Brett, George H.
Baseball
b. May 15, 1953, Glendale, WV
One of the biggest stories of the 1980 baseball season was Brett's drive to become the first player to bat .400 since Ted Williams in 1941.
He was over the mark going into September, but a thumb injury hampered his swing and he fell 5 hits short, ending with a .390 average, still the best for a major league hitter since Williams' feat. Brett won the AL's most valuable player award that season, when he also had 24 home runs and 118 RBI.
A left-handed hitter, Brett joined the Kansas City Royals briefly in 1973 and took over the third base job the following season. In 1975, he led the league with 195 hits and 13 triples. The following year, he won his first batting title with a .333 average and again led with 215 hits and 14 triples.
Brett hit 45 doubles in 1978 to lead the league. In 1979, he was the league leader in hits and triples for a third time, with 212 and 20, respectively.
After his great 1980 season, a leg injury limited him to 89 games in 1981. Although not known for his speed, Brett stole 103 bases from 1975 through 1980, but the injury slowed him and cut down his defensive range. From 1986 on, he was used primarily at first base and as a designated hitter.
In 1990, Brett won his third and last batting title with a .329 average and also led the league with 45 doubles. He collected his 3,000th career hit late in the 1992 season and retired after hitting .266 in 1993.
Brett was named to the AL All-Star team 11 years in a row, from 1976 through 1986, and again in 1988. An excellent situation hitter who could go to the opposite field when a single was needed, pull the pull when a home run was needed, and drive the ball into the air when a sacrifice fly was needed, Brett starred in post-season play.
In 6 league championship series encompassing 27 games, he had a .340 average on 35 hits, including 9 home runs, with 22 runs scored and 19 RBI. He batted .373 in 13 World Series games, in 1980 and 1985, collecting 19 hits, with 1 home run, 8 runs scored, and 4 RBI.
Brett had a career .305 batting average with 3,154 hits, including 665 doubles, 137 triples, and 317 home runs. He scored 1,583 runs and had 1,595 RBI.