Hank Sauer (b. 1917 - d. 2001) was a feared power hitter in the early 1950s. I had to verify his birthdate with 2 different websites, and it appears that the back of his card is wrong. Sauer was the 1952 NL MVP after hitting 37 homers and leading the league with 121 RBIs. He played from 1941-1942, 1945 and 1948-1959 for the Reds, Cubs, Cardinals and Giants. He had a career average of .266 and 288 homers. One must wonder if he may have gotten some consideration for the Hall of Fame had he not had to fight in World War II.(DECEASED 27)
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He was called the "Mayor of Wrigley Field" because he was so popular with us Cub fans in the early 1950s. Also known as "Hammerin' Hank," he thrilled us with shots into the left field bleachers and sometimes over the wall onto Waveland Avenue. He swung a heavy bat, was very slow afoot, and not a good fielder. One year after a trade with Pittsburgh, our centerfielder Frankie Baumholtz had to cover a lot of ground between the lead-footed Ralph Kiner in right and Sauer in left. As a child, my favorite Cub was #9, Hank Sauer.
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