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On This Date in Sports June 23, 1963: Piersall Back's It Up

Often enigmatic, Jimmy Piersall, who battled mental illness most of his career, hits his 100th career home run while playing with the New York Mets. Looking to make a splash, Piersall runs the bases backward when he hits a home run off Dallas Green of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets would win the game at the Polo Grounds 5-0 as they swept the doubleheader, winning the nightcap 4-1.

Jimmy Piersall was born November 14, 1929, in Waterbury, Connecticut. Driven to succeed by an overbearing father, Piersall was one of the top scholastic stars in New England. This caught the attention of the Boston Red Sox, who signed him in 1948. Two years later, Jimmy Piersall became one of the youngest players ever to wear a Red Sox uniform when he debuted in 1950.
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    After spending 1951 in the minors, Jimmy Piersall returned in 1952 and dubbed himself the Waterbury Wizard. This did not sit well with his veteran teammates. Piersall played well but had troubles during his first full season in the majors. After two months, the problems came to a head, as he spanked a teammate’s son and got into several fights. This led Boston to demote Jimmy Piersall back to Birmingham. Piersall’s struggles continued in Birmingham as he was sent to a mental hospital with a nervous breakdown.

    After being treated for nervous exhaustion, Jimmy Piersall returned to the Red Sox in 1953 and became one of Boston’s top players with a .272 average, three homes, and 52 RBI. He made All-Star Game for the first time in 1954, as his struggles with mental health were documented in his autobiography, “Fear Strikes Out.” The book would later be made into a movie, as Piersall occasionally acted bizarrely.

    A year after the release of his movie, Jimmy Piersall was traded to the Cleveland Indians. Piersall played well in three years with the Indians but was traded to the Washington Senators after the 1961 season. After one season in Washington, Jimmy Piersall was on the movie again, traded to the Mets so the Senators could name Gil Hodges as their new manager.

    One month into his Mets career, Jimmy Piersall came up with an unusual way to celebrate his 100th home run. Two weeks earlier, Duke Snider hit his 400th career home run, leading Piersall to devise a way to overshadow the Hall of Famers milestone. Leading 1-0 already, Piersall’s milestone leading off the fifth inning against Dallas Green.

    After winning both games of a doubleheader, the antics of Jimmy Piersall were the story, and it did not sit well with Casey Stengel, who did not want Piersall on his team, having several run-ins with the outfielder in the past when he was managing the Yankees. Saying there was room for only one clown on the team, Stengel had the Mets release Jimmy Piersall in July.

    Jimmy Piersall would end up on the Los Angeles Angels, where he would spend the remainder of his career, retiring after the 1967 season with a career average of .272 with 104 homers and 591 RBI. He later had a lengthy career as a broadcaster, mainly with the Chicago White Sox.