When a Strikeout Was Good

The next day, the Dodgers sent Preacher Roe to the mound against Vic Raschi. In the second inning, Gil Hodges doubled and then scored on a Jackie Robinson single. That was it. Roe pitched a complete game shutout, winning 1-0 to even the series, but the Yankees won the next three games to beat Brooklyn in five games.

Henrich played in the outfield alongside Joe DiMaggio and Charlie Keller, forming one of the best trios of all time. He played on six pennant winners and appeared in four World Series, missing two due to military service and injury. His lifetime batting average was .282, with 183 home runs, but those statistics don’t tell the whole story. No pitcher wanted to see Henrich come up in a game winning situation, which was a great compliment, considering the other hitters on Yankees team.

Henrich will be ninety years old this February. He loves speaking about his baseball career and experiences. There is an animation in his face and a lilt to his voice when someone mentions Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, or even Billy Werber, who was briefly with the Yankees and then traded away. Henrich related how Werber was so upset when he left the Yankees for the Red Sox, but then, who wouldn’t be?

Tommy Henrich had a fine career and was an integral part of some great teams. He contributed a lot to those teams, but never more than when it counted the most. Tommy Henrich is known as “Old Reliable.” He was.

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