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Joe Adcock
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Joseph Wilbur Adcock (October 30, 1927 – May 3, 1999) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1950 to 1966, most prominently as a member of the Milwaukee Braves teams that won two consecutive National League pennants and the 1957 World Series.
Key Information
A two-time All-Star player, Adcock was known for his long distance home runs, including hitting four in one game in 1954. Adcock ranks third in Milwaukee Braves history in hits, home runs, runs batted in and total bases.[1] A sure-handed defensive player, at the time of his retirement in 1966, he had the third-highest career fielding percentage by a major league first baseman (.994). During his major league tenure, he also played for the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles / California Angels.
His nickname "Billy Joe" derived from Vanderbilt University basketball star "Billy Joe Adcock" and was popularized by Vin Scully. Adcock was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2022.[2]
Early life
[edit]Adcock was born in Coushatta, Louisiana. He attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, playing on its ballclub as the first organized baseball of his life.[3]
Baseball career
[edit]As player
[edit]He was signed by the Cincinnati Reds; however, All-Star slugger Ted Kluszewski had a firm hold on the team's first base slot. Adcock played in left field from 1950 to 1952, but was extremely unhappy, demanding a trade, which he received.
His first season with the Milwaukee Braves was capped by a mammoth home run into the center-field bleachers at the Polo Grounds on April 29, 1953, a feat which had never been done before in an official MLB game and would only be accomplished twice more, by Hank Aaron and Lou Brock.[citation needed]
On July 31, 1954, Adcock became only the seventh player in Major League Baseball history to hit four home runs in a game.[4] He did so against the Brooklyn Dodgers at their home ballpark, Ebbets Field, also hitting a double off the top of the wall to set a record for most total bases in a game (18)[5][6] which stood for 48 years, until broken on May 23, 2002 by Shawn Green.[7] whose record was tied by Nick Kurtz on July 25, 2025. Of note, the four home runs were hit off four different Dodger pitchers.[4]
Another notable home run ended the epic duel between Lew Burdette and Harvey Haddix on May 26, 1959, in which Haddix took a perfect game into the 13th inning. Adcock did not get credit for a home run, however, because Aaron – who was on first base – saw Félix Mantilla, the runner ahead of him, score the winning run and thought the hit had only been a double and walked back to the dugout, causing Adcock to be called out for passing him on the base paths. (Eventually, the ruling was that instead of a 3-run home run for a 3–0 Braves victory, Adcock got a double and 1 RBI, and the Braves won 1–0.)[8]
Adcock was often overshadowed both by his own teammates, future baseball Hall of Famers Aaron and Eddie Mathews, and by the other slugging first basemen in the league, Kluszewski and Gil Hodges, although he did make one All-Star team (1960) and was regularly among the league leaders in home runs. In 1956, he finished second in the National League in home runs, runs batted in, and slugging average.
As manager
[edit]After concluding his playing career with the Cleveland Indians (1963) and Los Angeles/California Angels (1964–1966), Adcock managed the Indians for one year (1967), with the team registering its worst percentage finish in 21 years (.463, vs. .442 in 1946), finishing eighth in a ten-team league. Following the season he was replaced as Cleveland manager by Alvin Dark.[9] Adcock managed two more years in the minor leagues before settling down at his 288-acre (1.2 km2) ranch in Coushatta, Louisiana, to raise horses.
Managerial record
[edit]| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CLE | 1967 | 162 | 75 | 87 | .463 | 8th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 162 | 75 | 87 | .463 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
Death
[edit]He later died in Coushatta, Louisiana, at age 71 in 1999 as a result of Alzheimer's disease.[5][10][11] He is buried in Social Springs cemetery in Red River parish, 15 miles (24 km) from Coushatta.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Braves star Joe Adcock to be inducted into Miller Park Walk of Fame on July 29". onmilwaukee.com. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ "Braves Hall of Fame". mlb.com. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
- ^ Gregory H. Wolf. "Joe Adcock". SABR Baseball Biography Project. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ a b 100 Things Braves Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die: Revised and Updated, Jack Wilkinson, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2019, ISBN 978-1-62937-694-3, p.168
- ^ a b Clines, Frank (May 4, 1999). "Braves slugger Adcock dies". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 1C.
- ^ "Joe Adcock's 4 homers, double sets mark". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. August 1, 1954. p. 1-sports.
- ^ DiGiovanna, Mike (May 24, 2002). "Green stops slump with historic performance". Eugene Register-Guard. (Los Angeles Times). p. 3C.
- ^ "Braves beat Haddix after 12 perfect innings". Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. Associated Press. May 27, 1959. p. 8.
- ^ Adcock fired; Paul assigns Dark to post
- ^ Sayre, Alan (May 4, 1999). "Broke up baseball's longest no-hitter". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. p. C-5.
- ^ "Joe Adcock famous for 'homer' in 1959 game". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. May 4, 1999. p. 17.
- ^ Resting Places: The Burial Sites of 14000 Famous Persons, by Scott Wilson
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joe Adcock.
- Career statistics from Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac
- Joe Adcock at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
- Joe Adcock at Find a Grave
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Joe Adcock
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Joseph Wilbur Adcock (October 30, 1927 – May 3, 1999) was an American professional baseball player who primarily played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1950 to 1966, amassing 336 home runs and 1,122 runs batted in (RBIs) over his 17-season career.[1][2] Best known for his power-hitting prowess with the Milwaukee Braves during the 1950s, Adcock achieved a .277 career batting average across 1,994 games, earning recognition as one of the era's most feared sluggers.[1][2]
Born in Coushatta, Louisiana, Adcock grew up on a family farm and initially excelled in basketball at Louisiana State University, where he led the Southeastern Conference in scoring as a freshman before transitioning to baseball.[1] He debuted with the Cincinnati Reds in 1950 after signing as an amateur free agent, but his career took off after being traded to the Braves in 1953, where he became a key contributor to their success, including their 1957 World Series championship.[2] Adcock's tenure with Milwaukee spanned a decade, during which he hit 247 of his home runs, and he later played briefly for the Cleveland Indians in 1963 before finishing his playing days with the California Angels from 1964 to 1966.[1][2]
Among Adcock's most notable achievements was hitting four home runs in a single game on July 31, 1954, against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, a feat that made him only the seventh player in MLB history to accomplish it and resulted in 18 total bases, tying a major league record.[1] He reached his 300th career home run on August 27, 1964, and was selected to the 1960 All-Star Game, where he went 3-for-5.[1][2] Adcock also received votes for National League MVP in multiple seasons, finishing as high as eighth in 1954.[2]
After retiring as a player, Adcock managed the Cleveland Indians in 1967 and the Triple-A Seattle Angels in 1968 before returning to Coushatta, where he bred quarter horses and was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.[1] He passed away on May 3, 1999, at age 71 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease.[1]
Adcock ranks third in Milwaukee Braves history in hits (1,206), home runs (239), RBIs (760), and total bases (2,164) during his 1953–1962 tenure with the franchise.[10] He was selected as the National League's starting first baseman for the 1960 All-Star Game (appearing in both games that year and going 3-for-5) and received MVP votes in four seasons, with his highest finish of eighth place coming in 1954.[2] As a key contributor to the 1957 World Series champion Braves, Adcock appeared in five games during the regular season that year before an injury limited his postseason role to batting .200 in the Fall Classic.[1] Notably, on July 31, 1954, he became the seventh player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a single game, powering the Braves to a 15–7 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.[9]
Early life
Family and upbringing
Joe Adcock was born on October 30, 1927, in Coushatta, Louisiana, a small town in Red River Parish located about 45 miles south of Shreveport on the east bank of the Red River.[1] His parents were Ray Adcock, a local businessman, farmer, and longtime sheriff of Red River County, and Helen (Lyles) Adcock, who worked as a teacher.[1] Adcock grew up in a close-knit family on the family farm, where he assisted with daily chores starting from age seven, instilling values of hard work and responsibility.[1] He had a younger sister, Mary Ann, who later became Mary Ann Brown, and the siblings shared a rural, community-oriented upbringing in Coushatta that emphasized family bonds and local traditions.[1][3] This environment, marked by agricultural life and limited urban influences, fostered a strong sense of perseverance amid the challenges of Depression-era Louisiana.[1] From an early age, Adcock was exposed to athletics through family and community activities in the rural setting, where organized sports were scarce but informal play was common.[1] His initial passion leaned toward basketball, reflecting broader interests in multiple sports that would later shape his development, though baseball opportunities were limited to makeshift games using rocks and sticks in games like "one old cat."[1]Education and amateur career
Adcock attended Coushatta High School in Coushatta, Louisiana, where he distinguished himself as a multisport athlete, excelling in basketball, football, and baseball. In basketball, he led the team to the Class B state finals in 1944, though they fell short with a 62-45 loss to Zachary High School.[4] Following high school, Adcock enrolled at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge on a basketball scholarship offered by coach Jesse Fatherree. He quickly emerged as a star on the hardwood, becoming the Southeastern Conference's leading scorer in the 1945-46 season with an average of 18.6 points per game. Despite his success in basketball and limited prior organized baseball experience—having only played informal games like "one-eyed cat" as a child—Adcock shifted his focus to the diamond, joining the LSU baseball team under coach A.L. "Red" Swanson starting in the spring of his freshman year and continuing through 1949.[4][1] In 1947, while attending LSU, Adcock signed as an amateur free agent with the Cincinnati Reds, who included a bonus and incentives to forgo professional basketball opportunities. However, he chose to honor his college commitment, prioritizing education and further athletic development. His amateur baseball prowess culminated in 1949, when he batted .308 as a junior, helping LSU secure the Southeastern Conference championship. That summer, Adcock began his professional career with the Tulsa Oilers of the Texas League, a Reds affiliate, marking the end of his collegiate career.[1][5][6]Playing career
Early professional years
Joe Adcock began his professional baseball career after signing with the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent in 1947 following his time at Louisiana State University. He spent his initial minor league seasons developing in the Reds' farm system, playing for the Class A Columbia Reds in the South Atlantic League in 1947 where he batted .264 in 73 games. In 1949, Adcock advanced to the Double-A Tulsa Oilers of the Texas League, where he had a breakout season, batting .298 with 19 home runs and 116 RBIs over 149 games, showcasing his power potential as an outfielder and first baseman.[6][1] Adcock made his Major League Baseball debut on April 23, 1950, at age 22 with the Cincinnati Reds against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field, going 2-for-4 with a double in a 5-3 loss. Primarily deployed as an outfielder and first baseman behind established players like Ted Kluszewski, Adcock appeared in 102 games that rookie season, batting .293 with 8 home runs and 55 RBIs. Over the next two years, however, his role became more limited due to a platoon system and recurring injuries, including a beaning that sidelined him briefly in 1951; from 1950 to 1952, he played in 295 total games, compiling a .255 batting average, 18 home runs, and 125 RBIs while struggling for consistent playing time.[2][1][7] On February 16, 1953, the Reds traded Adcock to the Milwaukee Braves as part of a complex four-team deal that also involved the Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers; in exchange, the Braves sent first baseman Earl Torgeson and cash to the Phillies, who forwarded catcher Andy Seminick to the Dodgers, while the Dodgers sent infielder Rocky Bridges to the Reds. This transaction provided Adcock with a fresh opportunity in Milwaukee, where the franchise had relocated ahead of the 1953 season.[8][1]Milwaukee Braves tenure
Adcock joined the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 via a trade from the Cincinnati Reds as part of a four-team deal on February 16, marking the franchise's relocation from Boston to Milwaukee.[1] He quickly established himself as a cornerstone power hitter, appearing in all 157 games while batting .285 with 18 home runs and 80 RBIs, helping the team to a second-place finish in the [National League](/page/National League).[2] His rookie season showcased his potential as a right-handed slugger in spacious Milwaukee County Stadium, where he adapted to the outfield and first base roles effectively.[1] In 1954, Adcock enjoyed a breakout campaign, batting .308 with 23 home runs and 87 RBIs over 133 games, solidifying his reputation as one of the league's premier sluggers.[2] The highlight came on July 31 at Ebbets Field against the Brooklyn Dodgers, when he slugged four home runs off four different pitchers in a 15-7, 13-inning victory, adding a double for a major league-record 18 total bases in a single game.[9] The following year, however, Adcock's progress was interrupted by a broken bone in his right arm after being hit by a pitch from the Giants' Jim Hearn on July 31, limiting him to 84 games, a .264 average, and 15 home runs.[1][2] Despite the injury, Adcock rebounded strongly in 1956, leading the National League with 15 home runs in July en route to a career-high 38 homers and 103 RBIs.[1] Adcock's tenure peaked with the Braves' championship runs, as he contributed to their 1957 National League pennant and World Series victory over the New York Yankees, batting .200 with 2 RBIs in five postseason games despite knee and ankle injuries that restricted him to 65 regular-season contests.[2] The team repeated as pennant winners in 1958, with Adcock providing steady production at .275 with 19 home runs in 105 games while splitting time between first base and left field.[2] Under new manager Chuck Dressen in 1960, Adcock transitioned to full-time first base, earning his lone All-Star selection while batting .298 with 25 home runs and 91 RBIs over 138 games.[1] His power persisted into 1962, when he hit 29 home runs in 121 games despite knee issues, including a 13th-inning home run on May 26, 1959, that broke up Harvey Haddix's no-hitter (and near-perfect game) against the Pittsburgh Pirates.[1] Over his decade with Milwaukee from 1953 to 1962, Adcock batted .284 with 239 home runs and 760 RBIs in 1,207 games, forming a formidable lineup alongside Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews during the franchise's most successful era.[2]Later MLB seasons
Adcock was traded from the Milwaukee Braves to the Cleveland Indians on November 27, 1962, in a multi-player deal that sent him to the American League for the first time in his career.[2] In 1963, his only season with the Indians, Adcock served as a part-time first baseman, platooning with Fred Whitfield amid persistent injuries that limited his playing time to 97 games.[1] He batted .251 with 13 home runs and 49 runs batted in, reflecting a decline from his power-hitting prime as age and physical wear began to affect his performance.[2] On December 6, 1963, Adcock was traded to the expansion Los Angeles Angels in exchange for outfielder Leon Wagner and pitcher Barry Latman, marking the beginning of his final three seasons in the majors.[2] With the Angels, he continued in a reduced role, often platooning at first base or serving as a pinch hitter due to aching knees and the emergence of younger talent like Jim Fregosi and Rick Reichardt.[1] In 1964, Adcock appeared in 118 games, batting .268 with 21 home runs—leading the team in long balls despite sharing time.[2] His production dipped slightly in 1965 with a .241 average, 14 home runs, and 122 games, as injuries further curtailed his mobility and starts.[2] Adcock's final season came in 1966 at age 38, where he played 83 games for the Angels, batting .273 with 18 home runs in just 231 at-bats, showcasing residual power but in a strictly part-time capacity.[2] Released by the team on October 18, 1966, he retired after 17 major league seasons, having appeared in 1,869 games overall—a career impacted by recurring injuries that forced him into platoon situations and diminished his everyday role as younger players rose.[2][1] This wind-down phase highlighted the physical toll of his slugging style, transitioning him from a feared hitter to a veteran contributor before his move to management.[1]Career statistics and records
Over his 17-season Major League Baseball career from 1950 to 1966, Joe Adcock maintained a .277 batting average, accumulating 1,832 hits, 336 home runs, and 1,122 RBIs across 1,869 games played primarily as a first baseman.[2] These totals reflect his consistent power-hitting presence, particularly during his prime years with the Milwaukee Braves, where he contributed significantly to the team's offensive output despite occasional injuries.[1] Adcock's performance peaked in 1956, when he led the National League with 38 home runs and 103 RBIs while batting .291, earning 11th place in MVP voting that season.[2] His slugging prowess was evident in other strong years, such as 1961 (35 HR, 108 RBI, .285 BA) and 1954 (.308 BA, 23 HR, 87 RBI).[1] The following table summarizes Adcock's yearly home runs, RBIs, and batting average:| Year | Team | HR | RBI | BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | CIN | 8 | 55 | .293 |
| 1951 | CIN | 10 | 47 | .243 |
| 1952 | CIN | 13 | 52 | .278 |
| 1953 | MLN | 18 | 80 | .285 |
| 1954 | MLN | 23 | 87 | .308 |
| 1955 | MLN | 15 | 45 | .264 |
| 1956 | MLN | 38 | 103 | .291 |
| 1957 | MLN | 12 | 38 | .287 |
| 1958 | MLN | 19 | 54 | .275 |
| 1959 | MLN | 25 | 76 | .292 |
| 1960 | MLN | 25 | 91 | .298 |
| 1961 | MLN | 35 | 108 | .285 |
| 1962 | MLN | 29 | 78 | .248 |
| 1963 | CLE | 13 | 49 | .251 |
| 1964 | LAA | 21 | 64 | .268 |
| 1965 | CAL | 14 | 47 | .241 |
| 1966 | CAL | 18 | 48 | .273 |