Woodling: Never Say "Nice Hustle"
The Yankees Never Complimented Players Who Always Hustled
Gene Woodling has become almost unknown as the years have passed, but he is one of only twelve players who has played on five consecutive World Champions.
The acquisition didn't wasn't even worthy of a headline in the New York Times, but the two paragraphs gave enough information for the reader to realize that the Yankees might have made a great pick-up. On September 30, 1948, the Yankees announced that they had purchased the services of outfielder Gene Woodling from the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast. Woodling batted .385, which included 22 doubles, 14 triples, 22 home runs and 106 RBIs.
One of Only Twelve Players
Gene Woodling has become almost unknown as the years have passed, but he is one of only twelve players who has played on five consecutive World Champions. Eugene Richard Woodling became a mainstay in the Yankees’ outfield from 1949-1954. During that era, it was Hank Bauer in right, Joe DiMaggio and then Mickey Mantle in center, and Gene Woodling in left.
Woodling Complemented Star Players
A dangerous left-handed hitter, Woodling was the type of player that contending teams needed to complement the stars. In his first five seasons with the Yankees, Woodling averaged 394 at bats, a .291 batting average, 10 home runs, and 59 RBIs. He never struck out more than 37 times. Woodling later proved that he could play regularly, producing solid seasons with the Indians and Orioles after the Yankees traded him following the 1954 season.
Platooned With Hank Bauer
Outfielder Hank Bauer batted from the right side and was every bit as dangerous as Woodling. Yankees’ manager Casey Stengel platooned his players, which meant that he would use different lineups based in part on the opponents starting pitcher. Much has been written about how much Woodling and Bauer hated that, but Woodling has said that he and Bauer were platooned only about seven games a season. "We’d get a five game lead and Casey would platoon us. We’d get down to a tie or one or two games ahead, we’d play every day."
Fierce Desire to Win
The Yankees’ had solid starting pitching, great defense, and usually enough timely hitting to put together their unmatched skein of championships. One of their toughest outs when the chips were down was Gene Woodling. Ted Williams said that Woodling was the toughest hitter he ever played against in the eighth or ninth inning. Woodling had a fierce desire to win, which was shared by most of his teammates. Everyone, and that does mean everyone, on those championship Yankees’ teams always hustled. Yes, money was a factor, but because there were no guarantees, players didn't have the luxury ever letting up. World Series money was an important source of income, not only for the pennant winners but for the other three next highest finishers among the seven also-rans.
"Nice Hustle" Was an Insult
When asked about today’s players, Gene Woodling made such a revealing statement when he replied, "In our day with the Yankees, you never used the words, 'Nice hustle.' That was an insult. You're supposed to run hard all the time. And we did. So you didn't say that to one of our ballplayers. That was an insult. We played hard, and that's the reason we won."
Traded for Turley and Larsen
Following the 1954 season, the Yankees traded Gene Woodling as part of a seventeen player deal with the Orioles that brought the Yankees Bob Turley and Don Larsen. Woodling also played for the Pirates (before he had became a Yankee), the Indians, Senators, and finally New York’s other team in 1962. He was part of a group of players that included Bauer, Joe Collins, Irv Noren, Bob Cerv, Jerry Coleman, Billy Martin, and Bobby Brown without whom the Yankees would not have won as often as they did.
References:
Drebinger, John. "Yankees Turn Back the Athletics on Bauer's Three-Run Homer." New York Times. 30 September 1948, p. 34
Gene Woodling at Baseball-Reference
