Enos Slaughter

Enos Slaughter (1916-2002), American baseball player, best remembered for his hustling play, his fearless base running, and his determination. Slaughter batted .300 over his career, hit .381 in ten All-Star Games, and struck out only 538 times in 7,946 at-bats. His scamper home for the winning run in game seven of the 1946 World Series is one of the most famous plays in major league history.

Born in Roxboro, North Carolina, and raised on a farm, Enos Bradsher Slaughter was dubbed Country Boy by a minor league manager and the shortened version, Country, became his nickname in the major leagues. He became the starting right fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1938 and held the position for 16 seasons, missing the 1943 to 1945 seasons for military service during World War II. He batted .320 in 1939, leading the National League in doubles. In 1941 he led the league with 188 hits, including 17 triples. The following season he helped the Cardinals defeat the favored New York Yankees in the World Series, batting .263, hitting a decisive solo home run in the fifth game, and making several sparkling plays in right field. Slaughter returned from the military in 1946 to reach career highs with 18 home runs and 130 runs batted in (RBIs). In the World Series he hit .320 as St. Louis defeated the Boston Red Sox in seven games. In the eighth inning of game seven Slaughter sprinted home from first on a single by Harry Walker, a feat known in baseball lore as “Slaughter’s Mad Dash.”

Slaughter’s ability to play despite serious injury became legendary and he continued to compete into his 40s. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 1954 and finished his career with the Milwaukee Braves in 1959. He retired with 2,383 career hits, 1,247 runs scored, and 1,304 RBIs. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.