Happy Memorial Day! Today, I bring to you the 2nd installment of Uniform Number 9. We have a LOT of players that have worn #9 throughout the Indians history. I'll be posting another list of players in the near future, and after that, we will reveal the all-time Triber in uniform number 9. Meanwhile, enjoy these latest players:
Jim Hegan - 14 seasons (1941-42, 1946-57) - We've seen him wearing #4 and we'll see him wearing #10. He wore jersey number 9 during his first year in the majors (with the Tribe) and his last season in the majors (with the Cubs). In his rookie year, he had 47 plate appearances with 4 runs on 15 hits. He had 2 doubles, a homer, and 5 RBIs, netting him a rookie-year .315 average.
Jody Gerut - 2+ seasons (2003-part of 2005) - Gerut made his debut on April 26, 2003, and came out swinging for the Tribe! In his rookie year, he had 66 runs on 134 hits (out of 480 at-bats). He hit 33 doubles, 2 triples, and 22 homers, racking up 75 RBIs and a .279 average. His next season didn't quite live up to his rookie year, but still he walked away with a .252 average after getting 121 hits on 481 at-bats with 72 runs, 31 doubles, 5 triples, and 11 homers. Unfortunately, he also managed to tear his ACL near the end of the season. Still, he came out in 2005 and played 44 games in a Tribe uniform, getting 38 hits on 138 at-bats, netting him a .275 average before being sent to the Cubs.
Johnny Romano - 5 seasons (1960-64) - We first looked at Romano wearing #5 during the same season he sported #9. We'll take a longer look at him wearing #11. But, in his 5/9 split season (1963), he had 55 hits on 255 plate appearances. He scored 28 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, and 10 home runs with 34 RBIs, all of which netted him his 2nd worst seasonal average: .216...
Ken Keltner - 12 seasons (1937-49) - We've seen Keltner wearing #6 and #8, and we'll see him again when we get to #25. It turns out that he wore #9 in 1946 (in which he made yet ANOTHER all-star appearance). In his #9-wearing season, he stood at the plate 398 times (the 2nd fewest in his Indians career), hitting 96 times. Those 96 hits scored 47 tuns, 17 doubles, a triple, and 13 home runs for a .241 season average.
Larry Johnson - 2 games (1 in 1972, 1 in 1974) - He wore #9 during his second "season" with the Tribe. He batted in one game in which he managed to score a run without hitting the ball or walking... Perhaps he was a pinch runner or something? In any case, his .000 average sent him to Canada (Montreal). We'll see him again much later wearing #52.
Larry Raines - 2 seasons (1957-58) - Raines wore #9 during his rookie year, then switched to #16. In his rookie season, he batted 244 times, getting 64 hits. His 2 home runs, 14 doubles, and 16 RBIs combined with his hits to score 39 runs, giving him a rookie-year .262 average. Turns out, that is also his career high, as we will see later.
Lee Stevens - Part of 1 season (2002) - Stevens came to the Tribe from Montreal, where he had batted a paltry .190. Would a change of venue help him bring his average up? Technically, yes. He batted in 53 games wearing #9 for the Tribe, making 153 trips to the plate in what would become his final MLB season. He got 34 hits, scoring 22 runs, 7 doubles, a triple, and 5 home runs with 26 RBIs. He left the Indians and the Bigs with a .222 final season.
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