Posted on 07/07/2007 5:25:20 PM PDT by Caleb1411
We all can name at least seven significant sevens at the drop of a hat -- a size 7 1/2 hat if Tom Landry wore it -- without involving baseball. John Elway comes to mind as do the Four Tops' "Seven Rooms of Gloom," 7-Up, George Carlin's "Seven words you can't say on television," are the "seven deadly sins." Seven has been married to No. 11 as a matter of convenience, bonded to "double 0" by Ian Fleming. It stands out among numbers; it's the lone two-syllable, single digit. It is quite special in baseball, too. And today, digitally identified as 07-07-07, we celebrate some of the primary sevens in the game.
The Magnificent Seven
Uniform No. 7 has been retired for Mickey Mantle and no one else in Major League history. Every other single-digit number has been retired by at least two Major League clubs.
The Top Seven 7's
• World Series championships won by Casey Stengel's Yankees teams.
• National League MVP Awards won by Barry Bonds.
• Cy Young Awards won by Roger Clemens.
• Times Ralph Kiner led or tied for the lead in National League home runs.
• Seasons of more than 60 home runs -- Sammy Sosa (3), Mark McGwire (2), Barry Bonds, Roger Maris.
• 20-victory seasons by Bob Lemon.
• No-hitters pitched by Nolan Ryan.
Significant 7's
• Victories in nine World Series starts by Bob Gibson.
• Triple Crown seasons in American League history.
• Seven each: NL batting titles won by Stan "The Man" Musial, AL batting titles won by Rod Carew, NL batting titles won by Rogers Hornsby.
• Consecutive seasons with 200 or more hits by Wade Boggs.
• Gold Gloves won by Barry Bonds.
• Hits in one game by Rennie Stennett of the Pirates, Sept. 16, 1975, the Major League record for a nine-inning game.
• Consecutive seasons Babe Ruth led the American League in slugging percentage.
Insignificant 7
John Rocker's least favorite mode of NYC transportation -- the No. 7 train.
7's Are Wild
After the first two batters were retired, Pirates pitchers Jim Bibby and Jim Winn combined to walk seven consecutive batters in the third inning of a game against the Braves in Atlanta May 25, 1983. The totals for the inning were: Four runs, no hits, no errors, three left on base. The seven consecutive walks remain a National League record.
It Takes A Thief (seven tries)
Lee Mazzilli stole seven bases June 8, 1975, playing for Class A Visalia versus San Jose in -- what else? -- a seven-inning game.
7 by 7
After wearing No. 7 in his final season as a player, with the New York Giants in 1933, Charlie Dressen wore it with seven other teams -- as the Cincinnati Reds manager (1935-37), a Brooklyn Dodgers coach (1947-48), the Brooklyn Dodgers manager again (1951-53), the Washington Senators manager (1955-57), the Los Angeles Dodgers coach (1958-58), the Milwaukee Braves manager (1960-61) and as the Detroit Tigers manager (1963-66).
Besides Mickey
The players and coaches, listed chronologically, who wore No. 7 with the Yankees. Leo Durocher, Ben Chapman, Jack Saltzgaver, Tony Lazzeri (1933 only, No. 6 thereafter), Ben Chapman, Jake Powell, Tommy Henrich, Roy Cullenbine, Henrich, Billy Johnson, Oscar Grimes, Bobby Brown, Grimes, Aaron Robinson, Dressen (coach), Cliff Mapes, Bob Cerv, Mickey Mantle, Mapes, Mantle. The number was retired in 1969, but Mantle wore it as a coach in 1971.
My Son, The Numeral
Mantle's uniform number even made it into an episode of "Seinfeld," when George Costanza advised his fiancé Susan that "Seven" would be his choice for a baby's name. The dialogue:
Susan: "Seven Costanza. ... You're serious?"
George: "Yeah. It's a beautiful name for a boy or a girl. Especially a girl ... or a boy."
Susan: "I don't think so."
George: "What, you don't like the name?"
Susan: "It's not a name. It's a number."
George: "I know. It's Mickey Mantle's number. So not only is it an all-around beautiful name, it is also a living tribute."
Susan: "Seven? Yeah, I guess I could see it. Seven. Seven periods of school, seven beatings a day, Roughly seven stitches a beating and eventually seven years to life. Yeah, you're doing that child quite a service."
Lasting influence
A Mantle devotee, Keith Hernandez wanted to wear No. 7 when he came up with the Cardinals in 1974. But it was assigned to Reggie Smith. Hernandez would have been pleased to wear No. 17, but that had been Dizzy Dean's number, and it was unavailable. Neither 27 nor 47 had appeal, and he had worn 57 as a 19-year-old invited to Spring Training. So he took 37, and was pleased to have a 7 somewhere on his back.
When he was traded to the Mets in 1983, he found No. 37 unavailable. It had been retired for Casey Stengel. Hubie Brooks was wearing No. 7, moreover, Hernandez wasn't sure it would be appropriate for him to wear Mantle's number anywhere, especially in New York.
So he found comfort in No. 17.
Mark Grace requested and wore No. 17 when with the Cubs because of Hernandez and, indirectly, because of Mantle.
The 7 C's
The Indians had seven catchers wear No. 7 from 1964-78 -- Phil Roof, Johnny Romano, Camilo Carreon, Del Crandall, Joe Azcue, John Ellis and Ron Pruitt.
Seven has been a popular number for catchers. Consider these: Dann Bilardello, Smokey Burgess, Walker Cooper, Pat Corrales, Jody Davis, John Edwards, Jim Essian, Rick Ferrell, John Gibbons, Joe Girardi, Jesse Gonder, Ed Hearn, Mike Heath, Marc Hill, Cliff Johnson, Bruce Kimm, Chad Krueter, Ernie Lombardi, Al Lopez, Joe Lonnett, Milt May, Bob Melvin, Orlando Mercado, Ray Mueller, Steve Nicosia, Charlie O'Brien, Todd Pratt, Del Rice, Buck Rodgers, Ivan Rodriguez, Bob Scheffing, Andy Seminick, Don Slaught, Tim Spehr, Bob Stinson, Sammy Taylor, Gus Triandos, Steve Yeager, Sal Yvars -- all wore No. 7 at some points in their careers.
Ball 7
Seven pitches outside the strike zone were required for a base on balls from 1881-83.
4 by 7
Bonds has won seven MVP Awards, and seven Gold Glove Awards. He wore No. 7 as a rookie, and he plays left field, the position assigned No. 7 for scoring purposes.
7 Letters
Bob Sheppard, the long-time public address announcer at Yankee Stadium, was awarded seven varsity letters -- four for football and three for baseball -- at St. John's (then St. John's College). Sheppard was a left-handed quarterback, and not surprisingly, a left-handed first baseman.
Oh (no) and seven
Camilo Pascual of the Senators lost seven times to the Yankees in 1956.
7 lbs.
The weight of the current edition of Total Baseball (2,688 pages).
Random 7's
• Home runs hit in a five-game sequence by Jim Bottomley in 1929.
• Pinch-hit home runs in a season by Dave Hansen (Dodgers, 2000) and Craig Wilson (Pirates, 2001), a Major League record.
• The Topps Company and the Mantle estate negotiated an exclusive contract. Its length: seven years.
7-7-77
On July 7, 1977, these players hit home runs: Dusty Baker, Dodgers (16); Larry Biittner, Cubs (6); Bobby Bonds, Angels (16); Jose Cruz, Astros, (8); Carlton Fisk, Red Sox (16); Ray Fosse, Indians (4); Mario Guerrero, Angels (1); Toby Harrah, Rangers, 2 (13); Lou Piniella, Yankees (5); Doug Rader, Blue Jays (5); Jim Rice, Red Sox (20); Mike Schmidt, Phillies, (25); Bob Watson, Astros, (11); Steve Yeager, Dodgers (9).
All-7 Lineup
Dom DiMaggio CF
Harvey Kuenn SS
Mickey Mantle RF
Al Rosen 3B
Ducky Medwick LF
Vic Power 1B
Ivan Rodriguez C
Craig Biggio 2B
George Earnshaw P
Manager: Charlie Dressen
Extra Men
Pete Reiser OF-PH
Rocky Colavito OF-PH
Reggie Smith INF-OF
Mark Belanger INF
Jose Reyes INF-PR
Ed Kranepool 1B-PH
Smokey Burgess C-PH
Ray Scarborough P
Atlee Hammaker P
Josh Towers P
Heard one of the Cubs announcers make reference to this article during tonight’s Cubs-Pirates broadcast on WGN.
Knock yourself out, baseball stats aficionados.
Why is the 7th inning longer than the others???
Because it’s stretched!
This article is a bunch of nonsense. I consider myself quite knowledgeable on baseball history, but I can’t believe that a guy can get paid for writing such a dumb meaningless “story.” Come to think of it, I suppose that was his assignment for today: 7/7/07.
No, it's simply date-related trivia, not meant to be cogitated over as cerebral baseball analysis.
Come to think of it, I suppose that was his assignment for today: 7/7/07.
Well, duh.
Seasons of more than 60 home runs — Sammy Sosa (3), Mark McGwire (2), Barry Bonds, Roger Maris.
What about Babe Ruth?
OK, I admit, there’s one interesting bit there: the fact that Leo Durocher was the first Yankee to wear number 7. Now if the Yankees were the first major league club to wear uniform numbers (and, if I recall correctly, they may have been, though that was certainly well before I was born), then that would make Durocher the first player in the majors to wear that number. Of course, he didn’t last there very long, being released - so the story goes - for stealing Babe Ruth’s watch.
Ruth’s max was 60 HR in one year, the record that stood from 1927 to 1961 when Maris broke it with 61 (although it took Maris more games because the schedule had been expanded).
I think it's a niggling technicality: more than 60. Definitely a distinction without a difference.
Former Astros broadcaster Gene Elston proffers a theory or two.
In the biginning...
Ooh, yes....I should have caught that one.
Ping
7 — the number of letters in “seizure,” as induced by steroids — which is what would happen to Barry Bonds before he sets the record if there was a Baseball god.
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