AL Player of the Week - Tony Lazzeri

AL Player of the Week

Tony Lazzeri

"You got yourself into this - you get yourself out." - Advice given Lefty Gomez from Tony Lazzeri in a mound visit during a key moment with runners on base.

Tony Lazzeri (HA 19) was the second baseman on the Yankees' famous "murderer's row" lineup and held that position for New York from 1926 through 1937. During that time, not much was expected from a middle infielder at the plate, but Lazzeri was able to hit between 10-20 home runs each year and hit significantly above average in OPS.

According to his NY Times obituary, Lazzeri hailed from San Franciso. He played against such future major leaguers as Joe Cronin, Wally Berger, and Ernie Lombardi. He was known not only as a very good hitter, but a great clutch hitter despite his famous bases loaded strikeout at the hands of Pete Alexander in the 1926 World Series.

Famed Yankee exec Ed Barrow wrote in his memoir that Lazzeri was one of the greatest players he had seen. This may have been seller's remorse, though. Baseball historian Charles Alexander writes that by 1936 the Yankees had been looking to replace Lazzeri for several years. In 1937, Lazzeri's batting fell way off. Even though he recovered and had an excellent 1937 World Series, the Yankees released him after getting a look at rookie second baseman Joe Gordon the next year in spring training. "There wasn't a lot of sentiment over Lazzeri's loss" Alexander quotes teammate Tommy Henrich. "Gordon was just better. It was that simple."

Lazzeri signed on with the Cubs for the 1938 campaign. In Chicago, he played in 54 games and saw a resurgence in his hitting as he did in more limited action for the Dodgers and Giants in his final season of 1939.

After reitrement, Lazzeri went back to San Francisco and purchased a bar. Lazzeri was an eplileptic, and a seizure may have caused his untimely, fatal fall down a flight of stairs that killed him in 1946.

With a lifetime OPS of 121, Lazzeri was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.