Celebrating 60: Hall of Famer Herzog recalls steamed crabs, birth of son in Baltimore

Whitey Herzog is a Hall of Famer because of his managing career with the St. Louis Cardinals, but the former major leaguer known as "The White Rat" had a Baltimore connection to his career. Herzog, who managed the Cardinals to two National League pennants and the 1982 World Series title, was a left-handed-hitting outfielder who couldn't hit a curveball. Herzog played eight big league seasons, including 212 games for the Orioles in 1961 and 1962. Herzog hit .280 with 12 home runs during his time in Baltimore. He had a .291 average in 113 games in 1961. He started in the New York Yankees' organization and also played for the Washington Senators, Kansas City A's and Detroit Tigers. "I loved playing in Baltimore, lots of good memories with good people, a great baseball town,'' Herzog says. "I had a great time in Baltimore,'' especially after Sunday afternoon doubleheaders at home. "We used to go down to the Chesapeake and get bushel baskets of crabs. We'd prepare them in a pot of beer and have crabmeat cocktails the entire week. I still think of Baltimore when I eat crab meat.'' Baltimore is where Herzog met Gene Autry, the Cowboy actor, baseball fan and owner of the Los Angeles Angels. Baltimore is where his son Jim was born. And Herzog was wearing an Orioles uniform when he hit three pinch-hit home runs in 1962, two short of tying the American League record set by Joe Cronin of Boston in 1943. The expansion Angels of 1961 played their first regular-season game in Memorial Stadium, beating the Orioles and Milt Pappas 7-2. Herzog broke his nose at the end of spring training, so on opening day, he sat in the press box and got to know Autry, starting a life-long friendship. "I was on the disabled list with a broken nose,'' Herzog says. "You thought I was ugly before? You should see the picture of me with the broken nose. But Gene Autry and I had fun that day. He was an old Cardinals fan from Oklahoma. He loved talking about guys like Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter.'' On Aug. 11, 1961, Herzog's wife gave birth in dramatic fashion to their son, Jim. Herzog pinch-hit in a game, and knowing that he was done for the day and that his wife was due, he asked Orioles manager Paul Richards if he could leave the game to get his wife to the hospital. "We got to the hospital and my son was born seven minutes later,'' Herzog says. "For a while on the ride, I thought I was going to have to be Dr. Herzog.'' The '61 season was Herzog's best. On Sept. 13, he had a .296 average, taking aim at his only .300 season. He ended at .291. A .300 average would have been nice, but Herzog, who also managed in Texas and Kansas City, knows reality. "I was never good enough to be a regular player, but, of course, I'm in the Hall of Fame,'' he says. "And the only reason I'm in the Hall of Fame is that I was lucky enough to manage a bunch of great players. They were the ones that got me there.'' Herzog was inducted into Cooperstown for his managerial success in 2010, a selection by the veteran's committee.