Memories of the Duke

Duke Snider / Virtual Card Collection

On February 27th, Duke Snider, the Hall of Fame center fielder, died at the age of 84. Although he is no longer with us, his accomplishments and memories still remain. Duke is the only player to hit four home runs or more in two different World Series. In a recent ESPN.com interview, Giants Manager Bruce Bochy remembers Snider as, “a god, a baseball hero for all of us.” Even Snider’s rival and Hall of Fame center fielder, Willie Mays recalls Snider as, “a fine man, a terrific hitter and a great friend, even though he was a Dodger."

According to Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, “He was the true Dodger and represented the Dodgers to the highest degree of class, dignity and character.” Fellow Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda praised him as, “one of my idols. I almost fainted.” Unlike Mays and Mantle, “Duke never got the credit of being the outfielder that Mays and Mantle were,” said former teammate Don Zimmer.

It seems baseball lost another idol. "His name will always be with me because of what he told me about what he was taught as a rookie of how to become a better hitter. ... He said he used to swing and miss a lot. He used to go out to the bullpen and stand in there while the guys were warming up so he could learn the strike zone better. And he did. He became one of the best players in the game,” said by Mets manager Terry Collins in a ESPN blog. Duke is gone, but the memories of Duke Snider are everlasting.