The Pecan Park Eagle

Ernie Banks
1931-2015
Rest in Peace

It’s a sad day for baseball and the human race. When Ernie Banks died in Chicago yesterday, 01/23/15, in Chicago, and just eight days shy of his 84th birthday, we surrendered a very special human being – a guy whose love of the game he played hardly needs amplification from the likes of me – or anyone else. His “Let’s Play Two” state of mind and his Hall of Fame accomplishments on the field speak for themselves: 512 career MLB home runs, 1,305 runs, and 1,636 RBI, all as “Mr. Cub”, speak loudly for themselves.

But how many of you know the eternal Houston connection to these totals? If not, it’s no big matter to fill you in to this small part of the big picture that was the MLB career of native Texan Ernie Banks:

Back on Opening Day at Colt Stadium, April 10, 1962, Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs became the first oppositional player in Houston’s brand new first day big league history in the 7th inning of the game played between his Cubs and the brand new Houston Colt .45s to set one of those forever-records with one swing of the bat in the 7th inning. With nobody on and Ernie Banks hitting against Houston’s lefty starter, Bobby Shantz, Ernie got hold of a pitch and sent it hurdling far and away to the great record bok in the sky. With the Cubs trailing, 1-0, at the time, Ernie’s out-of-the-park blast at once became the first run and rbi registered against a Houston big league team – and the first home run ever hit against them, as well. Banks also picked up a single in that game to go 2 for 4 on the day and the only Cub to have a multiple hit game against Houston – another first and forever record against Houston for Smiling Ernie Banks, even if his Cubs did get battered, 11-2, by the end of the day.

Photo of Stan Musial and Ernie Banks at NY Awards Dinner on 2/02/69 that was sent to writer friend Ron Paglia by Steve Russell,
Executive Director of the Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame in Donora, PA and then wired to The Pecan Park Eagle. Ernie had been honored that night by the NY Chapter of the BBWAA with their annual “Good Guy” Award.

We Houstonians also knew that Ernie Banks was both a great player and a really “good guy.” We got to watch him on a regular basis during the last ten seasons (1962-71) of his nineteen year career and, for that fact, we should be eternally grateful. Ernie Banks was the total embodiment of the spirit and character of all those who play, coach, or follow baseball for “the love of the game” – and an old James Bond movie theme song occurs to me here – “Nobody Does It Better!”

And nobody, but nobody did it better in that area than the lean, sweet man that was Ernie Banks of Dallas, Texas and the Chicago Cubs!

Rest in Peace, Ernie Banks! We are also happy for your spiritual homecoming, but we are going to miss your personal spirit among us in all the baseball seasons yet to come.

Baseball Almanac Box ScoresChicago Cubs 2, Houston Colt .45s 11
Game played on Tuesday, April 10, 1962 at Colt Stadium
Chicago Cubs ab   r   h rbi Brock cf 3 0 0 1 Hubbs 2b 4 0 0 0 Williams lf 4 0 1 0 Banks 1b 4 1 2 1 Altman rf 4 0 0 0 Santo 3b 3 0 0 0 White ss 1 0 0 0   Rodgers ph,ss 1 0 0 0 Barragan c 3 0 1 0 Cardwell p 1 0 0 0   Gerard p 0 0 0 0   Morhardt ph 1 0 0 0   Schultz p 0 0 0 0   Warner p 0 0 0 0   McKnight ph 1 1 1 0   Lary p 0 0 0 0 Totals 30 2 5 2	Houston Colt .45s ab   r   h rbi Aspromonte 3b 4 3 3 0 Spangler cf 3 3 2 1 Mejias rf 5 3 3 6 Larker 1b 4 1 1 1 Pendleton lf 4 0 1 1 Smith c 4 1 2 1 Amalfitano 2b 3 0 1 1 Buddin ss 3 0 0 0 Shantz p 4 0 0 0 Totals 34 11 13 11
Chicago 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 – 2 5 0 Houston 1 0 4 0 0 0 3 3 x – 11 13 2   Chicago Cubs IP H R ER BB SO Cardwell  L (0-1) 2.2 5 5 5 2 1   Gerard 2.1 1 0 0 1 0   Schultz 1.0 4 3 3 0 1   Warner 1.0 1 0 0 0 0   Lary 1.0 2 3 3 1 0 Totals 8.0 13 11 11 4 2   Houston Colt .45s IP H R ER BB SO Shantz  W (1-0) 9.0 5 2 2 2 4 Totals 9.0 5 2 2 2 4 E–Smith (1), Amalfitano (1).  DP–Chicago 1, Houston 2.  2B–Houston Smith (1,off Cardwell).  3B–Chicago McKnight (1,off Shantz), Houston Spangler (1,off Cardwell).  HR–Chicago Banks (1,7th inning off Shantz 0 on, 1 out), Houston Mejias 2 (2,3rd inning off Cardwell 2 on, 0 out,8th inning off Lary 2 on, 2 out); Smith (1,3rd inning off Cardwell 0 on, 2 out).  SF–Brock (1,off Shantz).  Team LOB–4.  SH–Buddin (1,off Schultz).  HBP–Amalfitano (1,by Schultz).  Team–5.  SB–Aspromonte (1,2nd base off Lary/Barragan).  CS–Amalfitano (1,2nd base by Warner/Barragan).  HBP–Schultz (1,Amalfitano).  U-HP–Dusty Boggess, 1B–Stan Landes, 2B–Vinnie Smith, 3B–Mel Steiner.  T–2:32.  A–25,271.
Game played on Tuesday, April 10, 1962 at Colt Stadium
Baseball Almanac Box Score |

Tags: an Ernie Banks memory

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