Joe Gordon

Lore & Background

As a rookie second baseman in 1938, Gordon set a new record for home runs in a season for a second baseman with 25. Gordon was the outstanding player at his position during the 1940s, winning the American League MVP Award and being named to The Sporting News Major League All-Star Team in nine of his eleven seasons. Known for his acrobatic defense, he led the AL in assists four times and in double plays three times. He was the first AL second baseman to hit 20 home runs in a season, doing so seven times, with his peak being 32 in 1948. His single season record of home runs at the position was a record until 2001. His 253 home runs were second all-time among players primarily playing the position of second base when he retired, and only seven players have passed him since. He played a major role on the champion Indians, leading the team in homers and runs batted in. He ranked sixth in major league history in double plays (1,160) upon retiring and was sixth in AL history in games (1,519), putouts (3,600), assists (4,706) and total chances (8,566) and seventh in fielding percentage (.970).

In Their Own Story

The afternoon sun hangs low over the outfield wall, painting the dirt in amber. Third base is a small island of white chalk and worn leather, and on it crouches a lean, broad-shouldered man in a faded blue uniform, the number barely visible under a decade of sweat and chalk dust. The crack of a bat echoes from the other side of the diamond—sharp, final, the sound of a ball leaving a barrel at ninety miles an hour. Jiggs is already on his feet, glove extended, eyes tracking the arc. The ball arrives hot, screaming off the infield grass, and he fields it on the first bounce, pivots, and fires to first. The throw is a laser. The runner is out. Jiggs exhales, adjusts his cap, and walks back to the bag without breaking his stride. Behind him, the stands murmur in a low, satisfied hum—the sound of a city that knows its hot corner is in the hands of a man who treats every play like the last one that matters.

Reader's Guide

Gordon was born in Los Angeles on February 18, 1915. He attended Jefferson High School in Oregon and the University of Oregon, where he played baseball, football, gymnastics, soccer, and the long jump, and played violin in the college orchestra. He signed with the Yankees in 1936 after batting .418 in his sophomore year. He made his MLB debut in April 1938. He served in the U.S. Army in 1944–45 during World War II, missing those seasons. He returned to the Yankees in 1946, but suffered multiple injuries that limited him to 112 games.

Did You Know?

• Gordon set a rookie record for home runs by a second baseman with 25 in 1938.
• He won the American League MVP Award in 1942.
• He hit for the cycle on September 8, 1940.
• Gordon's 253 home runs were second all-time among primary second basemen when he retired.