Enos Slaughter

Enos Bradsher Slaughter (April 27, 1916 – August 12, 2002), known as "Country," was an American right fielder who played 19 MLB seasons from 1938 to 1959 for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, and Milwaukee Braves. A ten-time All-Star, he is enshrined in both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame, most famous for scoring the winning run in Game 7 of the 1946 World Series.

Born in Roxboro, North Carolina, Slaughter got his nickname there. In 1935, scout Billy Southworth signed him for the Cardinals. His first professional team was the Martinsville Manufacturers that same year. While playing minor-league ball in Columbus, Georgia, Slaughter once jogged from the outfield toward the dugout. Manager Eddie Dyer told him if he was tired, they would find help. From then on, Slaughter ran everywhere on the field. In 1937, he collected 245 hits and scored 147 runs for Columbus.

Slaughter batted left-handed and threw right-handed, known for a smooth swing that made him a reliable contact hitter. Over 2,380 major-league games, he recorded 2,383 hits, 169 home runs, and 1,304 RBIs. He played in five World Series. His 1,820 games with the Cardinals rank fifth in franchise history, behind Yadier Molina, Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, and Stan Musial. He stands third in Cardinals RBIs with 1,148, sixth in at-bats with 6,775, and seventh in doubles with 366. After debuting in 1938, he became an everyday outfielder in 1939.

During World War II, Slaughter served three years in the Army Air Corps as a sergeant teaching physical education. He helped organize baseball games on Tinian and Saipan, drawing up to 20,000 spectators. Returning in 1946, he led the National League with 130 RBIs and guided the Cardinals to a World Series win over the Boston Red Sox. In Game 7, he made his famous "Mad Dash" from first base on Harry Walker's hit, scoring the winning run ahead of Johnny Pesky's throw. The hit was ruled a double, though some thought it should have been a single. The play ranked No. 10 on The Sporting News list of Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments in 1999.

Slaughter was known for hustling, especially running hard to first on walks—a habit later imitated by Pete Rose and David Eckstein. He was reported as a leader in racial taunting against Jackie Robinson, accused of conspiring with teammate Terry Moore to refuse playing Brooklyn. Sportswriter Bob Broeg refuted this, saying NL president Ford C. Frick considered the Cardinals fairer to Robinson than other teams. Slaughter later spiked Robinson, inflicting a seven-inch gash.

Slaughter denied animosity, claiming allegations stemmed from being "a Southern boy" and that the injury was typical of his rough style. Dodgers second baseman Eddie Stanky said in the August 21, 1947 St. Louis Star and Times that Slaughter deliberately spiked Robinson, losing his respect. The Ken Burns Baseball documentary claimed Slaughter ran and jumped at Robinson, cutting his thigh, though most accounts say the cut was on Robinson's calf and unintentional.

With the Yankees, Slaughter played less but excelled as a pinch hitter. He batted fifth and played left field in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, where Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history. At 40, he was the oldest player in that game.

Slaughter retired from MLB in 1959. He managed the Houston Buffs of the Texas League in 1960 and the Raleigh Capitals of the Carolina League in 1961. He coached baseball at Duke University from 1971 to 1977 and supported the Duke Children's Classic, the Person County Museum of History, and Piedmont Community College.

Slaughter had five wives, all divorced, and four daughters: Gaye, Patricia, Rhonda, and Sharon. His cousin, Henry Slaughter, was a well-known southern gospel musician. He also mentored Lou Brock when Brock joined the Cardinals.

Slaughter died at 86 on August 12, 2002, after battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma and undergoing colon surgery two weeks earlier for a torn issue.