Clete Boyer

Quotes About Boyer
"When I made the double play, I could just about close my eyes, put my glove up and the ball would be there. I would consider him one of the best players defensively. And when we got in the World Series and the lights came up, he made those great, great plays." — teammate Bobby Richardson

"He was a great Yankee and a tough guy. He never talked too much, but he was extremely hardworking, a wonderful third baseman, and had fire in his belly." — Yankee owner George Steinbrenner

Played For
Kansas City Athletics (1955-1957)
New York Yankees (1959-1966)
Atlanta Braves (1967-1971)

Factoids
In Game Seven of the 1964 World Series, Clete and Ken Boyer became the first brothers to homer in the same game in the Fall Classic. Ken's Cardinals won the series.

Where He Played
Boyer was one of the best defensive third basemen to ever play the position. He won only one Gold Glove Award because he had the misfortune of being in the league at the same time as Brooks Robinson.

Born
Cletis Leroy Boyer was born on February 9, 1937, in Cassville, MO.

Died
June 4, 2007, Atlanta, GA

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  3B

Primary Team:  NYA

Major League Debut
June 5, 1955

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1955
Brooks Robinson
Roberto Clemente
Ken Boyer
Rocky Colavito
Clete Boyer
Elston Howard
Sandy Koufax
Jim Bunning
Bill Virdon

Related Players
Hos brothers: Ken Boyer and Cloyd Boyer, were also third basemen in the big leagues. There were 14 children in the Boyer family.

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1978 BBWAA 1 .3% 1979 BBWAA 3 .7%

Post-Season Appearances
1960 World Series
1961 World Series
1962 World Series
1963 World Series
1964 World Series
1969 National League Championship Series

Post-Season Notes
His best World Series performance came in 1962, when he hit .318 with a homer and four RBI in the Bombers' seven-game victory over the Giants.

Awards and Honors
1969 NL Gold Glove

Notes
In retirement, Boyer operated a souvenir shop in Cooperstown, New York, not far from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Transactions
May 31, 1955: Signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent (bonus baby).

June 4, 1957: Sent by the Kansas City Athletics to the New York Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on February 19, 1957. The Kansas City Athletics sent players to be named later, Art Ditmar, Bobby Shantz, Jack McMahan, and Wayne Belardi to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later, Irv Noren, Milt Graff, Mickey McDermott, Tom Morgan, Rip Coleman, and Billy Hunter. The New York Yankees sent Jack Urban (April 5, 1957) to the Kansas City Athletics to complete the trade. The Kansas City Athletics sent Curt Roberts (April 4, 1957) and Clete Boyer (June 4, 1957) to the New York Yankees to complete the trade.

November 29, 1966: Traded by the New York Yankees to the Atlanta Braves for Bill Robinson and Chi-Chi Olivo.

June 2, 1971: Released by the Atlanta Braves.

After his release by the Braves, Boyer played in Japan for a few seasons.

Home Run Facts
Boyer had decent power, but was hampered by the deep left field dimensions of Yankee Stadium. In his first season with the Atlanta Braves, in a home run hitter's park, Boyer slugged a career-high 26 homers and finished 21st in National League Most Valuable Player voting. However, Boyer hit 16 of his homers on the road.

Best Strength as a Player
Quick reflexes at third base and the ability to throw from his knees.

Largest Weakness as a Player
Especially early in his career, when he was quite young, Clete had difficulty making contact and he struck out a lot and his average was low. Later, he improved a bit, but his batting average was never that high. He was a #8 hitter (but a good one) for much of his career.

Learn More about Clete Boyer
Search Amazon.com for Books about Clete Boyer ⇒
Search for Clete Boyer at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒