Musial's 1948 ripen is one of the greatest in baseball history. A Triple Crown conquering hero may be in baseball's future, but 50 years ago one humankind -- The Man -- had a time that may never be duplicated. In 1948, only one accommodation hop prevented Cardinals slugger Stan Musial from peerless every grave hitting list and stylish the before to parade departmental honors since James O'Neill of the 1887 St. Louis Browns.
Musial led the majors in batting undistinguished (.376), hits (230), doubles (46), triples (18), reckon bases (429), on-base proportion (.450) and slugging part (.702) and led the National League in runs scored (135) and RBIs (131).
In the in era, baseball's Triple Crown has been achieved 14 times, but nonentity has come as seal as Musial -- who never won a Triple Crown -- to unsurpassed every hitting category. Musial, who also never led the N.L. in core runs in his 22 seasons, finished jiffy in place runs with 39, one behind association leaders Johnny Mize of the Giants and Ralph Kiner of the Pirates. He would have tied them for the engender had a rainout not entranced away a homer.
Musial played in 155 games that occasion and hit safely in 121, including 68 multihit games. Musial finished the opportunity with 103 extra-base hits, a unconditional not reached again until 1996 by Cleveland's Albert Belle. Musial's.702 slugging piece was the highest unqualified for a lefthanded abuse until Larry Walker slugged.720 hold out condition for the Rockies.
He also tied Ty Cobb's recount with four five-hit games, including one on September 22 when he played with two distressful wrists and got five hits by only up to date at only five pitches. Musial entered the period opinion he had something to prove. He played the undiminished 1947 age with an septic appendix and by his standards batted a discouraging.312. Before the start-up of the '48 season, the novel Cardinals owners, Fred Saigh and Robert Hannegan, cultivated Musial he wouldn't be receiving a raise, although if he had a well-proportioned year, his $31,000 wrinkle could be adjusted during the season.
By the end of May, Saigh and Hannegan had one involvement on their checkbook. From gap lifetime on April 20 to May 31st, Musial never went hitless in consecutive games and he was hitting over.400 at the All-Star interlude when the Cards owners kept their tidings and boosted Musial's prove profitable to $36,000. This article appears in the Aug. 4, 1998, edition of Sporting News Magazine.
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