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Here’s a subjective ranking of the top five for Feb. 6.
1) Babe Ruth (1898)
The Sultan of Swat. The Colossus of Clout. The Great Bambino! With his larger-than-life presence on and off the field, Ruth became one of the most legendary figures in 20th-century America. He initially set the single-season home run record with 29 homers for the Red Sox in 1919. He was purchased by the Yankees for $100,000 after that season and would break his own record three times over the next eight years, culminating in 1927 with his 60 homers, which surpassed every other American League team that season. By the time he retired in 1935, Ruth’s 714 home runs were 336 more than anyone in AL/NL history. His career and single-season home run marks stood for decades, and Ruth still reigns atop a handful of categories, including career slugging percentage (.690) and career OPS (1.164). A seven-time World Series champion, Ruth led the league in walks, runs, extra-base hits, total bases and RBIs at least five times each. Before his bat revolutionized the sport, Ruth was also a superb pitcher. He had an AL-best 1.75 ERA as a 21-year-old in 1916. Ruth posted a career 2.28 ERA and 2.81 FIP through more than 1,200 innings.
2) Richie Zisk (1949)
Zisk was the Pirates’ leading right fielder as a rookie in 1973. Despite the unenviable task of having to fill that spot after Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972, Zisk was a solid contributor for Pittsburgh from 1973-76, registering a .302 average and an .847 OPS. He earned a top-10 finish in the Rookie of the Year voting in ‘73 and followed that up with a top-10 finish in the NL MVP voting the next year. Zisk was traded to the White Sox prior to the 1977 season and made his first All-Star team that summer. A few months later, Zisk became the first position player to sign a 10-year contract as he inked a deal worth $2.75 million with the Rangers. Although he was an All-Star again in 1978, Zisk’s production slumped with Texas, and he was dealt to Seattle after just three seasons. His playing days ended in 1983. Zisk put up a 127 career OPS+ through his 13 years in the Majors.
3) Bob Wickman (1969)
Wickman lost the top of his right index finger in a farming accident when he was a toddler, but that severed digit was thought to give his best pitch, a sinker, more downward movement. A two-time All-Star, Wickman ranks second in Guardians franchise history with 139 saves. He finished with at least 20 saves in nine different seasons, highlighted by his AL-leading 45 saves for Cleveland in 2005. Before the right-hander developed into a dependable bullpen arm, Wickman went 20-5 as a starter over his first two MLB seasons while with the Yankees. He wrapped up his 15-year career in 2007 with a 3.57 ERA and a 126 ERA+ across 1,059 innings.
4) Smoky Burgess (1927)
Burgess recorded a .304/.369/.470 slash line from 1952-62 in stints with the Phillies, Reds and Pirates. He also hit .333 during Pittsburgh’s World Series victory over the Yankees in 1960. Although he consistently hit for a high average, tallied 1,318 hits and made nine All-Star teams, Burgess qualified for the batting title only once in his 18-year career. He is considered one of the best pinch-hitters in baseball history; his 145 pinch-hits stood as an AL/NL record for 12 years after he retired in 1967. A slow, pudgy catcher, Burgess still holds the record for the most games played by a non-pitcher in a season (79) without scoring a run. He “achieved” that in 1966.
5) Johnny Davis (1917)
Davis was a fantastic hitter and a two-time All-Star as a member of the Newark Eagles of the second Negro National League from 1940-48. Between 1942 and 1946, Davis batted .326 and drove in 138 runs in 170 games. The 1946 Eagles dominated the league as Davis along with Hall of Famers Larry Doby, Monte Irvin and Leon Day guided the team to a 50-20-2 record and a seven-game victory over the Kansas City Monarchs in the World Series. Davis went 7-for-24 with five RBIs in the series. His two-run double in the sixth inning of Game 7 put the Eagles ahead for good in a 3-2 triumph. Davis would later say about that squad: “The 1946 Eagles would have beat anybody. We wanted to play the Brooklyn Dodgers. Wouldn’t play us, would not play us.”
Others of note:
Adley Rutschman (1998)
After making his Major League debut for the Orioles in 2022, the highly touted catcher was selected as an All-Star, made the All-MLB First Team and won a Silver Slugger Award while helping Baltimore to 101 wins and an AL East title in ’23. Fun fact: Rutschman played college football during his freshman year at Oregon State, where he was a placekicker, and he even recorded a tackle on Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey on a kickoff in 2016.
Pedro Alvarez (1987)
The second overall pick in the 2008 Draft, Alvarez had consecutive 30-homer seasons in 2012 and 2013 with the Pirates. His 36 homers led the National League in 2013, the same year Alvarez played in his only All-Star Game and won a Silver Slugger Award.
Dale Long (1926)
On May 26, 1956, Long became the first player in AL/NL history to homer in seven consecutive games. Following an off-day, he went deep again for the Pirates on May 28, and his eight-game streak remains unmatched in the National League. Long, a left-handed catcher, was a part of the Yankees’ 1962 World Series team.
Glenn Wright (1901)
Wright recorded 111 RBIs as a rookie in 1924 and then followed that up with 121 RBIs in 1925 as Pittsburgh won the World Series. Injuries marred most of his career from there, but Wright rebounded for one big year with the Brooklyn Robins, setting career highs in home runs (22), RBIs (126) and OPS (.903) in 1930.
Want to see more baseball birthdays for Feb. 6? Find the complete list on Baseball Reference.
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