Norman Dalton Cash (November 10, 1933 – October 11, 1986) was an American
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
who spent almost his entire career with the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
. A power hitter, his 377 career
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s were the fourth most by an
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...
left-handed hitter when he retired, behind
Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
,
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 193 ...
and
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...
; his 373 home runs with the Tigers rank second in franchise history behind teammate
Al Kaline (399). He also led the AL in
assists three times and
fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, di ...
twice; he ranked among the all-time leaders in assists (4th with 1,317) and
double play
In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs.
In Major Lea ...
s (10th with 1,347) upon his retirement, and was fifth in AL history in games at first base (1,943). He was known to fans and teammates during his playing days as "Stormin' Norman."
Early life and career
Cash was born in
Justiceburg,
Garza County
Garza County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,816, of which most of the population were residing in Its county seat, and only incorporated municipality, Post. The county was created ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, and attended (what was then)
Sul Ross State Teachers College, where he was All-Lone Star Conference in
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
as well as playing baseball; he was drafted by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...
as a running back in
1955
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijiangs ...
, but declined to play pro football.
After signing with the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
in 1955, he spent 1957 in the military
and made his debut with the team in , seeing limited play as an outfielder and pinch hitter. He appeared in 58 games for the AL pennant-winners; the August 25 acquisition of
Ted Kluszewski left him on the White Sox bench. He was hitless in four pinch-hitting appearances in the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...
. In December of that year, he was traded to the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...
in an eight-player deal that brought
Minnie Miñoso
Orestes "Minnie" Miñoso (, ; born Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso Arrieta; November 29, 1923 – March 1, 2015), nicknamed "The Cuban Comet" and "Mr. White Sox", was a Cuban professional baseball player. He began his baseball career in the N ...
back to Chicago,
but the Indians
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
Frank Lane traded Cash to Detroit for
Steve Demeter, who would play only four more games; both Chicago and Cleveland were haunted by Cash for the next 15 years, as he won a
batting title
In baseball, batting average (AVG) is a measure of a batter's success rate in achieving a hit during an at bat. In Major League Baseball (MLB), it is calculated by dividing a player's hits by his at bats (AB). In MLB, a player in each league win ...
in 1961 and a
World Series ring
A World Series ring is an award given to Major League Baseball players who win the World Series. Since only one Commissioner's Trophy is awarded to the team, a World Series ring is an individual award that players and staff of each World Series ...
in 1968 wearing a Detroit uniform.
MLB career
Detroit Tigers
Cash filled the middle of the Tigers lineup for 15 seasons as part of one of the sport's top offenses.
In 1960, Cash grounded into no double plays, the first American League player to accomplish that since league records on this stat were started in 1940.
He enjoyed his breakout season in . He led the AL with a .361 average, and had 41 home runs (sixth in the AL), 132
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...
(fourth), 119
runs scored
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted bal ...
(fourth), 124
walks (second) for a .487
on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
(first), and 354
total bases (second) for a .662
slugging average
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
(second); but his season was overshadowed by the 61 home runs of
Roger Maris, and teammate
Rocky Colavito finished with more home runs and RBI. Still, his .361 average would be the highest by any major league player in the 1960s, and would not be topped by another Tiger until
Magglio Ordóñez
Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado (; born January 28, 1974) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball right fielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox (1997–2004) and Detroit Tigers (2005–2011). Ordóñez is tall and weighs . Having pos ...
hit .363 in
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
. The Tigers finished 101–61 for their best regular-season record since 1934, and scored the most runs in baseball, though they finished second in the AL, eight games behind the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...
; Cash was fourth in the
MVP voting. In addition, Cash later admitted to using an illegal
corked bat during the 1961 season, demonstrating how he had drilled a hole in his bats and filled it with a mixture of sawdust, cork and glue. (Studies done many years later have concluded that corked bats provided little-to-no benefit.) His 1961 statistics turned out to be career highs which he did not come close to approaching again – in later years, he never reached 100 runs or 100 RBI, and never batted above .283. His 118-point drop to a .243 average in was the largest ever by a batting champion.
Cash later said of the 1961 season: "It was a freak. Even at the time, I realized that. Everything I hit seemed to drop in, even when I didn't make good contact. I never thought I'd do it again."
Pitcher
Mickey Lolich
Michael Stephen Lolich (born September 12, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1963 until 1979, almost entirely for the Detroit Tigers. A three-time All-St ...
once asked Cash why he never hit for a high average after that season. "He told me, '
Jim Campbell pays me to hit home runs,'" said Lolich, referring to the team's general manager in those years. "Norm then said, `I can get hits if I want to, just watch tomorrow.' The next day he went 3-for-4."
On June 11, 1961, Cash became the first Detroit Tiger to hit a home run ball out of Tiger Stadium. Cash hit the ball over Tiger Stadium's right-field roof four times in his career.
On June 27, 1963, he played an entire game at first base without a defensive chance, as the Minnesota Twins won 10–
On his own team, Cash was overshadowed by his future Hall-of-Fame roommate
Al Kaline. While his batting average fell off sharply after 1961, Cash hit 30 or more homers four more times, and hit at least 20 in ten of the next eleven seasons. He was the only American League player to hit at least 20 home runs every season from 1961 to 1969. He also finished second in the league in home runs three times (behind
Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Clayton Killebrew Jr. (; June 29, 1936May 17, 2011), nicknamed "The Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. He was a prolific power hitter who spent most of hi ...
in 1962,
Tony Conigliaro in 1965, and
Bill Melton in 1971), with the Tigers finishing among the AL's top three scoring teams every year from 1961 through 1968.
Cash was also considered one of the better defensive first basemen of the 1960s, leading the league in
putout
In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or '' fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods:
* Tagging a runner wi ...
s (1961), fielding percentage (1964, 1967) and assists (1965–67).
In the
1968 World Series
The 1968 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1968 season. The 65th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between American League (AL) champion Detroit Tigers and the National Leag ...
, Cash hit .385 (10-26) with one home run. With two out in the seventh inning of Game 7, Cash singled off
Bob Gibson
Robert Gibson (born Pack Robert Gibson; November 9, 1935October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot" ...
to start a three-run rally that broke a scoreless tie and propelled the team to its first title since 1945. He also hit a home run to give Detroit a 1–0 lead in Game 1 of the
1972 American League Championship Series, though the Tigers went on to lose the game and the series.
He was released by the Tigers in August after hitting .228 in 53 games.
Relationship with fans and players
Apart from his batting accomplishments, Cash was a favorite with his teammates, the media, and Tiger fans. He was known for his hard living and his sense of humor.
On July 15, 1973, as
Nolan Ryan was working on his second career no-hitter, Cash went to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth (after striking out his previous three at-bats), holding a table leg from the clubhouse instead of a regulation bat. The stunt drew immediate action by home plate umpire Ron Luciano, who ordered Cash to use a legal bat (though the announcers of the game reported that Luciano was amused by the attempt). Cash popped out using a regulation bat to end the game
Teammate
Jim Northrup (baseball), Jim Northrup told the story as follows: "In his last at-bat, Norm walked up to the plate with a table leg from the locker room. The plate umpire,
Ron Luciano
Ronald Michael Luciano (June 28, 1937 – January 18, 1995) was an American professional baseball umpire who worked in Major League Baseball's American League from 1969 to 1979. He was known for his flamboyant style, clever aphorisms, and a serie ...
, says, `You can't use that up here.' Cash says, `Why not, I won't hit him anyway.' He then gets a bat, then hit a popup to shortstop to end the game. As he was walking away he says to Luciano, `See, I told ya.'"
"When you mention Norm Cash, I just smile", said Al Kaline, who had a locker adjacent to Cash's for years. "He was just a fun guy to be around and a great teammate. He always came ready to play."
Once Cash was trapped between first and second base about to be tagged out. He stopped in his tracks and formed a "T" with his hands to call time-out. There was also a time when Cash missed a foul ball in the stands, turned a little boy's cap around, stuck his hand into the young fan's popcorn box and said, "Thanks, kid", as the boy looked up in bewilderment.
One trick Cash frequently tried, occurred when play resumed after a rain delay, Northrup recalled. "If Norman was on second before the rain delay, he would go to third", Northrup said. "If he was on first, he would go to second." Northrup said: "Norm had more fun than anybody."
Cash was also noted for never wearing a batting helmet during his major league career, being one of the few veteran players who was permitted not to do so after helmets were mandated in . Protective liners, however, were required to be worn inside their caps.
Career statistics
Cash was a career .271 hitter with 377 home runs, 1104 RBI, 1046 runs, 1820 hits, 241
doubles
Men's doubles, Women's doubles or Mixed doubles are sports having two players per side, including;
* Beach volleyball
* Doubles badminton
* Doubles curling
* Footvolley
* Doubles pickleball
* Doubles squash
* Doubles table tennis
* Doubles te ...
, 41
triples, 43
stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe o ...
s, a .374 on-base percentage, and a .488 slugging average in 2089 games. He holds Tigers career defensive records at first base in games (1912), putouts (14,926), assists (1303), and double plays (1328), having broken the marks set by
Hank Greenberg and
Rudy York. He had a .992 fielding percentage at first base in his career.
Cash summed up his success as follows: "I owe my success to expansion pitching, a short right-field fence, and my hollow bats."
Later in his career, Cash claimed he used a
corked bat in 1961, even showing ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...
'' how he made one.
Caribbean baseball
In between, Cash played winter ball with the
Indios de Oriente
The Indios de Oriente was a baseball club which played from 1956 through 1964 in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. They played its home games at the Estadio Municipal de Puerto La Cruz in Anzoátegui, Venezuela.
History
The Indios de ...
club of the
Venezuelan League during the 1958–59 season. As the league champions, the Indios represented Venezuela in the
1959 Caribbean Series, as Cash posted a .360 average (9-for-25) and led the tournament in home runs (2), RBI (11) and
slugging (.680), while driving in six runs in a game – also a Series record – and earning MVP honors.
Later life
After retiring from baseball, Cash signed with the
Detroit Caesars, a professional softball team, and played two seasons (1977–1978). The Caesars played in the
American Professional Slow Pitch Softball League (APSPL), winning league titles in both seasons with Cash. The team was owned by
Mike Ilitch
Michael Ilitch Sr. (July 20, 1929 – February 10, 2017) was an American entrepreneur, founder and owner of the international fast food franchise Little Caesars Pizza. He owned the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and Detroit T ...
, who would later become the owner of the Detroit Tigers. The Caesars had extensive talent from the amateur softball leagues and both Cash and fellow former-Tiger
Jim Northrup (baseball), Jim Northrup played part-time and promotional roles.
Cash was a
color commentator
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...
for
ABC's ''
Monday Night Baseball'' in 1976, and for Tiger telecasts on
ONTV pay-cable from 1981-83.
In October 1986, Cash drowned in an accident off
Beaver Island in northern
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
when he slipped off a dock and struck his head. His body was discovered about 11 a.m. in 15 feet of water at Beaver Island.
An autopsy later revealed that Cash had a
blood alcohol content of 0.18 percent at the time of his death. He is buried in Pine Lake Cemetery,
West Bloomfield, Michigan.
On April 23, 2005, the high school and
Little League baseball field in
Post, Texas were dedicated to Cash. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
See also
*
1961 Detroit Tigers season
The 1961 Detroit Tigers won 101 games but finished in second place, eight games behind the Yankees. The team's 1961 record tied the 1934 Tigers team record of 101 wins, and only twice in team history have the Tigers won more games: 1968 (103 wi ...
*
1968 Detroit Tigers season
The 1968 Detroit Tigers won the 1968 World Series, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals four games to three. The 1968 baseball season, known as the "Year of the Pitcher," was the Detroit Tigers' 68th since they entered the American League in 1901 ...
*
List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
*
List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
*
List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
*
List of Major League Baseball batting champions
In baseball, batting average (AVG) is a measure of a batter's success rate in achieving a hit during an at bat. In Major League Baseball (MLB), it is calculated by dividing a player's hits by his at bats (AB). In MLB, a player in each league wi ...
*
Alpine Cowboys
References
External links
Norm Cashat SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Norm Cash Biographyat Baseball Biography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cash, Norm
1934 births
1986 deaths
Accidental deaths in Michigan
American League All-Stars
American League batting champions
Angelo State Rams baseball players
Baseball players from Texas
Burials in Michigan
Chicago White Sox players
Deaths by drowning in the United States
Detroit Tigers announcers
Detroit Tigers players
Indianapolis Indians players
Indios de Oriente players
Major League Baseball broadcasters
Major League Baseball first basemen
People from Garza County, Texas
Rapiños de Occidente players
Sul Ross Lobos baseball players
Waterloo White Hawks players