Killebrew, A Killer Baseball Hero

Harmon Clayton Killebrew is a baseball hall of famer. He was born on June 29, 1936 at Payette, Idaho. One can say that his greatest influence is his father, Harmon Sr. His father is a sports fan who made it through one of the toughest college football teams in his time, the Milliken College. Harmon Sr. also advised all his children to get into sport.

Killebrew seemed to have taken the advice of his father seriously because he got into baseball. He spent 22 years of his life playing the sport where he excelled in many ways. Most highlights of his career took place in the 1960s, being one of the best hitters of the major league. His homeruns during that time was incomparable to other baseball players.

Although his talent has helped brought the Minnesota Twins in the World Series, baseball was not his only sport. He played various sports while he was still studying. In fact, when he was in High School, he gained the All American quarterback title.

His talents in baseball drew attention. The Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators were interested in signing him. The Senators signed him under the Bonus Rule. During that time, he was the youngest in the major league at age 17. Like most young players, he struggled in the major leagues.

After spending two full seasons in the major leagues, he went to the South Atlantic League and came back to the major leagues after a while. One of the highlights in his career when he came back to the majors was his homerun in the Memorial Stadium. At that time, he was only the second player to hit the ball over the barrier of its center field. He played with the Chattanooga Lookouts in 1957 where he led the league in homeruns. He also made it to the All Star amidst his shoulder injury.

Although Killebrew struggled a few times, Calvin Griffith of the Senators thought that he would be a great asset for the team. He was right. After finding his rhythm, Killebrew became one of the strongest regular players of the Senators in 1959. He was hitting home runs game after game.

In 1961, the team became the Minnesota Twins. He also became the team captain. He continued to improve his number of homeruns. Finally, the Twins won the American League pennant in 1965. He did not have a smooth journey in the 1960s though. He had quite a few injuries. However, this did not stop him from winning the Most Valuable player in 1969.

There was no denying that Killebrew is one of the stars in his team. However, he never acted like one. His teammates would describe him as quiet and reserve who did not enjoy spending his nights partying with the rest of the guys. He shies away from the limelight as much as possible.

The nickname killer came about because of his hitting abilities. He appeared eleven times in the all stars. He was also able to lead the league in home runs six times. His induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame took place in 1984 . Recognition he truly deserves.

Article Source : http://articles-about-all.blogspot.com/

Rick Grantham is an expert on sports equipment, specially on Minnesota Twins Merchandise for more information on Major League Merchandise, visit BooYah Village.