Thursday, October 13, 2016
no. 585 - willie davis
Who is the man: Willie Davis was in the midst of the greatest period of his career, from approximately 1969-73. In 1970, he set a career-high with a league-leading 16 triples and batted above .300 (.305) for the second of three straight years.
Can ya dig it: Another bat-choker from the '70s. Love it. Davis hit 182 career home runs with that grip.
Right on: My introduction to Davis was his 1975 Topps card. He seems a lot older on that card than on this one, and they're just four years apart.
You see that cat Davis is a bad mother: Davis ended his career holding a bunch of Los Angeles Dodgers records. He still holds club marks for at-bats, hits, runs, triples, total bases, and owns the longest L.A. Dodgers hitting streak at 31 games.
Shut your mouth: Like several L.A. players from this period, Davis appeared on a bunch of TV shows, including The Flying Nun and Mr. Ed.
No one understands him but his woman: Davis set a World Series record when he committed three errors over back-to-back plays during Game 2 of the 1966 Series against the Orioles. He lost two fly balls in the sun and overthrew third base, allowing two runs to score. He would win three Gold Gloves later in his career.
(A word about the back): I like that back photo. It should have appeared on the front of one his cards.
As you implied he will always be remembered (at least by me) as the guy who slaughtered a couple of fly balls in the '66 Series but he really was a terrific outfielder.
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