| Johnny Blanchard | |
|---|---|
 Blanchard, circa 1964–65 | |
| Outfielder /Catcher | |
| Born:(1933-02-26)February 26, 1933 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| Died: March 25, 2009(2009-03-25) (aged 76) Robbinsdale, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 25, 1955, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 1965, for the Milwaukee Braves | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .239 |
| Home runs | 67 |
| Runs batted in | 200 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
John Edwin Blanchard (February 26, 1933 – March 25, 2009) was an American professionalbaseballoutfielder andcatcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theNew York Yankees,Kansas City Athletics, andMilwaukee Braves.
Born inMinneapolis,Minnesota, Blanchard attendedDeLaSalle High School before transferring toCentral High School, where he played football and basketball in addition to baseball. He played semi-professional baseball in Iowa before being signed by theNew York Yankees to a professional contract. After three seasons of playing in the minor leagues, and a two-year period in which he served in the U.S. Army, Blanchard played briefly for the Yankees in 1955. It took Blanchard four years to return to the major leagues, but he gained playing time in 1960 due to injuries to the Yankees' top twocatchers.[1] SportswriterBill Madden called Blanchard "probably the most famous third-string catcher in baseball history."[2] Blanchard remained with the Yankees through 1965, mainly serving as a backup catcher, and played 93 games during the team'sWorld Series-winning 1961 season, hitting 21home runs.[3] Among those were four home runs in consecutive at-bats (twice as a pinch hitter) during a three-game span, a total that set a major league record.[4] Blanchard was quoted as saying, "Who am I to hit five?"
A defensive liability for the Yankees for most of his career, Blanchard is probably best known for his play in the1961 World Series. He hit two home runs in that series against theCincinnati Reds and batted .400 for the entire series.[5] In his career, Blanchard appeared in theWorld Series five times for the Yankees and holds the major league record with ten World Series pinch-hit at-bats. Blanchard was the catcher who called the pitch thatBill Mazeroski hit for the first-ever series-ending home run, which was hit offRalph Terry in the1960 World Series in which thePittsburgh Pirates defeated the heavily favored Yankees.
Blanchard was traded to theKansas City Athletics in 1965, as part of a three-player transaction. He remained with the team until September 1965, when his contract was sold to theMilwaukee Braves. After 10 games with the Braves in 1965, Blanchard did not play baseball in 1966; a comeback attempt in 1968 was unsuccessful.[1] For his major league career, he played in 516 games, posting a .239batting average, hitting 67 home runs, anddriving in 200 runs.[3]
Blanchard was successful in the postseason. In 15 World Series games spanning from 1960 through 1964, he posted a .345 batting average (10-for-29) with 6runs, 4doubles, 2 home runs, 5 RBI and 2bases on balls.[5]
He was thecolor commentator for the first liveESPN game ever broadcast. It took place at Joecks Field inLannon, Wisconsin on September 7, 1979.[6][7] It was Game 1 of the AmericanProfessional Slowpitch Softball League World Series, a best-of-nine endeavor, between the MilwaukeeSchlitz andKentucky Bourbons.
Blanchard died of aheart attack in North Memorial Medical Center inRobbinsdale, Minnesota on March 25, 2009.[8] His funeral was held at The Church of St. Mary of the Lake inPlymouth, Minnesota on Monday March 30, 2009 at 11:00AM and was buried atFort Snelling National Cemetery.
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