Heinz Becker
Encyclopedia
Heinz Reinhard Becker was a Major League Baseball
first baseman
who played for the Chicago Cubs
(1943, 1945-46) and Cleveland Indians
(1946-47). Born in Berlin
, Germany
, he was one of only 27 German-born players in MLB history as of 2010.
Becker may be most well-known for being a key reserve on the last Chicago Cubs team to win a National League
pennant
(1945). He got into 67 games and hit .286 with 2 home run
s, 27 runs batted in, and 25 runs scored. He played great defense, making no errors
in 28 appearances at first base. In the 1945 World Series
he made three appearances as a pinch hitter
, going 1-for-2 with a walk. His hit was a single
against winning pitcher
Dizzy Trout
in Game # 4.
He was traded by the Cubs to the Cleveland Indians for first baseman Mickey Rocco
and cash on June 26, 1946 and hit .299 in 59 games that season. He was released by Cleveland on May 14, 1947. He signed with the Boston Braves
two days later, but never again appeared in a major league game.
Career totals include 152 games played
, 92 hits
, 2 HR
, 47 RBI, 45 runs scored
, and a lifetime batting average
of .263. His on base percentage
was .359, and he had a slugging percentage of .346. He had a lifetime fielding percentage of .994 in 90 appearances at first base and participated in 64 double plays.
Becker died at the age of 76 in Dallas, Texas
.
Becker had problems with his feet during his playing career, earning him the nickname "Bunion
s". He was referenced in Chicago columnist Mike Royko
's annual Cubs quiz on April 18, 1968:
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...
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
who played for 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...
(1943, 1945-46) and Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(1946-47). Born in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he was one of only 27 German-born players in MLB history as of 2010.
Becker may be most well-known for being a key reserve on the last Chicago Cubs team to win a 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...
pennant
Pennant (sports)
A pennant is a commemorative flag typically used to show support for a particular athletic team. Pennants have been historically used in all types of athletic levels: high school, collegiate, professional etc. Traditionally, pennants were made of felt and fashioned in the official colors of a...
(1945). He got into 67 games and hit .286 with 2 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, 27 runs batted in, and 25 runs scored. He played great defense, making no errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
in 28 appearances at first base. In the 1945 World Series
1945 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 3, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 2:Thursday, October 4, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 3:Friday, October 5, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan...
he made three appearances as a pinch hitter
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
, going 1-for-2 with a walk. His hit was a single
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...
against winning pitcher
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...
Dizzy Trout
Dizzy Trout
Paul Howard "Dizzy" Trout was a Major League Baseball pitcher primarily for the Detroit Tigers. Born in Sandcut, Indiana, he first played professionally in 1935 with the Terre Haute Tots in the Three-I League before signing with Detroit in 1939.Trout played for the Tigers for fourteen seasons,...
in Game # 4.
He was traded by the Cubs to the Cleveland Indians for first baseman Mickey Rocco
Mickey Rocco
Michael Dominick Rocco was a Major League Baseball player for the Cleveland Indians from 1943 to 1946. He was the Tribe's regular first baseman for the majority of the World War II years....
and cash on June 26, 1946 and hit .299 in 59 games that season. He was released by Cleveland on May 14, 1947. He signed with 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....
two days later, but never again appeared in a major league game.
Career totals include 152 games played
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
, 92 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....
, 2 HR
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
, 47 RBI, 45 runs scored
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...
, and a lifetime batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .263. His on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
was .359, and he had a slugging percentage of .346. He had a lifetime fielding percentage of .994 in 90 appearances at first base and participated in 64 double plays.
Becker died at the age of 76 in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
Becker had problems with his feet during his playing career, earning him the nickname "Bunion
Bunion
A bunion is a deformity characterized by lateral deviation of the great toe, often erroneously described as an enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at the head of the big toe...
s". He was referenced in Chicago columnist Mike Royko
Mike Royko
Michael "Mike" Royko was a newspaper columnist in Chicago, who won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for commentary...
's annual Cubs quiz on April 18, 1968:
- Q: Which of these two players always had sore feet? Heinz Becker or the immortal Dominic Dallessandro?
- A: Becker had sore feet. Dallessandro had tiny feet. It used to take him twenty jumps to get out of the dugout.