Ernie Banks
Let’s play two” is a phrase which was coined by Cubs infielder Ernie Banks. He was born on January 31st, 1931 in Dallas, Texas. He played in the MLB for 18 seasons and in 1977: his first time on the ballot, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He died 38 years later on January 23rd, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. During his 18 year stint with the Cubs, Ernie was able to create a lasting impact. His impact was created by breaking the color barrier, and turning the Cubs into a force in the National League.
Breaking the Cubs color barrier in 1953, Ernie Banks opened the door for future African American players that are playing today. Breaking the barrier almost did not happen for Ernie, according to an article by Contemporary Black …show more content…
But winning was hard to come by back then. Before Ernie even got there, the Cubs were in the “ midst of a 6 year, losing stretch, and during that time their winning percentage never got above .500 ” (“Ernie”). Even though the Cubs were not winning, Ernie’s spirit never faltered. In an interview with Joey Banks, Ernie’s son, stated Ernie “ had something in him, that stuff didn't matter, He wanted to be successful. He wanted to please the fans and play the game. Winning was a part, but he was getting a lot out of it"(Ziezulewicz). During that losing streak, Ernie was still able to win many awards. For example, Baseball had never seen anything like Ernie Banks states, that during his 18 year career “ Ernie won 11 MVP’s, was selected to 12 All Star teams, and won one Rookie of the Year award ” (“Baseball”). He got these awards by “ hitting 432 home runs, having a batting average of .313, and batting in 1245 runs” (“Baseball”). After Ernie had won his 8th MVP, the Cubs finally started to win. This was in 1963, and the Cubs never looked back. In fact, in the last 8 years of Ernie’s career the Cubs “ had a winning record 7 times” (“Ernie”). During those final 8 seasons, one season sticks out compared to the others. The year was 1970, and the Cubs were close to making the playoffs for the first time since 1945. In the end, the Cubs did not make the playoffs, but they learned what it takes to
Let’s play two” is a phrase which was coined by Cubs infielder Ernie Banks. He was born on January 31st, 1931 in Dallas, Texas. He played in the MLB for 18 seasons and in 1977: his first time on the ballot, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He died 38 years later on January 23rd, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. During his 18 year stint with the Cubs, Ernie was able to create a lasting impact. His impact was created by breaking the color barrier, and turning the Cubs into a force in the National League.
Breaking the Cubs color barrier in 1953, Ernie Banks opened the door for future African American players that are playing today. Breaking the barrier almost did not happen for Ernie, according to an article by Contemporary Black …show more content…
But winning was hard to come by back then. Before Ernie even got there, the Cubs were in the “ midst of a 6 year, losing stretch, and during that time their winning percentage never got above .500 ” (“Ernie”). Even though the Cubs were not winning, Ernie’s spirit never faltered. In an interview with Joey Banks, Ernie’s son, stated Ernie “ had something in him, that stuff didn't matter, He wanted to be successful. He wanted to please the fans and play the game. Winning was a part, but he was getting a lot out of it"(Ziezulewicz). During that losing streak, Ernie was still able to win many awards. For example, Baseball had never seen anything like Ernie Banks states, that during his 18 year career “ Ernie won 11 MVP’s, was selected to 12 All Star teams, and won one Rookie of the Year award ” (“Baseball”). He got these awards by “ hitting 432 home runs, having a batting average of .313, and batting in 1245 runs” (“Baseball”). After Ernie had won his 8th MVP, the Cubs finally started to win. This was in 1963, and the Cubs never looked back. In fact, in the last 8 years of Ernie’s career the Cubs “ had a winning record 7 times” (“Ernie”). During those final 8 seasons, one season sticks out compared to the others. The year was 1970, and the Cubs were close to making the playoffs for the first time since 1945. In the end, the Cubs did not make the playoffs, but they learned what it takes to