Phillies alumni: Richie Ashburn, always No. 1

Richie Ashburn is No. 1 in the hearts of generations of Phillies fans. During his 15-year career in the Majors with the Phillies (1948-59), Cubs (1960-61) and Mets (1962), the only uniform number he wore was No. 1. In the Phillies’ kingdom of royalty, he’s also No. 1.

Ashburn almost wasn’t a Phillie, as the Cubs and Indians thought they had signed him. But Major League Baseball voided those contracts, and the Phillies signed him in 1944 for a $3,500 bonus.

? Phillies alumni

He began his pro career in 1945 as an 18-year-old catcher with the Utica Blue Sox in the Eastern League. Manager Eddie Sawyer moved him to center field because of his blinding speed. As was the case with many young Americans during World War II, Ashburn was drafted by the Army during his first pro season. He was allowed to finish the season and then was sent to Alaska where he spent a year, but he wasn’t too thrilled about being in Alaska.

“Sending a ballplayer to Alaska was like sending a dog sledder to the Sahara Desert,” he said at the time.

Ashburn returned to Utica in 1947 and was in the Majors the following season.

“I came from Tilden, a town of 900 persons in Nebraska, so you can just imagine how I felt and what my stomach was doing when I walked up to the plate in Shibe Park with more than 22,000 people and all those people yelling for me to get a hit. It struck me right then and there that this was what the Major Leagues were all about,” Ashburn was quoted in a newspaper article some years later.

As a 21-year-old nicknamed “Whitey” for his hair color, he played left field in the Phillies’ season opener on April 20, 1948. It was the first Major League game he ever saw. Ashburn ended his career at second base with the Mets on Sept. 30, 1962.

He played in an era of three other great center fielders: Duke Snider (Dodgers), Willie Mays (Giants) and Mickey Mantle (Yankees). When it came to power numbers, Ashburn was overmatched by that trio. But he exceeded them in other areas, leading the NL in singles, walks and on-base percentage four times each. He won more batting titles (two), had more 200-hit seasons (three) and a higher lifetime batting average (.308) than any of those three players. Ashburn also dominated the league defensively with more years of 400 or more putouts (nine), including four seasons of 500 or more.

Ashburn’s first hit came in his first game off Johnny Sain. His 2,000th hit came off Carl Willey, his Phillies record hit (No. 2,111) off Bob Buhl and his last hit (No. 2,217) as a Phillie, also off Buhl. All of those hits were against the Braves. Ashburn’s very last hit in the Majors came in his last at-bat. The pitcher? Buhl, then with the Cubs. Every one of these hits was a single.

Twice, Whitey won a batting title, in 1955 (.338) and 1958 (.350). The Phillies haven’t had one since.

Ashburn’s name is sprinkled throughout the Phillies’ record book. Probably the least known involved grounding into double plays. As a rookie, he had one GIDP in 530 plate appearances, which set a club record. Whitey also entered the Phillies’ dubious class of most GIDPs in a game, three times against the Giants in Seals Stadium on June 28, 1959. For those of you keeping score, each was 6-4-3.

A more impressive club record is Ashburn’s streak of 730 consecutive games played. It began on July 7, 1950. It ended when he couldn’t start the 1955 season opener. He and Del Ennis collided during a Spring Training game in Wilmington, Del., that year. Ashburn injured a knee and was out of the lineup when the season started. The previous record was 533 games by first baseman Fred Luderus, which lasted from June 12, 1916, until the 1920 season opener. No Phillies player since has come close to 730.

Known for his ability to foul off pitches, Ashburn hit spectator Alice Roth twice in the same at-bat at Connie Mack Stadium on Aug. 17, 1957. The first one broke her nose; the second hit her while she was being removed on a stretcher. Turned out she was the wife of Earl Roth, sports editor of the Philadelphia Bulletin. No other player can match that nugget.

His career ended with the expansion Mets in 1962, who ended the season with the worst record in baseball at 40-120. Ashburn hit .306 for the year. In his very last game, he singled to right field in the top of the eighth inning in Wrigley Field for his last hit and wound up as an out in a triple play. He was replaced at second base in the bottom of the inning and retired after that year.

Ashburn was the Mets’ first All-Star and was honored after the season as their Most Valuable Player.

“I was chosen the MVP on the worst team in baseball. I got a boat. Took it to the Delaware river and it sank,” he once said.

After he hung up his uniform, Ashburn became the first former player on the Phillies’ broadcasting team in 1963, joining By Saam and Bill Campbell. His final 27 years in the booth were with Harry Kalas. He and Kalas were the most popular and entertaining broadcasting pair in Philadelphia sports history.

Ashburn was known to say on the air that he could go for a Celebre’s pizza, a family-owned restaurant a couple of blocks away from Veterans Stadium. Finally, the Phillies marketing department requested he discontinue that plea, which was amounting to a free commercial on telecasts. Ashburn got around that one time by saying on the air, “We want to wish Happy Birthday to the Celebre’s twins, plain and pepperoni.” Two pizzas were delivered to the TV booth.

The Phillies retired No. 1 during his Wall of Fame induction ceremonies in 1979. Others had worn that number after the trade with the Cubs -- the last was Jose Cardenal. When told his number was being retired, Ashburn bristled, “What are you going to do? Give me Cardenal’s jersey?”

The greatest Hall of Fame experience for Phillies fans came when Ashburn and Mike Schmidt were both enshrined in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1995. Thousands turned that village into a sea of red.

Ashburn died early Tuesday morning on Sept. 9, 1997, in a New York City hotel room. The Phillies won the game that night, 1-0, over the Mets at Shea Stadium. Ironically, Ashburn’s career began with the Phillies and ended with the Mets, always with No. 1 on his jersey.