Friday, June 27, 2014

June 27, 1964: Javier Ties The Putout Record

     On June 27, 1964, a quintuplet of Philadelphia errors made the headlines as the gaffes helped lead the Cardinals to a 9-4 win over the visiting Phillies. However, one stat that slipped through many of those papers was that Julian Javier had tied a National League record for second baseman with 11 putouts in the contest. Only six other National Leaguers had accomplished it before him, with the first coming in 1893, when Washington Nationals second bagger recorded 11 in a game. Javier was the last man in the National League to record 11 putouts in one game. The major league record was set in 1888, when  Lou Bierbauer recorded 12 putouts as a member of the American Association's Philadelphia A's.  It was equaled in 1966, when Bobby Knorr of the California Angels recorded 12 in a contest. It has not been matched since.

     Being a .257 career hitter, Javier was best known for his glove. He owned the Cardinals second base position for more than a decade, and celebrated two championships with the Birds on the Bat across his chest. Javier appeared in two All Star games during his tenure with the Cardinals. He also led the league in putouts in 1963 and 1964. While his scraptastic way of playing led to quite a few errors (led the league in '64 with 27), he earned the respect of his teammates by making spectacular grabs time and time again.

If you would like to know more about the man whose teammates called him "Hoolie" give this a read: http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/b8bf06ec

   

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