Yankees Birthday of the Day: Gil McDougald
Gil McDougald never became the face of the Yankees dynasty, but the versatile infielder helped hold it together.
NEW YORK - 1956: Thirdbaseman Gil McDougald #12 of the New York Yankees takes a practice swing prior to stepping into the batter's box during a game in 1956 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. (Photo by: Diamond Images/Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images Yankees dynasties are usually remembered through their biggest stars. In the 1950s New York featured the likes of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Joe DiMaggio.
Lost underneath all those legends, however, are the players who quietly held everything together year after year, like Gilbert “Gil” McDougald . The 1951 Rookie of the Year winner, six-time All-Star, and five-time World Series champion, McDougald spent his entire Major League career in pinstripes. He was versatile, dependable, universally respected, and seemingly always in the middle of winning baseball.
In many ways, McDougald feels like the Bernie Williams of his generation. He may not have become the face of the dynasty, but he was an essential part of it. Gilbert James McDougald Born: May 19, 1928 (San Francisco, CA) Died: November 28, 2010 (Monmouth County, NJ) Yankees Tenure: 1951-1960 McDougald’s path to the Bronx began down by the bay in California.
After graduation from Commerce High School, McDougald attended City College of San Francisco and the University of San Francisco. While in school he played semipro baseball with a local Boston Braves feeder team called the Bayside Braves. Many scouts immediately wrote McDougald off due to his unorthodox batting stance.
Continue to the original source for the full article.