Up on the blog today, we add "Hondo" Frank Howard, the "Capitol Punisher" to my on-going 1970 "In-Game Action" sub-set:
Howard
was in the middle of an insane run of three 40+ home run seasons, with
two titles and three 100+ RBI campaigns as well between 1968 and 1970
for the Washington Senators.
Those
efforts got him top-10 finishes in the league MVP voting each year,
finishing 8th, 4th and 5th respectively between 1968 and 1970.
An absolute beast at the plate, he would be the last Big League player
until Jay Buhner (1995-97) to hit 40+ homers three years in a row from
1968-1970, with a high of 48 in 1969, though leading the league in 1968
and 1970 with 44.
He was also one of the early players to join the 30-home runs in each league club, hitting 31 with the Dodgers in 1962 before reaching the plateau again in 1967 when he slammed 36 taters.
All told, he finished his career with 382 homers over 16 seasons, before moving on to a coaching and managerial career, making him somewhat of a baseball lifer.
I loved him when he was with the New York Yankees later in his coaching career! I mean, how often do you get to appreciate a guy who was so nasty as a player that he had TWO great nicknames: “The Capital Punisher”, and “Hondo
He was also one of the early players to join the 30-home runs in each league club, hitting 31 with the Dodgers in 1962 before reaching the plateau again in 1967 when he slammed 36 taters.
All told, he finished his career with 382 homers over 16 seasons, before moving on to a coaching and managerial career, making him somewhat of a baseball lifer.
I loved him when he was with the New York Yankees later in his coaching career! I mean, how often do you get to appreciate a guy who was so nasty as a player that he had TWO great nicknames: “The Capital Punisher”, and “Hondo
