Stanley George "Frenchy" Bordagaray (January 3, 1910 – April 13, 2000) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player. He played in

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 (AL), ...

(MLB) as an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

for 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 ...

, Brooklyn Dodgers,

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, Cincinnati Reds, and

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 of ...

between 1934 and 1945. He had a .283

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 14

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 and 270

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 ba ...

over 930 major league games for his career. Bordagaray gained publicity through the press through his colorful personality and various gimmicks. He appeared in bit parts in movies and grew a mustache in a time when baseball players were expected to be clean shaven. He has been inducted into the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame, the

Fresno County Fresno County (), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populous city in Cali ...

Athletic Hall of Fame, and the

Ventura County Ventura County () is a County (United States), county in Southern California, the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, California ...

Sports Hall of Fame.

Early life

Bordagaray was born in

Coalinga, California Coalinga ( or ) is a city in Fresno County and the western San Joaquin Valley, in central California about 80 miles (128 km) southeast of Salinas. It was formerly known as ''Coaling Station A'', ''Coalingo'', and ''Coalinga Station''. The ...

, on January 3, 1910 to Dominique and Louise Bordagaray, who were original settlers of the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven ...

. Bordagaray was the middle of seven children. Of Basque and French descent, Bordagaray got his nickname from his mother. His father wanted him to become a

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist. He

lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

in baseball, football, and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

at Fresno State College.

Professional career

Early career (1931–1933)

Bordagaray made his professional baseball debut in minor league baseball with the Sacramento Senators of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) during the 1931 season. They originally gave him a three-week tryout without pay, so that he could retain his amateur status; at the end of the tryout, the Senators offered Bordagaray his first professional contract. At only 20 years of age, Bordagaray's father needed to provide his consent. Though his father initially refused and threatened to take the Senators to court, he changed his mind after visiting his son. Fresno State's football coach, Stan Borleske, attempted to negotiate Bordagaray's release, but Senators owner Lewis Moreing refused. Bordagaray led the PCL in

(.373) during the 1931 season. He publicly held out from the Senators for more money during the offseason, which became an annual tradition for Bordagaray. In the 1932 season, he batted .322 in games played. He followed this up by batting .351 in 117 games during the 1933 season. While with the Senators, Bordagaray raced a horse in a

100-yard dash 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

, losing by a few feet. During a game, Bordagaray reportedly went to use the toilet during the ninth inning. While he was off the field, the pitcher threw the ball, unaware he had no right fielder. The batter hit the pitch to right field, leading to a double. Manager Earl McNeely did not criticize Bordagaray, rather telling the pitcher to make sure his fielders were in place before throwing.

Major League Baseball

Chicago White Sox and Brooklyn Dodgers (1934–1936)

The

bought Bordagaray's contract from Sacramento for $15,000 () in the spring of 1934. He batted .322 with a .344 on-base percentage (OBP) and .379 slugging percentage (SLG), with no

s, two

in 29 games for the 1934 Chicago White Sox.

Evar Swanson Ernest Evar Swanson (October 15, 1902 in DeKalb, Illinois – July 17, 1973 in Galesburg, Illinois), was a professional baseball and football player. He played outfielder in the Major Leagues from to . He would play for the Cincinnati Reds an ...

reclaimed the role he held in 1933 as starting right fielder for Chicago, and Bordagaray was returned to Sacramento in June, reclaiming their money. He spent the rest of 1934 with the Senators, batting .321 with 34 doubles and a .433 slugging percentage. After the 1934 season, the Senators traded Bordagaray to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Johnny Frederick,

Art Herring Arthur L. Herring (March 10, 1906 – December 2, 1995) born in Altus, Oklahoma, was a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers (1929–33), Brooklyn Dodgers (1934 and 1944–47), Chicago White Sox (1939) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1947). Herring led the Am ...

and cash. He hit .282 with a .319 OBP and .363 SLG with 18 steals and 69 runs scored for the 1935 Dodgers. He was third in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

(NL) in steals, four behind leader

Augie Galan August John Galan (May 23, 1912 – December 28, 1993) was an American professional baseball outfielder, manager and coach. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, New ...

and two behind

Pepper Martin Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin (February 29, 1904 – March 5, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager. He was known as the "Wild Horse of the Osage" because of his daring, aggressive baserunning ab ...

. Bordagaray showed up at spring training in 1936 with a mustache, which he grew for a

bit role In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televisio ...

in ''

The Prisoner of Shark Island ''The Prisoner of Shark Island'' is a 1936 American drama film loosely based on the life of Maryland physician Samuel Mudd, who treated the injured presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth and later spent time in prison after his controversial c ...

'', filmed during the offseason. This was scandalous, as baseball players were expected to be clean shaven at the time; the last player believed to have worn a mustache was

Wally Schang Walter Henry Schang (August 22, 1889 – March 6, 1965) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, St. Lou ...

during the 1914 season. Looking for stories to write about,

sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

s for the Dodgers encouraged Bordagaray to grow out his mustache and goatee. The '' Brooklyn Eagle'' hosted a contest to determine what sort of beard Bordagaray should grow. After a few months, Dodgers manager

Casey Stengel Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, the expansion New Y ...

made him shave, saying "If anyone's going to be a clown on this club, it's going to be me." Mustaches would not be seen in MLB again until Oakland Athletics

owner Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

Charlie O. Finley Charles Oscar Finley (February 22, 1918 – February 19, 1996), nicknamed Charlie O or Charley O, was an American businessman who owned Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics. Finley purchased the franchise while it was located in Kansas C ...

paid his players to grow facial hair in the 1970s. Finley hosted a "mustache day", and invited Bordagaray to serve as master of ceremonies. Heading into the 1936 season, Stengel decided to use Bordagaray as his starting third baseman. For the year, Bordagaray batted .315 with a .346 OBP and .419 SLG for the

Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, finishing ninth in the NL with 12 steals. He was third among the team's regulars in average, behind Babe Phelps and

Joe Stripp Joseph Valentine Stripp (February 3, 1903 – June 10, 1989) was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Boston Bees between 1928 ...

. His .991 fielding percentage was second among outfielders in the NL, trailing only teammate Johnny Cooney. That season, however, he received a $500 fine and 60-day suspension for spitting at an umpire. When asked about it, Bordagaray replied, "The penalty is a bit more than I expectorated." Bordagaray became known for his sayings, some of which exemplified the Dodgers' daffiness. One day after the Dodgers beat the Cardinals, 4-3, he said, "I accounted for all seven runs. I knocked in four myself and played a Terry Moore hit into a three-run homer."

St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds (1937–1939)

With

Burleigh Grimes Burleigh Arland Grimes (August 18, 1893 – December 6, 1985) was an American professional baseball player and manager, and the last pitcher officially permitted to throw the spitball. Grimes made the most of this advantage, as well as his unshav ...

succeeding Stengel as the Dodgers' manager after the 1936 season, the Dodgers sold Bordagaray, Jimmy Jordan and Dutch Leonard to the

as part of an off-season shakeup; it was seen as the completion of an August 1 trade in which the Dodgers acquired

Tom Winsett John Thomas Winsett (November 24, 1909 – July 20, 1987) was a professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Long Tom", he played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox (1930–31, 1933), St. Louis Cardinals (1935 ...

from the Cardinals. With the Cardinals, Bordagaray batted .293 with a .331 OBP and .367 SLG during the 1937 season. His 11 stolen bases were eighth best in the NL. With the 1938 Cardinals, Bordagaray was used mostly as a bench player, as

Enos Slaughter Enos Bradsher Slaughter (April 27, 1916 – August 12, 2002), nicknamed "Country", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He played for 19 seasons on four major league teams from 1938 to 1942 and 1946 to 1959. He is noted prima ...

joined the team, playing in the outfield with

Joe Medwick Joseph Michael Medwick (November 24, 1911 – March 21, 1975), nicknamed "Ducky" and "Muscles", was an American Major League Baseball player. A left fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals during the " Gashouse Gang" era of the 1930s, he also pla ...

, Terry Moore, and Martin, and Art Garibaldi was set to play third base. Bordagaray batted .282 with a .325 OBP and .327 SLG with only two steals in 1938. While a member of the Cardinals, Bordagaray played the washboard in Martin's "Mudcat Band". Upon the conclusion of the 1938 season, the Cardinals assigned Bordagaray to their farm team in Rochester. They traded Bordagaray to the Cincinnati Reds for

Dusty Cooke Allen Lindsey "Dusty" Cooke (June 23, 1907 – November 21, 1987), was an American professional baseball outfielder, coach, and manager, in Major League Baseball (MLB), who played for three different big league teams, between and . During his p ...

and cash later in the offseason. In 63 games with the Reds in 1939, his batting average declined to .197, as did his OBP (.252) and SLG (.254). In the

1939 World Series The 1939 World Series featured the three-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds, who were making their first Series appearance since winning the scandal-tainted 1919 World Series. The Yankees swept the Series in fou ...

, he pinch ran twice for

Ernie Lombardi Ernesto Natali Lombardi (April 6, 1908 – September 26, 1977), was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, and New York Giants during ...

, but did not play in the field or have a plate appearance.

New York Yankees and return to the Dodgers (1940–1945)

Bordagaray was sent with

Nino Bongiovanni Anthony Thomas "Nino" Bongiovanni (December 21, 1911 – January 6, 2009) was a professional baseball player and manager. He played two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds. Bongiovanni was 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighe ...

to the

after the 1939 season, completing an earlier trade made on August 5 in which the Reds sent players to be named later and $40,000 ($ in current dollar terms) to the New York Yankees for

Vince DiMaggio Vincent Paul DiMaggio (September 6, 1912 – October 3, 1986) was an American Major League Baseball center fielder. During a 10-year baseball career, he played for the Boston Bees (1937–1938), Cincinnati Reds (1939–1940), Pittsburgh Pirates ( ...

. Bordagaray spent the 1940 season in the minor leagues, with the Kansas City Blues of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

. The Yankees promoted Bordagaray in 1941. He hit .260 with a .325 OBP and .274 SLG in 36 games during the regular season, and appeared in one game during the 1941 World Series as a pinch runner for

Bill Dickey William Malcolm Dickey (June 6, 1907 – November 12, 1993) was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees for 19 seasons. Dickey managed the Yankees as a player-manager in ...

. Before the 1942 season, the Dodgers purchased Bordagaray from the Yankees. He hit .241 with a .279 OBP and .276 SLG in 48 games with the 1942 Dodgers, and .302 with a .379 OBP and .384 SLG in 89 games during the 1943 season. As Brooklyn's primary third baseman and leadoff hitter in 1944, Bordagaray hit .281 with a .331 OBP and .385 SLG with 85 runs in 501 at-bats, topping 100 games played for the first time since 1936. During the 1945 season, he batted .256 with a .328 OBP and .355 SLG, fielding only .886 at third base, and coming in third in the league in errors, despite playing in only 57 games.

Later career (1946–1948)

The Dodgers released Bordagaray before the 1946 season. Returning to minor league baseball, he spent 1946 with the Trois-Rivières Royals of the Class-C Canadian–American League as a player–manager, winning both the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) and

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

of the Year awards. In 1947, he was player-manager of the

Greenville Spinners The Greenville Spinners was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams located in Greenville, South Carolina between 1907 and 1962. Greenville teams played as members of the South Carolina League in 1907, Carolina Association (1908–191 ...

of the Class-A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

. Bordagaray was suspended 60 games for fighting an umpire, leading the Spinners to hire Martin to replace him. He attempted to return to MLB with the Dodgers in 1948, but retired before the season.

Post-playing career

After his baseball career, Bordagaray owned restaurants and clubs in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

and Kansas City and developed land as cemeteries in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. He sold graveyard plots in

. He moved to

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...

, in 1961, where he was supervisor of youth sports and recreation programs in the Ventura Recreation Department. Bordagaray was named to the

and

Sports Halls of Fame, as well as the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame. Proud of his publicity, he kept newspaper clippings in a scrapbook that weighs . Bordagaray died in a nursing home in Ventura at the age of 90. He was survived by his wife of 52 years, Victoria, two sons, two daughters, seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. He is interred at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Coalinga.

References

Bibliography

In-line citations

External links

Baseball AlmanacBaseball Library
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bordagaray, Frenchy 1910 births 2000 deaths Chicago White Sox players Brooklyn Dodgers players St. Louis Cardinals players Cincinnati Reds players New York Yankees players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball third basemen Baseball players from California Minor league baseball managers Sacramento Senators players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Trois-Rivières Royals players Greenville Spinners players People from Coalinga, California Fresno State Bulldogs baseball players Fresno State Bulldogs football players Baseball player-managers American people of Basque descent American people of French descent