in World War II during his career. He was born in Paoli, Indiana in the United States. He played Major League Baseball with the New York Giants from –, and the Philadelphia Phillies in...
, who relieved Hansen, took the loss after a three-run home run by Tommy Holmes
Tommy Holmes
Thomas Francis Holmes was an American right and center fielder and manager in Major League Baseball who played nearly his entire career for the Boston Braves...
in the ninth inning as the Giants lost, 7–5. After a one-inning appearance against the Phillies on August 13, Hansen made his third start of the year on August 17 and notched his second loss of the season, this time to Boston. He allowed one run through seven innings, but the Braves defeated New York, 3–1. The defeat was Hansen's first of four consecutive appearances in the second games of doubleheaders, the third of which was another start and his third loss of the year. He allowed the game's only runs in a inning performance; the Giants lost, 4–0. After two more multi-inning relief appearances against Chicago on August 24 and 25, Hansen pitched seven innings in a start against Brooklyn in what would be his last appearance in the month. He allowed one run in seven innings, walking six batters. In the seventh inning, his middle finger was bruised by a line drive hit up the middle by Dixie Walker
Dixie Walker
Fred E. "Dixie" Walker was a right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox , Detroit Tigers , Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates...
. Hansen walked Arky Vaughan
Arky Vaughan
Joseph Floyd "Arky" Vaughan was a professional baseball player. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball between 1932 and 1948 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers, primarily a shortstop...
, the first batter in the eighth inning, before leaving the game, and Cookie Lavagetto
Cookie Lavagetto
Harry Arthur "Cookie" Lavagetto was a third baseman, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball. He is most widely known as the pinch hitter whose double ruined Bill Bevens' no-hitter in Game 4 of the 1947 World Series and gave his Brooklyn Dodgers a breathtaking victory over the New...
singled with the bases loaded to drive in the winning runs for the Dodgers; the Giants fell, 3–1.
Hansen returned to the mound on September 4, starting his sixth game of the season. Although he pitched eight innings and allowed two runs, Hansen earned his fourth loss of the season, as the Giants lost to Brooklyn, 2–0. His next outing, which came in relief against the Dodgers, was scoreless, but he allowed four runs in three innings to the Pirates the following day. After two more scoreless relief appearances, Hansen started against the Phillies on September 20. He pitched a complete game, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits; the 5–3 victory was his first and only win of the 1947 season, defeating Philadelphia starter Ken Heintzelman
Ken Heintzelman
Kenneth Alphonse Heintzelman was a professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies ....
. Hansen appeared twice more in the 1947 season: he pitched innings in a start against the Dodgers on September 24, allowing four runs; and he lost his final start of the season against the Phillies four days later, pitching four innings and allowing three runs. For the season, Hansen posted a 1–5 record, a 4.37 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in 27 games as a 22-year-old, the Giants' second-youngest pitcher (Mario Picone
Mario Picone
Mario Peter Picone is a retired American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher whose 13-year career was marked by stints in Major League Baseball with the , and New York Giants and the 1954 Cincinnati Redlegs...
).
1948: One hundred innings, five victories
Hansen opened his 1948 campaign with five consecutive scoreless appearances. His first game was on April 22, when he pitched of an inning against the Dodgers, walking one batter and allowing a single hit. His second game was also against Brooklyn; he allowed two hits and a walk in of an inning in his final April appearance. After a 21-day layoff, Hansen returned to play on May 21, pitching a scoreless inning against the Chicago Cubs. Two more scoreless innings prompted Ott to start Hansen against the Dodgers in the second game of a May 31 doubleheader, and Hansen pitched a complete game to earn his first win of the season, allowing only one unearned run in the 10–1 victory.Hansen's June appearances consisted of three starts and five relief outings. In two of his three starts, he lasted two innings or less, allowing three runs in two frames to Cincinnati on June 4, and four runs in of an inning against St. Louis 14 days later. The latter game was his second loss of the season—the first having been earned on July 11 in his other start of the month, wherein he pitched six innings, allowed three runs, and walked five batters. Hansen's appearances from the bullpen were more successful; in innings, he allowed three runs, all in a single outing on June 24 against the Cubs. His longest appearance of the month was a seven-inning relief outing against the Cardinals on June 13; starter Dave Koslo
Dave Koslo
George Bernard "Dave" Koslo was a former professional baseball left-handed pitcher over parts of twelve seasons with the New York Giants, Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Braves. On April 18, 1947, Koslo gave up Jackie Robinson’s first major league home run, hit in the third inning...
took the loss in the game for allowing three runs in the game's first inning, and Hansen completed the remainder of the game without allowing a run. In July, Hansen began with a start on July 2, and ended with a win on July 31. His only start in July came against Brooklyn, when he pitched innings and allowed four runs. He made two appearances in high-scoring games during the month without recording any outs: he faced two batters against Brooklyn on July 4, walking one and allowing a hit; and repeated the outing on July 10, this time allowing two hits and giving up two runs. Between those two outings, he appeared in both games of a July 5 doubleheader against the Braves, pitching two perfect innings in each game. His July victory came against the Cubs, when he struck out two batters and walked none in scoreless innings on the month's final day.
In August, Hansen did not earn any decisions, but he did notch his only save of the season in his second August contest. He pitched scoreless innings against Boston to secure a 6–5 win for Koslo. Three days later, he allowed two earned runs in a three-inning appearance against Philadelphia; they would be the only earned runs he allowed in the entire month of August, lowering his ERA from 3.40 to 3.10. He finished the month with four consecutive scoreless appearances, striking out two batters and walking one between August 15 and August 31. On September 3, Hansen was pressed into service as a starter for the first time in two months of play, and he delivered a quality start
Quality start
In baseball, a quality start is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs....
for New York, allowing three runs in eight innings pitched—his third victory and first complete game of the season. He was rewarded with another start on September 7, and pitched his second consecutive complete game to earn a fourth win, this time scattering ten hits in nine innings against the Phillies, striking out three batters and allowing only a home run to Bert Haas
Bert Haas
Berthold John Haas , is a former professional baseball player who played first base in the Major Leagues from 1933-1951. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. In 1947, Haas was selected as a National League...
. Starting again on September 11, Hansen allowed two runs in innings before being relieved by Koslo; neither pitcher earned the win in the shortened game, as Trinkle pitched the sixth and final inning of the doubleheader's second game to notch the victory. Hansen earned his fifth win out of the bullpen when the Giants came from behind to defeat Cincinnati, 12–7, on September 18, and completed his season record with a loss in a start against Chicago on September 22; he allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits while walking three hitters and striking out two. For the season, Hansen accumulated a 5–3 record, a 2.97 ERA (his best career season to date), and 27 strikeouts, having faced a career-high 419 batters in 100 innings pitched.
1949: Four consecutive mid-season losses
After his career-best five wins in the prior season, Hansen held out for a better contract in February 1949, along with another Giants pitcher, Clint HartungClint Hartung
Clinton Clarence Hartung was a right-handed pitcher and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the New York Giants from 1947 to 1952. His name has become associated with promising rookies who have undistinguished careers...
; and Walker Cooper
Walker Cooper
William Walker Cooper was an American professional baseball player. He was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played for six National League teams from 1940 to 1957...
, the Giants' captain. He signed on February 6, and opened the 1949 season pitching in New York's second contest, allowing 1 run while pitching innings of a 6–2 loss to Brooklyn. Hansen took his first loss of the season in his next contest; after the Phillies and Giants played to a tie in nine innings, New York scored two runs in the top of the 11th, but Hansen, who entered to relieve, allowed three to score while recording only two outs, handing the Giants a 12–11 extra-inning defeat. In the next game against the Dodgers, however, he recorded his first victory of the year behind a pinch-hit inside-the-park
Inside-the-park home run
In baseball parlance, an inside-the-park home run, "leg home run", or "quadruple", is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of play.-Discussion:...
grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
from Pete Milne
Pete Milne
William James "Pete" Milne was a professional baseball player. He played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1948 until 1950, for the New York Giants, primarily as an outfielder...
, pitching a scoreless seventh inning and striking out two. Hansen had one other appearance in April, allowing a single run in three innings against Brooklyn the following day in a 15–2 loss. In the next month, he also made four appearances, the first of which came on May 24; he pitched two scoreless innings against the Cubs. After allowing his only run of the month to the Phillies on May 27, Hansen pitched in both games of a doubleheader on May 30, throwing of an inning in the first contest and earning his only save of the season in the second by striking out two batters in scoreless innings.
On June 1, Hansen started his first game of the season, pitching innings and allowing four runs; he was replaced by Red Webb
Red Webb
Samuel Harry "Red" Webb was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched parts of two seasons in the majors, and , for the New York Giants.-Sources:...
, who pitched the remaining and won the game, 11–5. Hansen earned his second defeat of the season on June 12, when he allowed a single game-winning run to the Pirates in innings of work; he walked three batters and struck out five in the contest. He appeared in back-to-back games on June 17 and 18: a 6–4 loss to Pittsburgh the first day, and a 5–4 win for New York on the second. This game would be his last appearance in a Giants win until the season's final month. His next two outings—against the Cardinals on June 22 and the Cubs on June 24—were perfect; he allowed no baserunners until June 25, when he gave up a single hit to Chicago in a 4–1 defeat. His final appearance of June came in the first game of a June 30 with the Boston Braves, in which he pitched two innings and allowed one hit. In July, Hansen struggled mightily, appearing in four games; each contest was a loss for the Giants, and each decision was tallied against him. On July 2, he allowed 5 runs in innings against Brooklyn, walking one batter and allowing two home runs. His five runs allowed accounted for the Dodgers' margin of victory in the 13–8 Giants defeat. He pitched four innings in relief of Sheldon Jones
Sheldon Jones
Sheldon Leslie "Available" Jones was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who played in the Major Leagues from – for the New York Giants, Boston Braves, and Chicago Cubs...
on July 10, suffering the loss when he walked three batters and allowed three runs to score. Hansen's one run allowed on July 16 proved once again to be his undoing as the Pirates defeated the Giants, 7–6, and dropped his record to 1–5; nevertheless, he earned the start against Pittsburgh on July 26 and took his sixth loss, allowing 4 runs on 4 walks in innings to finish July at 1–6 on the season.
In August, all of Hansen's appearances came in Giants losses, the first of which was on August 7—he pitched the two final innings against the Cardinals, allowing one hit but no runs. After a scoreless inning on August 12, Hansen appeared in back-to-back games against Boston on August 17 and 18, walking one and striking out one in the former game and allowing two runs in of an inning in the latter. He allowed a run to Philadelphia on August 19, then pitched in consecutive games on August 27 and 28, the second and first games of doubleheaders, respectively. The Giants lost to St. Louis, 11–2, on August 27; Hansen allowed one unearned run in that game. The next day, he pitched two perfect innings against the Cincinnati Reds, striking out one, but New York was defeated, 10–3. In his first September game, Hansen earned his final decision of the season when he defeated Pittsburgh, 9–5, pitching one scoreless inning in relief of Hank Behrman
Hank Behrman
Henry Bernard Behrman was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched from 1946-1949 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants...
. He pitched the next game as well—the following day against Brooklyn—but the Giants were shut out, 8–0. He made a scoreless appearance against Philadelphia on September 6, and allowed 4 runs in innings on September 8, raising his ERA from 4.18 to 4.64. Hansen made his final appearance on September 11 with a perfect of an inning, striking out the only batter he faced; his final game of the season was logged on September 18, but he faced no batters and did not physically appear in the game. His final record for the year was two wins against six losses; he amassed 26 strikeouts and 28 bases on balls, allowing an average of 4.61 runs per nine innings.
1950: Midseason injury
In April 1950, Hansen appeared in two games. His first appearance of the season came against the rival Dodgers; he pitched two scoreless innings, giving up three hits and walking two batters. A week later, he pitched the fourth inning of another contest against Brooklyn, this time allowing no baserunners. His first game the next month came against the Pirates on May 6, where he earned his first save of the season in a 9–8 victory. All of his other appearances in May, however, came in New York losses. On May 14, Hansen started the second game of a doubleheader against Philadelphia, pitching innings and allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks. The following week, he appeared in both games of a twinbill against the Pirates, pitching a combination perfect inning between the two contests: in the first and in the second. Beginning on May 25, Hansen pitched in four consecutive games to close out his month, allowing 1 run in innings in the first contest and throwing a scoreless frame in the second. On May 27, he struck out one batter and allowed a single hit in innings, and earned his first loss of the year in an extra-inning defeat by the Phillies the following day; he entered the game in the seventh inning and allowed 3 runs over frames to total a 5–2 final score.In June, Hansen began a heavy workload from the Giants' bullpen; the converted starter, who had never appeared in more than nine games in a single month in his major league career, was pressed into service 11 times in the third month of the season. On the month's first day, Hansen pitched in both games of a doubleheader against Cincinnati, throwing a perfect of an inning in the first half, and three scoreless in the second contest. The following day, he blew a save against the Reds in the sixth inning, allowing two hits and recording no outs. Against the Pirates on June 5, he recorded his second save of the season in a 5–4, ten-inning win, and followed it with another on June 8 in Chicago. On June 10, Hansen allowed 2 runs in innings against the Cardinals, and the next week gave up four runs to the Cubs by facing 12 batters. Two scoreless outings on June 19 and 21 were followed by an appearance in Game 1 of a June 25 doubleheader; he gave up one run on three hits and one walk. His final June appearance came against the Braves, a scoreless inning in which he walked two batters.
The workload continued into July, when Hansen appeared in the first game of a July 2 doubleheader. He entered in the first inning in relief of starter Koslo, who allowed two runs without recording an out; none of the Giants' pitchers in the 11–5 defeat escaped unscathed, as all allowed at least two runs, topped by Hansen's five. His next two appearances came on July 4, as he pitched both games of a doubleheader against the Dodgers; he tossed two innings in each contest, striking out two in the first game and walking one in the nightcap. On July 5, he gave up five runs in the seventh inning against Philadelphia, recording two outs and allowing five hits. In his next two outings against Boston and Pittsburgh, he allowed no runs, but the game against the Pirates would be his last scoreless outing with New York. Pitching against the Reds on July 16, Hansen allowed 3 runs in innings; this was followed by four runs given up against the Cardinals on July 19. His final contest of the season came on July 25, when he pitched four innings against Cincinnati, allowing two runs before injuring his pitching elbow. Speaking with manager Leo Durocher
Leo Durocher
Leo Ernest Durocher , nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,009 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks tenth in career wins by...
, he claimed to feel a painless pop in his elbow as he threw a pitch; two hours later, the elbow had swollen "as big as a football" and visibly bruised, ending his season. Hansen ended the season with an 0–1 record, a 5.53 ERA, and 19 strikeouts; thereafter, he was selected by the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
.
Philadelphia
1951: Return to the majors
After acquiring Hansen, the Phillies assigned him to the Triple-A Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles (minor league)
The city of Baltimore, Maryland has been home to two minor league baseball teams called the Baltimore Orioles.-Name history:"Orioles" is a traditional name for baseball clubs in Baltimore . It was used by major league teams from 1882 through 1899 in the American Association/National League and by...
. He was called up to the major league club in July after posting a 1–1 record with a 5.45 ERA and 14 strikeouts, working exclusively from Baltimore's bullpen. Hansen's first appearance with Philadelphia came on July 6; he pitched two innings in relief of Russ Meyer, who allowed three runs without recording an out. Three straight appearances in doubleheader openers followed Hansen's Phillies debut: he faced two Cardinals batters without a putout on July 15; pitched two scoreless innings against Cincinnati two days later; and could have earned his first victory of the season on July 22 had Konstanty—the closer and 1950's National League Most Valuable Player—not collected his fifth blown save of the year. Hansen pitched in three more games that month, recording his first decision of the season on July's final day: he defeated the Reds, 7–5, pitching one inning and allowing two runs.
Hansen appeared in five games for the Phillies in August. All were multi-inning appearances as a relief pitcher, and only one was not scoreless—he allowed four runs to the Braves in innings on August 15. He opened September with a victory, however—a 5–3 win over Boston—to raise his record to 2–0; it was his first of eleven appearances in the season's final month. Including the September 2 victory, Hansen finished
Games finished
In baseball statistics, a relief pitcher is credited with a game finished if he is the last pitcher to pitch for his team in a game. A starting pitcher is not credited with a GF for pitching a complete game...
three of his first four games for Philadelphia in the month, allowing no runs in any of those four appearances. The Pirates notched Hansen's first September runs allowed on the month's 12th day; although none of the runs were earned, Hansen still collected his first and only defeat of the 1951 season.
In his next appearance, Hansen struck out a season-high four Cardinals in innings pitched on September 16; it was his only appearance in 1951 wherein he struck out multiple batters. Following a scoreless two-inning appearance against the Cubs on September 18, Hansen pitched the eighth inning against the Dodgers on September 23, allowing his first earned runs in over a month. After relieving starter Ken Johnson
Ken Johnson (left-handed pitcher)
Kenneth Wandersee Johnson [Hook] was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three different teams between the and seasons. Listed at 6' 1", 185 lb., he batted and threw left-handed....
in the first inning of September 26's contest—pitching two innings and allowing one run—Hansen earned his final decision of the season on September 28, pitching three scoreless frames against Brooklyn to earn his third win. His 1951 season ended with a single scoreless inning the following day, also against the Dodgers; this lowered his season ERA to 2.54, the best mark among Phillies pitchers that year, and a career low for Hansen. On the season, he struck out 11 batters while walking 7, allowing 34 hits in 39 innings of work.
1952: Four-save July
Hansen's 1952 season did not open auspiciously; he appeared in the Phillies' second game of the season, entering in the ninth inning and allowing a sacrifice flySacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....
to the Giants' Alvin Dark
Alvin Dark
Alvin Ralph Dark , nicknamed "Blackie" and "The Swamp Fox", is a former shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball who played for five National League teams from 1946 to 1960. Named the major leagues' Rookie of the Year with the Boston Braves when he batted .322...
with the bases loaded. Although it was no blemish on Hansen's ERA—the runner having been allowed by starter Howie Fox
Howie Fox
Howard Francis Fox was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three different teams between the 1944 and 1954 seasons. Listed at 6' 3", 210 lb., Fox batted and threw right-handed...
—he still earned a blown save in his first appearance of the year. His second appearance two days later was worse: Hansen entered the game in the eighth inning with a 7–6 lead, but allowed two runs in the top of the ninth, and a third earned was added to his tally after closer Konstanty, who relieved Hansen, allowed a sacrifice fly immediately thereafter. The Braves, Philadelphia's opponents in that contest, won the game, 9–7, and Hansen was saddled with his second blown save in as many appearances and his first loss of the season. His next three appearances were scoreless, but on May 16, he entered in the eighth inning of a game against the Reds with the Phillies leading, 2–1, and runners on first and second bases. He allowed a single to Bobby Adams
Bobby Adams
Robert Henry Adams was a third baseman/second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Cincinnati Reds & Redlegs , Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs . Adams batted and threw right-handed...
, scoring Roy McMillan
Roy McMillan
Roy David McMillan was a shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1951 through 1966, McMillan played for the Cincinnati Reds , Milwaukee Braves and New York Mets . He batted and threw right-handed...
and blowing his third save, but the Phillies would win, 3–2, after Heintzelman pitched scoreless innings and the Phillies used small ball
Small Ball
In the sport of baseball, small-ball is an informal and colloquial term for an offensive strategy in which the batting team emphasizes placing runners on base and then advancing them into position to score a run in a deliberate, methodical way...
tactics (a walk to Eddie Waitkus
Eddie Waitkus
Edward Stephen Waitkus was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who had an 11-year career . He played for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies in the National League and for the Baltimore Orioles of the American League...
, Heintzelman reaching on a fielder's choice
Fielder's choice
In baseball, fielder's choice is a term used to refer to a variety of plays involving an offensive player reaching a base due to the defense's attempt to put out another baserunner, or the defensive team's indifference to his advance...
, and a bunt single by Richie Ashburn
Richie Ashburn
Don Richard "Richie" Ashburn , also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" due to his light-blond hair, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska...
) to load the bases in the bottom of the tenth inning, winning on a single by Granny Hamner
Granny Hamner
Granville Wilbur Hamner was an American shortstop and second baseman in Major League Baseball. Hamner was one of the key players on the "Whiz Kids", the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies...
. After two scoreless appearances against St. Louis and New York, Hansen allowed one run in a three-inning appearance against his former club on May 24. Hansen pitched in both extra-inning games of a doubleheader on May 27, pitching the twelfth and final inning against Boston in a 4–2 loss in the first contest, and earning his first victory in the tenth inning of the second after Del Ennis
Del Ennis
Delmer Ennis was an American left and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Philadelphia Phillies. From 1949 to 1957, Ennis accumulated more runs batted in than anyone besides Stan Musial and was 8th in the National League in home runs...
' triple and Willie Jones'
Willie Jones (baseball)
Willie Edward Jones , nicknamed "Puddin' Head", was a Major League Baseball third baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds...
sacrifice fly scored the winning run in the bottom half of the frame. Three more relief appearances closed out the month, two of them scoreless; his only run allowed was against the Pirates on the final day of May.
Hansen's June was also inauspicious, as all six of his appearances came in Phillies losses. He had two scoreless one-inning stints against the Reds and the Cubs on June 5 and 10, respectively, before a three-inning appearance against the Pirates in the first game of a June 15 doubleheader. In the contest, he struck out one and walked one in a scoreless outing to lower his ERA to 2.75, and followed with a scoreless inning on June 19 to push it down to 2.61, his lowest to that point of the season. He allowed his only earned runs of the month on June 22, when Hansen walked the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning against Cincinnati; Konstanty entered, allowing a double to former teammate Andy Seminick
Andy Seminick
Andrew Wasal Seminick was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies between 1943 and 1951, and the Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs from 1952 through part of 1955, when he rejoined the Phillies for the rest of his career until...
that scored two. In his final June game, he allowed three runs, but none were earned due to a throwing error by third baseman Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones
Willie Jones (baseball)
Willie Edward Jones , nicknamed "Puddin' Head", was a Major League Baseball third baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds...
. At the end of June and beginning of July, closer Konstanty blew two saves, one of which resulted in a 4–3 loss to Brooklyn, so Hansen assumed some of the closing duties for the season's fourth month. He collected his first save of the season on the second of July, pitching two scoreless innings against the Dodgers in relief of Russ Meyer. After allowing two runs to the Cardinals on July 10, Hansen bounced back with consecutive saves—on July 13 against Chicago; and again on July 16 versus the Pirates, in which Hansen relieved Roberts after the latter allowed a two-run ninth-inning home run. On July 22, he earned his fourth save of the month in a two-inning performance against Pittsburgh, and closed the month with two consecutive victories, defeating the Cubs on July 27, and the Reds two days after.
In August, Hansen pitched innings in the team's first contest, allowing two runs to the Cardinals on four hits and losing his third game of the season. He appeared in three consecutive doubleheaders (August 9, 11, and 13) and followed by pitching of an inning in a 15–0 loss at Brooklyn on August 16. Hansen rested until August 22, when he relieved Curt Simmons
Curt Simmons
Curtis Thomas "Curt" Simmons is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1947–50 and 1952-67. With right-hander Robin Roberts, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Simmons was one of the twin anchors of the starting rotation of the "Whiz Kids", the Philadelphia Phillies' ...
against the Cincinnati Reds; he pitched innings, allowing two runs on three hits, walking two, and absorbing a fourth loss. Beginning on August 24, he finished three games against the Cubs on consecutive game-days: pitching a perfect inning on August 24; earning a win with two scoreless innings on August 25; and taking the loss on August 26 in the 13th inning of the series' final contest. He bounced back to close the month with a fifth win, though, defeating Boston, 8–6, behind a -inning relief performance. In his first September game, Hansen took the loss by allowing a single run to the Giants on the month's third day; he finished the month by pitching in two consecutive losses, with his final appearance coming on September 12. For the season, he finished with a 5–6 record, a 3.26 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in a team-leading 43 games pitched—a year in which his performance was described as "excellent relieving".
1953: Last major league year
Hansen's first game of the 1953 season resulted in his first loss; in a 14–12 contest against the Pirates, he allowed four runs—one earned—in the fifth frame, the only inning he pitched. His next appearance resulted in his first save of the year, coming against Pittsburgh on April 25, and he pitched in his final April game three days later against St. Louis. Hansen's first appearance in May came against the newly-relocated Milwaukee Braves, late of Boston, when he allowed a walk and two hits, one a home run, in a single inning. He threw a scoreless frame against Brooklyn on May 10, and a perfect on May 12 to earn his second save. He allowed two runs against Milwaukee on May 18, but both were unearned, lowering his ERA to a season-low 2.25; three runs in his next appearance, however, raised his average to its highest point since the year's first game. His last game in May was against Pittsburgh: of an inning with one unearned run allowed.Hansen opened June with a doubleheader, pitching in both games and allowing no runs; he gave up a hit in the first game and walked a batter in the second, striking out one batter in each contest. He pitched the ninth inning in both games, earning his third save of the year in the nightcap. He gave up two runs to the Braves in his next appearance, allowing a home run and an RBI single in three innings. On June 9, he again allowed two runs, this time to the Cubs; the two home runs given up resulted in his first blown save of the season. After a perfect inning against Cincinnati on June 12, he made his first scoreless appearance against Milwaukee in the season; he allowed two hits in of an inning but neither runner scored. On June 17, he faced the Braves again, this time pitching three scoreless innings and allowing two singles
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
and a double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. Waiting ten days until his next appearance, Hansen took the mound for two scoreless innings against St. Louis, and earned a hold
Hold (baseball)
A hold is awarded to a relief pitcher who meets the following three conditions:Unlike saves, wins, and losses, more than one pitcher per team can earn a hold for a game, though it is not possible for a pitcher to receive more than one hold in a given game...
on June 30 against Brooklyn after Konstanty blew a save. In his first July game, he pitched innings, allowing two runs on three hits and walking three batters. Two days later, he pitched five scoreless innings within both halves of a doubleheader against his former team, the Giants; he walked one batter in each game and struck out three hitters in the second. After an 11-day hiatus, he returned to the hill in an 11–0 loss to the Reds, allowing an unearned run on three hits in relief of Konstanty. One-and-two-thirds scoreless innings against the Cubs on July 21 was his final scoreless outing of the month, followed by a single run allowed to the Braves on July 27 and two runs given up to the Reds three days later.
On August 3, Hansen entered in the second inning of a contest against the Reds after Konstanty and Thornton Kipper
Thornton Kipper
Thornton John Kipper was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1953 through 1955 for the Philadelphia Phillies. Listed at 6' 3", 190 lb., Kipper batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Bagley, Wisconsin....
allowed 7 runs in innings against the Reds; he pitched frames and allowed 1 run. On August 17, he made his first start in three years, absorbing the loss as the Phillies were shut out, 6–0. His final two August games came on back-to-back days: the second half of a doubleheader on August 30 (1 walk and 1 strikeout in scoreless innings); and the first half of a twinbill on August 31 (one run allowed on one walk and two hits in a single inning). He made one September appearance, allowing two runs without recording an out; for the year, he finished with an 0–2 record and three saves with a 4.03 ERA. After the conclusion of the season, Hansen was traded with Jack Lohrke and $70,000 ($ today) to Pittsburgh in exchange for Murry Dickson
Murry Dickson
Murry Monroe Dickson was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the 1940s and 1950s...
.
After the majors
In 1954, Hansen was assigned to the Pirates-affiliated Hollywood StarsHollywood Stars
The Hollywood Stars were a minor league baseball team that played in the Pacific Coast League during the early and mid 20th century. They were the arch-rivals of the other Los Angeles based PCL team, the Los Angeles Angels.-Hollywood Stars :...
, an Open-classification minor league team based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He appeared in three games, accumulating a 1.35 ERA on the mound and one hit in three at-bats at the plate. In one of those contests, he and Red Munger
Red Munger
George David "Red" Munger was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who spent a decade in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates...
combined to hold the rival Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels (PCL)
The Los Angeles Angels were a team based in Los Angeles, California that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 through 1957, after which they transferred to Spokane, Washington to become the Spokane Indians. Los Angeles would later become the host city to a Major League Baseball team, the...
to a 1–0 shutout. After being voted outstanding player of the week for his short tenure, Hansen voluntarily retired himself a second time after Pittsburgh Pirates president Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
refused to pay him $750 ($ today) that he was owed. The Pirates sent him a contract to play for the Triple-A New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team history:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...
, along with a paycheck, but he did not report, opting to remain retired.
Hansen was first married to Bertha Mae ( Perkins), also a native of Lake Worth, Florida. They had two children, one a daughter named Gale Andra, before his wife contracted cancer and died. He had dated his second wife, Joy, when he was playing for the Giants in his early career, and they were described as "recently wedded" when interviewed by author Wes Singletary for his 2006 book. Hansen worked seasonally for the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
during his baseball career, and became a permanent employee for 31 years until retiring. In 1988, he was inducted into the Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County, Florida
Palm Beach County is the largest county in the state of Florida in total area, and third in population. As of 2010, the county's estimated population was 1,320,134, making it the twenty-eighth most populous in the United States...
Sports Commission's Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
. He died on February 2, 2002, in his hometown.