Rusty Staub

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Lore & Background

A six-time All-Star known for his hitting prowess, Staub produced 2,716 hits over his playing career, just 284 hits shy of the 3,000 hit plateau. He was an original member of the Montreal Expos and the team's first star. Although he played just 518 of his 2,951 games as an Expo, his enduring popularity led them to retire his number in 1993, while the Mets inducted him into their team Hall of Fame in 1986. Staub was also known for his charitable work through the Rusty Staub Foundation, supporting emergency food pantries in New York; and for establishing the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children's Benefit Fund.

In Their Own Story

The turning point for Rusty Staub in Houston arrived on June 17, 1968, when new manager Harry Walker clashed with the star outfielder. Walker and GM Spec Richardson decided to trade Staub to the Montreal Expos before their inaugural season as part of a deal for Donn Clendenon and Jesús Alou. The transaction sparked immediate controversy; Clendenon, believing Walker was racist from their Pittsburgh days, refused to report to Houston and attempted to retire. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ruled the deal official but mandated that Clendenon stay with Montreal, while Houston received Jack Billingham, Skip Guinn, and $100,000 as compensation. This departure ended a tenure where Staub had led the league in doubles and established himself as a 20-game hitting streak pioneer for the franchise.

Reader's Guide

Staub signed his first professional contract with the expansion team Houston Colt .45s organization in 1961. He spent the 1962 season in the Class B Carolina League, and at season's end he was named one of the league's all-stars and its Most Valuable Player. Following that season, Staub was signed to a $100,000 Major League contract under the Bonus Rule. In his first season, aged 19, he played regularly, splitting time between first base and the outfield, but hit only .220. He became only the second major league rookie since 1900 to play 150 games as a teenager; the first had been Bob Kennedy, also 19, with the Chicago White Sox in 1940. The following season, he hit only .216 for the Colts and was sent down to the minor leagues at one point. His statistics steadily improved in the 1965 season for his team, which had been renamed the Astros, and he had a breakout 1967 season, when he led the league in doubles with 44 and was selected to the All-Star team. He collected a hit in twenty straight games from June 30 to July 21, making him the first ever Astro with a twenty-game hitting streak; various players have passed him since, starting with Lee May in 1973. He repeated as an All-Star for the Astros in 1968. Staub did not get along with Harry Walker, hired by the Astros on June 17, 1968, to move from hitting coach to manager. Walker and general manager H.B. "Spec" Richardson decided to trade Staub to the Montreal Expos before the start of their inaugural season in 1969 as part of a deal for Donn Clendenon and Jesús Alou. The trade became a source of controversy as Clendenon refused to report to the Astros and attempted to retire; the deal had to be resolved by Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn who ruled that the deal was official, but that Clendenon was to stay with the Expos. Montreal eventually dealt Jack Billingham, Skip Guinn, and $100,000 as compensation. Staub was embraced as the expansion team's first star, and became one of the most popular players in their history. Embraced by French Canadians because he learned their language, he was nicknamed "Le Grand Orange" for his red hair. In his first year with the Expos, he played in 158 games, having 166 hits, 89 runs, 29 home runs, 79 RBIs on a .302 batting average with a .426 OBP and a .952 OPS. He walked 110 times while striking out 61 times. He played 156 games in right field for 1,355.1 innings, havin

Did You Know?

• Staub was nicknamed "Rusty" by a nurse in the hospital shortly after he was born because of his red hair.
• He became only the second major league rookie since 1900 to play 150 games as a teenager; the first had been Bob Kennedy in 1940.
• Staub was the first ever Astro with a twenty-game hitting streak, from June 30 to July 21, 1967.
• His crash into the outfield wall in Game 4 of the 1973 NLCS led to Major League teams applying padding on outfield walls at all ball parks.