Gordon, Joseph L. ("Flash")
Baseball
b. Feb. 18, 1915, Los Angeles, CA
d. April 14, 1978
Gordon is best known as the answer to a trivia question: Who won the AL's most valuable player award in 1942, when Ted Williams won the triple crown?
A right-handed hitting second baseman, Gordon joined the New York Yankees in 1938 and was a starter on five pennant-winning teams in six seasons. Known primarily for his defense, he had an outstanding offensive season in 1942, hitting .322 with 18 home runs and 103 RBI.
That was the only season he batted over .300, but he hit 20 or more home runs seven times and had 100 or more RBI four times. Gordon was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 1947 and he finished his career with them in 1950.
In 11 seasons, Gordon had a .268 batting average, with 264 doubles, 52 triples, 253 home runs, 914 runs scored and 975 RBI.