New York Yankees: A Look Back at the 1961 Lineup
1) Bobby Richardson, 2B
Bobby Richardson, at 5’9″ and 170 lbs would be considered undersized by today’s standards. But he was a huge presence in the Yankees lineup in 1961 as a table-setter for the power coming up behind him.
He hit a modest .252 that year, but his 173 hits were good for fifth place in the American League. An All-Star eight times, Richardson also won the first of five consecutive Gold Glove awards in ’61.
In sum, he was the perfect complement to a team that reveled in its ability to score runs and play defense.
Besides baseball, there was another element to Richardson’s life that touched a good many people and players. A deeply religious individual, he became friends with Mickey Mantle early in his career when, as a rookie, Mantle made way for him to step in the batting cage and hit. That friendship continued as Richardson revealed in a interview with CBN:
"Some years later in Dallas, Texas, he was in the hospital, already had a liver transplant. And my phone rang in the hotel, it was early in the morning. It was Mickey and he said, “I’m really hurtin.” We had prayer together on the phone. Mickey and I talked together and as I was leaving to come back to South Carolina, I received a call that he’d taken a turn for the worst. Immediately we were on a plane flying out to Dallas. And one more time, I wanted to be bold because I wanted him to spend eternity with me in heaven – walked into Baylor Medical Center, he had a smile on his face. He said, “Come over here, I can’t wait to tell you this.” He said, “I want you to know I’m a Christian, I’ve accepted Christ as my Savior.” I cried a little bit and then I said, “Mickey let me go over it a little bit with you to make sure you understand.”"