| Jackie Jensen | |
|---|---|
 Jensen in 1953 | |
| Right fielder | |
| Born:(1927-03-09)March 9, 1927 San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
| Died: July 14, 1982(1982-07-14) (aged 55) Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 18, 1950, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1961, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .279 |
| Home runs | 199 |
| Runs batted in | 929 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Jack Eugene Jensen (March 9, 1927 – July 14, 1982) was an Americanright fielder inMajor League Baseball who played for threeAmerican League (AL) teams from 1950 to 1961, most notably theBoston Red Sox. He was named the AL'sMost Valuable Player (MVP) in1958 after hitting 35home runs and leading the league with 122runs batted in (RBIs); he also led the league in RBIs two other years, and intriples andstolen bases once each. Respected for his throwing arm, he won aGold Glove Award and led the AL inassists anddouble plays twice each. He retired in his early thirties as major-league baseball expanded westward, due to an intensefear of flying. After being a two-sport star in college, Jensen was the first person to play in theRose Bowl, theWorld Series, and theMLB All-Star Game.[a]
Jensen was born inSan Francisco,California. His parents divorced when he was five, and he was raised by his mother, who frequently moved the family. After serving in theNavy toward the end of World War II, he became anAll-American in two sports at theUniversity of California. As a baseballpitcher and outfielder, he helped California to win the inauguralCollege World Series in1947. He pitched Cal to victory in the regional final by outduelingBobby Layne ofTexas, and in the championship Cal defeated aYale team featuring future PresidentGeorge Bush. As afootballhalfback, Jensen was a consensus All-American as a junior in 1948, becoming the first Cal player torush for 1,000 yards. In the season-ending 7–6 victory overStanford he ran for 170 yards, kicked a punt for 67 yards, and had a 32-yard run late in the game in a 4th-and-31 situation. Cal ended the regular season at 10–0 under coachPappy Waldorf, winning a share of its firstPacific Coast Conference title in ten years, and Jensen placed fourth in theHeisman Trophy voting, withDoak Walker taking the award. In the 1949 Rose Bowl, Jensen scored a touchdown in the first quarter to tie the game 7–7, but fourth-ranked Cal was upset 20–14 by seventh-rankedNorthwestern.
In 1949, Jensen, who batted and threw right-handed, left college after his junior year and signed with theOakland Oaks in thePacific Coast League. His contract – along withBilly Martin's – was sold to theNew York Yankees in1950 with the intention of him being a backup for future Hall of Fame centerfielderJoe DiMaggio. But he played in only 108 games for the Yankees over three years, primarily inleft field. He appeared as a pinch runner forBobby Brown in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the1950 World Series against thePhiladelphia Phillies, but was in the game only briefly beforeJohnny Mize popped up to end the inning.[1] Jensen did not stay in the game defensively, and the Yankees completed a sweep of the Phillies in Game 4.Mickey Mantle appeared in 1951 as DiMaggio's heir-apparent, preempting Jensen and starting in right field. Jensen did not appear in the 1951 Series against theNew York Giants.
In May 1952 Jensen was sent to theWashington Senators in a six-player deal, and he made his firstAll-Star team. He finished the season with a .286batting average and 80 RBIs, leading the league with 17 assists and placing third in the AL with 18 steals, a total he duplicated in 1953. He was traded to the Red Sox in December 1953, and led the AL with 22 steals in1954, also finishing third in RBIs (117) and fourth in home runs (25). But despite his speed he also set a major league record bygrounding into double plays 32 times, breaking fellow Red SoxBobby Doerr's1949 total of 31; the record would stand until Red SockJim Rice grounded into 36 double plays in1984. No longer facing the pressure of becoming his team's principal star, Jensen again made the All-Star team in1955, leading the league with 116 RBIs and finishing tenth in the MVP vote.
In1956 Jensen batted a career-high .315 and led the AL with 11 triples, and in1957 he had 103 RBIs and led the league in both assists (16) and double plays (4). The 31 year-old star had his best season in1958, earning the ALMVP and beating outBob Turley,Rocky Colavito andBob Cerv with a .286 batting average, a league-leading 122 RBIs, also placing second in the AL with 99walks and fifth in home runs (35),doubles (31),total bases (293) andon-base percentage (.396). In June of that same year, he set a Red Sox club record for most home runs in a single month (since tied byDavid Ortiz) with 14, and in July made his final All-Star team. In1959 he again led the league in RBIs (112) and won his only Gold Glove after leading the AL in double plays (4) for the second time; he also scored a career-best 101runs and stole 20 bases, finishing third in the AL in steals for the fourth time among his seven Top 10 finishes. He came in tenth in the MVP balloting.
Smack in his productive prime at 32, Jensen announced his retirement from baseball in January 1960, primarily because of an intense fear of flying, but also the result of the long separations from his family. He stated, "I have only one life to live, and I'll be happier when I can spend it with my family. Being away from home with a baseball team for seven months a year doesn't represent the kind of life I want or the kind of life my wife and children want." Indeed, upon his trade to the Red Sox in 1953 he considered not reporting to the team in order to return to his family in California, but general managerJoe Cronin increased his salary by $1,000 and he agreed to play. As teams had increasingly turned to air travel in the 1950s, he had unsuccessfully sought to combat his aversion to flying, aided considerably by Red Sox ownerTom Yawkey, who arranged for therapy treatments. Once major-league baseball expanded to theWest Coast in 1958, and with further expansion and constant air travel foreseen, Jensen's difficulties became virtually insurmountable.
Jensen made a comeback attempt with Boston in1961, but turned tohypnotherapy when his panic attacks at airports became unbearable. Frustrated by a sub-par season (.263, 66 RBIs), he retired again for good. In an 11-season career, Jensen was a .279 hitter with 199 home runs and 929 RBIs in 1,438games. He also scored 810 runs, had 1,463hits, 259 doubles, 45 triples, 143 stolen bases, and 750 walks, for a .369 on-base percentage and .460 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .977fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions.
On April 17, 1956, Jensen appeared as himself, withVivi Janiss as his mother, in "The Jackie Jensen Story," which aired on theNBCanthologytelevision seriesCavalcade of America.Child actorGary Gray played Jensen as a sixteen-year-old.[2]
Jensen appeared in four episodes ofHome Run Derby, which aired in 1960. He was 2–2 in his appearances, defeatingErnie Banks[3] andRocky Colavito,[4] while losing twice toMickey Mantle.[5][6]
Following his retirement, Jensen became sports director at radio stationKTVN inReno, Nevada, worked as a college football broadcaster forABC television, and coached baseball at theUniversity of Nevada and at theUniversity of California, Berkeley.[7][8] He also managed theminor leagueJamestown Falcons in 1970.[9] He was co-owner of the Bow & Bell restaurant withCharles "Boots" Erb inJack London Square inOakland, California.[10]
On October 16, 1949, Jensen marriedZoe Ann Olsen, the silver medalist in diving at the1948 Summer Olympics; the couple divorced on May 18, 1963, remarried on July 11, 1964, and divorced again on January 17, 1968. In February 1968, he married Katherine Cortezi. Jensen had three children by his first wife – Jon, Jan, and Jay. Jay's son Tucker Jensen pitched in twoNCAA Division II baseball tournaments forEmbry–Riddle Aeronautical University, pitched in theToronto Blue Jays organization during 2011–2012, and pitched for theGateway Grizzlies of the independentFrontier League during 2013–2014.[11]
Jensen died on the way toUniversity of Virginia Hospital inCharlottesville,Virginia, at the age of 55 after suffering an apparentheart attack at his home nearScottsville, Virginia.[12] He is interred inAmherst, Virginia.
Jensen was one of several Red Sox players featured in the 1957Norman Rockwell paintingThe Rookie.[13]
Jensen was inducted into theBay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1983,[14] theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1984,[15] and theBoston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000.[16] Also in 2000,The Golden Boy: A Biography of Jackie Jensen was published, with a foreword byCurt Gowdy.
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