Jackie Jensen
When he arrived at Yankee Stadium as a rookie in 1950, Jackie Jensen was supposed to be the succesor to Joe DiMaggio. That didn't quite work out, but Jensen still managed an excellent career, winning the 1958 Most Valuable Player Award and earning three All-Star selections. A power-hitter with speed, Jensen led the league in stolen bases once and hit as many as 20 homers in a season six straight years. Batting in the middle of a potent Red Sox attack, he paced the league in RBI three times before retiring due to his fear of flying.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 1438 |
5236 |
1463 |
810 |
199 |
929 |
143 |
.279 |
.460 |
.369 |
.829 |
115.7 |
|
Quotes About Jackie Jensen
"Right field in Boston is a bitch, the sun field, and few play it well. Jackie Jensen was the best I saw at it." — Ted Williams, in My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life
Best Season: 1958
Jensen won his second RBI title and was selected as the Al's Most Valuable Player. He slugged 35 homers and batted .286 for a Red Sox team that finished just a tick above .500.
Factoids
Jackie Jensen was the first player to appear in a World Series who had also played in the Rose Bowl. Jensen starred for nCalifornia in the 1949 Rose Bowl against Northwestern.
Born
Jack Eugene Jensen was born on March 9, 1927, in San Francisco, CA.
Died
July 14, 1982, Charlottesville, VA
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
4 18,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1950
Joe Adcock
Gus Bell
Jimmy Piersall
Jackie Jensen
Jim Busby
Chico Carrasquel
Billy Martin
Lew Burdette
Whitey Ford
Uniform Numbers
#40 (1950-1951), #27 (1951), #25 (1952 Yankees), #8 (1952 Senators), #4 (1953 Senators, 1955-1959, 1961), #30 (1954 Red Sox)
Similar Players
Kirk Gibson, Ron Gant
Related Players
Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1967 |
BBWAA |
3 |
1.0% |
1968 |
BBWAA |
3 |
1.1% |
1969 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.3% |
1970 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.3% |
1971 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.6% |
1972 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.3% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1950 World Series
Post-Season Notes
Jensen was inserted as a late-inning defensive replacement in one game of the 1950 World Series.
Awards and Honors
1958 AL MVP
1959 AL Gold Glove
Feats
In spite of the fact that Jackie Jensen led the league in stolen bases once and triples once in his career, he also paced his league in grounding into double plays three times.
Batting Feats
Notes
Retired following the 1960 season due to a fear of flying.
Hitting Streaks
20 games (1952)
Transactions
October 13, 1949: Purchased by the New York Yankees from the Oakland (PCL); May 3, 1952: Traded by the New York Yankees with Spec Shea, Jerry Snyder, and Archie Wilson to the Washington Senators for Irv Noren and Tom Upton; December 9, 1953: Traded by the Washington Senators to the Boston Red Sox for Mickey McDermott and Tom Umphlett.
All-Star Selections
1952 AL
1955 AL
1958 AL
Replaced
He was supposed to replace Joe DiMaggio in center for the Yanks, but Mickey Mantle won that job. Instead, Jensen was a utility outfielder until he was swapped to the Nats in 1952, where he took over right field for the departed Sam Mele.
Replaced By
When he first retired because of his phobia of flying, Lu Clinton and Gary Geiger took Jensen's spot in RF for the BoSox. In '61, Jensen was back, and Geiger was shifted to center. After Jensen retired for the final time, Clinton was back in right for the 1962 campaign.
Best Strength as a Player
Indications are that he was a clutch hitter, but of course, he hit in a lineup where there must have been a lot of RBI opportunities. Jensen was also one of the five fastest players in the American League in the 1950s. I'm not sure if he and Mantle ever had a foot race, but it would have been close.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Well, to put it in corny terms, he was unable to get himself off the ground.
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