Sid Gordon

Sidney Gordon (August 13, 1917 – June 17, 1975) was an American right-handed Major League Baseball two-time All-Star outfielder, third baseman, and first baseman.

He had a 13-year career in MLB for the New York Giants (1941–43, 1946–49, and 1955), Boston / Milwaukee Braves (1950–53), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1954–55). Gordon was one of the Giants' most popular players. In the majors he batted .283, hitting 202 home runs, and batting in 805 runs. In three different years he homered at least once in every park in which he played. A slugger, he also had a great eye—he drew 731 walks, against only 356 strikeouts.

Harold Ribalow in his book The Jew in American Sports referred to Gordon as the "Solid Man".

Early life Gordon was born in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, and was Jewish. His parents were Morris and Rose (née Meyerson) Gordon. Morris emigrated from Russia, and became a plumber and a coal dealer in the United States. Eventually, the family moved to the Flatbush section of Brooklyn.

Gordon went to Samuel J. Tilden High School, where he was a star baseball player. In 1936, the year he graduated from Tilden, Gordon's high school coach arranged for Gordon to work out for Casey Stengel, then manager of the Dodgers. Stengel liked what he saw, but soon after the Dodgers fired Stengel.

Gordon attended Long Island University's Brooklyn campus.

Gordon kept playing in sandlot baseball, where he was noticed by scout George Mack of the Giants. In January 1938, he was signed as undrafted amateur free agent by the Giants, and Mack sent Gordon to the Milford Giants in Milford, Delaware, in the Eastern Shore Baseball League.

Major Leagues

NY Giants (1941–43) On September 11, 1941, he appeared in his first major league game. The Giants put four Jewish players on the field: Gordon and Morrie Arnovich in the outfield, Harry Feldman on the mound, and Harry Danning behind the plate.

In 1948 Gordon was 3rd in the National League in slugging percentage (.537), 4th in RBIs (107), 5th in home runs (30; a career high) and at-bats per home run (17.4), 6th in runs (100; a career high) and total bases (280), 8th in batting average (.299), 9th in walks (74) and OBP (.390), and 10th in stolen bases (8). July 3 was also dubbed "Sid Gordon Day" at Ebbets Field, marking a rare honor for a visiting player. He finished 4th in voting for the 1948 National League MVP.

After his breakout 1948 season, Gordon held out in the spring of 1949. He signed for $2,500 ($ today) less than he wanted. and sent Gordon a check for $2,500 as a token of his respect for the popular slugger. While he hit only 5 home runs at home, he hit 22 on the road; the 17 home run disparity tied for the greatest disparity ever in one season at the time. He finished 22nd in voting for the 1950 NL MVP.

Jewish heritage

A well-liked and highly regarded person wherever he traveled, Gordon was nevertheless subjected to a stark case of anti-Semitism. One day in June 1949 in St. Louis the Cardinals' bench was all over him, hurling antisemitic remarks at him. But Cards manager Eddie Dyer said, "Sid is a friend of mine", and that Gordon had been attacked not because he was Jewish but because he was a good player and "the good ones receive the attention of bench jockeys." Gordon for his part took the high road, ignoring the antisemitic remarks and forcing the bigots to admire him.

Honors Member of the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2004). Inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2010).

Personal life Gordon married his high school sweetheart Mary Goldberg in 1940. They had two sons, Michael and Richard. Michael was a catcher in the minors from 1963 to 1965.

Death Gordon was playing softball in Central Park in New York on June 17, 1975, when he had a heart attack. Taken to Lenox Hill Hospital, he died several hours later. He was 57 years old. His wife Mary and two sons survived him. He was buried at the New Montefiore Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.