Snider, "Duke" (Edwin D.)
Baseball
b. Sept. 19, 1926, Los Angeles, CA
Everybody knew about Willie Mays of the Giants and Mickey Mantle of the Yankees during the 1950s, but Brooklyn Dodger fans knew there was a third great center fielder playing in New York. They called him the "Duke of Flatbush."
Snider was a part-time player with the Dodgers in 1947 and 1948, then became a starter in 1949. He led the NL with 199 hits in 1950, when he batted .321.
For five straight seasons, 1953 through 1957, Snider hit 40 or more home runs with a career high of 43 in 1956, when he led the league. Snider was the league leader in runs scored with 132 in 1953, 120 in 1954, and 126 in 1955. He led in RBI with 136 in 1955 and in slugging with a .627 percentage in 1953 and a .598 percentage in 1956.
Snider played in six World Series with the Dodgers and batted .286 with 11 home runs. He hit .345 with 4 home runs in 1952, when the Dodgers lost to the Yankees in seven games and was the hero of their seven-game win over the Yankees in 1955, when he batted .320 with 4 home runs, 5 runs scored, and 7 RBI.
Though he didn't have the speed of Mays or Mantle, Snider was a fine defensive player because of his knowledge of how to play hitters and his quick reaction to the ball.
Snider went to Los Angeles with the Dodgers in 1958 and played with them through 1962. He finished his carer with the New York Mets in 1963 and the San Francisco Giants in 1964.
Snider was named to the National League All-Star team eight times, from 1950 through 1956 and in 1963.