Tom Tresh, RIP

[GA Russell]

I suppose if he were not a Yankee, Tom Tresh would not be so well remembered. But he was good!

From the AP:

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/R...tsBaseball/home

VENICE, Fla. — Tom Tresh, the 1962 American League rookie of the year and part of three New York Yankees teams that reached the World Series, has died. He was 71. Tresh died Wednesday after a heart attack, according to the funeral home handling the arrangements.

Tresh was an 1962 all-star as a shortstop and made the team again in 1963 as a centre-fielder. He later earned a Gold Glove in the outfield.

"Tommy was a great teammate," Yankees great Yogi Berra said in a statement. "He did everything well as a ballplayer and was an easy guy to manage."

The Yankees were nearing the end of their decades-long dominance in the AL when Tresh became a regular, taking over at shortstop when Tony Kubek went to serve in the U.S. Army. He hit .286 with 20 homers and a career-high 93 RBIs in 1962.

Tresh joined a powerful lineup that already boasted the likes of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris and helped the Yankees reach the World Series from 1962-64.

The switch-hitting Tresh homered in the Game 5 victory over San Francisco in 1962, and made a running, backhanded catch on Willie Mays' drive to left field in the seventh inning in a 1-0 win in Game 7.

Tresh homered off Sandy Koufax in the 1963 Series loss to Los Angeles and homered twice in the 1964 loss to St. Louis, including a shot off Bob Gibson.

Overall, Tresh hit .245 overall with 153 home runs and 530 RBIs. He was traded by the Yankees to Detroit in 1969 and retired after that season.

Tresh, who was born in Detroit, attended Central Michigan and later was an assistant coach at the school.

"This hurts. He was my roommate for six years of my life, my hitting instructor and my best friend. He let me be me, but he was also the guy who kept me in at night," longtime teammate Joe Pepitone said.

"Tommy was a constant in my life and a calming influence. He was always there for me and stuck up for me. He was like my brother. When I had personal issues, he was always the person on the team I would turn to. During some rain delays, he would take out his guitar and we'd sing and dance," he said.

[T.D.]

Thanks for posting that. RIP. Brings back some memories...

Tresh was one of the very first baseball players I became aware of. I was born in 1957, and somehow recall hearing about him winning the '62 AL Rookie of the Year award (though I may have heard it a year or two later).

And Joe Pep...I grew up in the Chicago area, and saw him play CF for the Cubbies(!) many times. Quite the character. Sadly, he really went downhill in the NYC area (Canarsie, iirc) in recent decades, got arrested several times, and may have done jail time.

[MartyJazz]

A sad reminder that tempus fugit. I recall to use a cliche as if it were yesterday, going to Yankee Stadium and seeing Tresh hit three homeruns in what used to be a common baseball occurrence, a doubleheader in which you paid one admission to see two games, with only 20 minutes to a half hour separating game 1 from game 2. Anyway, Tresh was a switchhitter, and he hit those dingers from both sides of the plate that day. (Don't ask me if they were two righty, one lefty or two lefty, one righty).

[AllenLowe]

I still have his autographed picture which I got at a signing at Mays Department Store, maybe 1966 -

[AllenLowe]

and someone once pointed out that Richardson to Tresh to Skowron resulted in a LOT more double plays than Tinkers to Evers to Chance -

[GA Russell]

Allen, I think that Pepitone was already at first base when Tresh came up in '62.

[Dave James]

Sorry to hear of this. Tresh was one of those lunch bucket guys who just showed up at the ballpark and did his job. Wasn't he involved in something that came to be known as the "harmonica incident" or am I mixing him up with Phil Linz?

Up over and out.

[GA Russell]

Dave, the principals in the harmonica incident were Phil Linz and Yogi Berra. I don't recall if Tresh had a role.

[T.D.]

... Wasn't [Tresh] involved in something that came to be known as the "harmonica incident" or am I mixing him up with Phil Linz?

No; you're mixing him up with Phil Linz.

[AllenLowe]

hmmm.....maybe it was Kubek to Richardson to Skowron -

[Brad]

One of my favorite players when I was a kid. Had a lot of talent. Thanks for the memories.

[GA Russell]

hmmm.....maybe it was Kubek to Richardson to Skowron -

Could be! Particularly if it was for a one-season record. I don't think the K-R-S combination played together more than four years, so I think that the Tinkers combination would have been more likely for a career, but maybe not!