| Elrod Hendricks | |
|---|---|
 Hendricks in 1972 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1940-12-22)December 22, 1940 Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands | |
| Died: December 21, 2005(2005-12-21) (aged 64) Glen Burnie, Maryland, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 13, 1968, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 19, 1979, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .220 |
| Home runs | 62 |
| Runs batted in | 230 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Elrod Gerome "Ellie" Hendricks (December 22, 1940 – December 21, 2005) was aU.S. Virgin Islander professionalbaseball player andcoach. He played inMajor League Baseball as acatcher from1968 through1979, most notably as a member of theBaltimore Orioles dynasty that won three consecutiveAmerican League pennants from 1969 to 1971 and, won theWorld Series in1970. He also played for theChicago Cubs (1972) andNew York Yankees (1976–1977). In 2001, he was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.[1]
A native ofCharlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands, Hendricks was selected by theBaltimore Orioles from theCalifornia Angels in theRule 5 draft on November 28, 1967.[2] He was a superior defensive catcher and a very fine handler ofpitchers on a usually strong Orioles rotation that includedMike Cuellar,Pat Dobson,Dave McNally,Jim Palmer andTom Phoebus.
Hendricks spent most of his playing career with the Orioles, regularly with the winning teams of managerEarl Weaver. They went to three consecutiveWorld Series from 1969–71, as Hendricks shared catching duties withAndy Etchebarren. Hendricks led all American League catchers infielding percentage in1969 and1975.[3]
He was at bat in a pivotal play during the1969 World Series. With theNew York Mets leading 3–0 and two Orioles on base with two outs in the fourth inning of Game 3, Hendricks cracked a hard-hit line drive into the left-center field gap that most thought would go for extra bases, scoring two runs and putting theOrioles back in the game. But center fielderTommie Agee, who was playing the left-handed Hendricks to pull in right-center, chased down the ball on a dead sprint, extending his left arm for a backhanded over-the-shoulder catch in the webbing of his glove.[4]
His most productive season came in1970 with the World Champion Orioles, when he hit 12home runs with 41RBI. Hendricks went 4-for-11 (.364), hit a solohome run in Game 1, decided Game 2 with a two-run opposite-field double and had a total of four RBI to help Baltimore defeat theCincinnati Reds in the1970 World Series. He also appeared in the1976 World Series for theYankees againstCincinnati, returned to the Orioles as a bullpen coach following the 1977 season, and served as a player-coach in 1978 and 1979.
He was involved in the most controversial play of the1970 World Series when theCincinnati Reds were batting against the Orioles with one out and the score tied at three in the sixthinning of Game 1. With runnersTommy Helms at first base andBernie Carbo at third,pinch hitterTy Cline hit aBaltimore chop offJim Palmer who, while running towards home plate, immediately signaled to Hendricks that Carbo was trying to score from third. Hendricks fielded the ball barehanded, spun around to his left and lunged at an oncoming Carbo in an attempt to tag him out, but collided with umpireKen Burkhart who, while positioning himself to judge whether the batted ball was fair, accidentally blocked the runner's path to the plate. Carbo slid around Burkhart on the outside but missed touching home plate. With his back to the play and after being knocked down, Burkhart ruled Carbo out even though Hendricks made the tag with his mitt while holding the ball in his bare hand. Having not been properly tagged out, Carbo unknowingly stepped on the plate as he was arguing, but the play was dead once Burkhart made his call. Hendricks also had tied the game at 3–3 with a solo home run one inning earlier in the fifth.[5]
Hendricks also played briefly for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, earning aWorld Series ring with the latter club in 1977. Playing for the Cubs on September 16, 1972, against the Mets atWrigley Field, Hendricks received five bases on balls, equaling the league mark at that moment. He had been traded along withKen Holtzman,Doyle Alexander,Grant Jackson andJimmy Freeman from theOrioles to theYankees forRick Dempsey,Scott McGregor,Tippy Martinez,Rudy May andDave Pagan at thetrade deadline on June 15, 1976.[6]
Hendricks made the only pitching appearance in his MLB playing career in a 24–10 loss to theToronto Blue Jays atExhibition Stadium on June 26, 1978. He was the second consecutive position player used as arelief pitcher afterLarry Harlow when he entered the game with two outs and the Orioles losing 24–6 in the fifth inning. He allowed only a hit and a walk over 21⁄3 scoreless innings.[7]
In 711games played, including 658 with Baltimore, Hendricks was a .220 hitter with 62 home runs (still the all-time record for a United States Virgin Islands native) and 230 RBI. In nine postseason games, he had .273, 2 HR, 10 RBI. In 602 games as a catcher, Hendricks collected 2783outs, 228assists, 31double plays, and committed just only 29errors for a significant .990fielding percentage.
Hendricks was a big star inPuerto Rico. He played for 17 seasons with theCangrejeros de Santurce and occupies third place on the all-time list in homers with 105.
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Hendricks became a fixture in Baltimore by holding the position of bullpen coach for 28 years, the longest coaching tenure in Orioles history. Hendricks was noted for consistently wearing shin guards in the Orioles bullpen, even when he wasn’t actually catching a potential relief pitcher.[8]
His contract was not renewed for that position as of October 2005, in part because he had a mild stroke in April. The 2005 season marked the 37th that Hendricks served in a Baltimore uniform as a player or coach, another club record. He also had the longest active coaching streak with one club among all major league coaches.
After his stroke, Hendricks was reassigned to another position within the organization, one that would enable the club to take advantage of his huge popularity within the Baltimore community; along with his loyalty to the "Oriole Way" and to the traditions of baseball, he was a tireless signer of pre-game autographs and a general good-will ambassador.
He was slated to be the host for the 2006 Baltimore Baseball Cruise aboard The Golden Princess.
Elrod Hendricks died of aheart attack inGlen Burnie, Maryland, one day shy of his 65th birthday.[9]
The Orioles wore the number 44 on the sleeves of their jerseys in 2006, to honor Hendricks. Although the number has not been officially retired, no Oriole player has worn it since Hendricks died.
In 2007,St. Frances Academy in Baltimore started an annual baseball tournament in his name.
· Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by | Baltimore Orioles Bullpen Coach 1978–2005 | Succeeded by |