View source for Frankie Frisch

{{Short description|American baseball player and manager (1897–1973)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Frankie Frisch
|position=[[Second baseman]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|image=Frisch Fordham photo (cropped).png
|caption=Frisch in 1919
|bats=Switch
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date|1897|9|9}}
|birth_place=[[The Bronx]], New York, U.S. 
|death_date={{death date and age|1973|3|12|1897|9|9}}
|death_place=[[Wilmington, Delaware]], U.S.
|debutleague=MLB
|debutdate=June 17
|debutyear=1919
|debutteam=New York Giants
|finalleague=MLB
|finaldate=August 5
|finalyear=1937
|finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals
|statleague=MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.316
|stat2label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat2value=2,880
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=105
|stat4label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=1,244
|stat5label=Managerial record
|stat5value=1,138–1,078
|stat6label=Winning %
|stat6value={{Winning percentage|1138|1078}}
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] ({{mlby|1919}}–{{mlby|1926}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1927}}–{{mlby|1937}})
'''As manager'''
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1933}}–{{mlby|1938}})
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{mlby|1940}}–{{mlby|1946}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1949}}–{{mlby|1951}})
|highlights=
* 3× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1933]]–[[1935 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1935]])
* 4× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1921}}, {{wsy|1922}}, {{wsy|1931}}, {{wsy|1934}})
* [[NL MVP]] (1931)
* 3× [[List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders|NL stolen base leader]] (1921, 1927, 1931)
* [[St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum|St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame]] 
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[1947 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1947]]
|hofvote=84.5% (sixth ballot)
}}
'''Frank Francis Frisch'''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/13/archives/frankie-frisch-74-dead-baseballs-fordham-flash-talent-for-needling.html|title=Frankie Frisch, 74, Dead; Baseball's Fordham Flash|last=Durso|first=Joseph|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 13, 1973|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> (September 9, 1897{{efn|Some sources indicate 1898 as his year of birth. [https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXYW-BXT "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch  23 February 2021, Frank Francis Frisch, 1917-1918.]}}—March 12, 1973), nicknamed "'''the Fordham Flash'''" or "'''the Old Flash'''", was an American professional [[baseball]] [[second baseman]] and [[manager (baseball)|manager]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/kade/adams/chrono.html |title=A German-American chronology |access-date=September 4, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002182651/http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/kade/adams/chrono.html |archive-date=October 2, 2007 |quote=1929 'Black Friday' on New York Stock Exchange leads to worldwide depression / baseball stars Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, Frank Frisch... of German descent}}</ref> He played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) for the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] (1919–1926) and [[St. Louis Cardinals]] (1927–1937), and managed the Cardinals (1933–1938), [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] (1940–1946), and [[Chicago Cubs]] (1949–1951). He is a member of the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]] and the [[St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum]]. He is tied with [[Yogi Berra]] for most [[World Series]] [[Double (baseball)|doubles]] at 10 and holds the record for the most World Series hits at 58 for a player who never played for the [[New York Yankees]], exceeded only by Berra and [[Mickey Mantle]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/rb_ws1.shtml|title=World Series Career Hitting Records|access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref>

==Early life==
Born in [[The Bronx]], New York City, Frisch attended [[Fordham Preparatory School]], graduating in 1916.<ref>Fordham Preparatory School (Hall of Honor) website as to August 20, 2010.</ref> He went on to [[Fordham University]] where he continued to star in four sports: baseball, football, basketball, and track. His speed earned him the nickname "the Fordham Flash".<ref>Baseball Almanac website as of August 20, 2010, and Fordham University 1920 "The Maroon" Yearbook</ref>

==New York Giants==
[[File:Frankie Frisch & Stanley Harris, 10-4-24 LOC npcc.12302 (Frisch cropped).jpg|thumb|left|160px|Frisch with the New York Giants, circa 1919]]
In 1919, Frisch left Fordham <ref>Baseball Almanac website as of August 20, 2010, Fordham Preparatory School (Hall of Honor) website as of August 20, 2010, and Fordham University 1920 "The Maroon" Yearbook</ref> to sign with the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]], moving directly to the majors without playing in the minor leagues. He made an immediate impact, finishing third in the NL in [[stolen base]]s and seventh in [[run batted in|RBI]] in 1920, his first full season. Manager [[John McGraw]] was so impressed by Frisch that he soon named him team captain, advising him base-running and hitting. The Giants played Frisch at both [[third baseman|third base]] and [[second baseman|second base]] early in his career, but by 1923 he was installed as the team's full-time second baseman.

Frisch [[batting average (baseball)|batted]] over .300 in his last six seasons with New York. He was also an expert fielder and a skilled base-runner. In 1921, he led the National League with 48 steals, in 1923 in [[hit (baseball)|hits]], and in 1924 in [[run (baseball)|runs]]. With Frisch adding his fiery competitiveness to the team, the Giants won the [[World Series]] in 1921 and 1922, winning the NL pennant the following two seasons as well.

On September 10, 1924, Frisch went 6-for-7 in a 22–1 rout of the [[Boston Braves]] at the [[Polo Grounds]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1924/B09101NY11924.htm|title=Frankie Frisch 6-hit game at retrosheet.org|website=retrosheet.org|access-date=October 1, 2022}}</ref>

Frisch is tied with [[Pablo Sandoval]] for the franchise post-season multi-hit games record of 15.

==St. Louis Cardinals==
After the 1926 season, Frisch was traded—with pitcher [[Jimmy Ring]]—to the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] in exchange for star [[Rogers Hornsby]]. After an August 1926 loss in which Frisch had missed a sign, costing the Giants a run, McGraw had loudly berated Frisch in front of the team; Frisch responded by leaving the team, and his previously close relationship with McGraw virtually ended.

On June 2, 1930, in the 7th inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Frisch was spiked. The ailments he sustained sidelined him for several weeks, coming back for a game against those same Phillies on June 20.

Playing second base for the Cardinals, Frisch appeared in four more World Series (1928, 1930–31, 1934), bringing his career total to eight. He was the driving force of the "[[Gashouse Gang]]", the nickname for the Cardinals clubs of the early 1930s, which were built around him to reflect his no-holds-barred approach. The Cardinals had won only one pennant before Frisch joined the team; the Giants would win the pennant only once in Frisch's nine seasons as the Cards' regular second baseman.

Frisch played eleven seasons with the Cardinals. In 1931, he was voted the [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|Most Valuable Player]] in the National League after batting .311 with 4 [[home run]]s, 82 RBI, and leading the League in [[stolen base]]s with 28. The 1931 Cardinals also triumphed in the World Series, defeating [[Connie Mack]]'s defending two-time champion [[Philadelphia Athletics]] in seven games.

Frisch became player-manager of the Cardinals in 1933 and was named to the NL's first three [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] teams from 1933 to 1935. In 1934, he managed the Cardinals to another seven-game World Series victory—this time over the [[Detroit Tigers]].

[[File:Frankie Frisch circa 1938.jpg|thumb|190px|left|Frisch, circa 1938]]
Frisch finished his playing career in 1937. His career statistics totaled a .316 batting average, still the highest ever for a switch hitter, with 2,880 hits, 1532 runs, 466 doubles, 138 triples, 105 home runs, 728 walks, and 1,244 RBI over 2,311 games. He was difficult to strike out, fanning only 272 times in 9,112 at-bats, or once every 33.5 at-bats. He also stole 419 bases in his 19 MLB seasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://baseball-reference.com/players/f/friscfr01.shtml|title=Frankie Frisch career statistics at baseball-reference|website=baseball-reference.com|access-date=October 1, 2022}}</ref> His hit total stood as the record for switch-hitters until [[Pete Rose]] surpassed it in 1977. Frisch also hit .300 for his career from both sides of the plate; the only other switch-hitter with more than 5,000 at-bats with this distinction is fellow Hall of Famer [[Chipper Jones]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/8427136/the-many-amazing-feats-chipper-jones |title=The many feats of Chipper Jones |first=Jayson |last=Stark |author-link=Jayson Stark |work=[[ESPN.com]] |date=September 28, 2012 |access-date=September 28, 2012}}</ref>

Frankie Frisch was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[1947 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1947]]. After no players had been selected by the writers in the previous two years (the only elections since 1942), the rules were revised to limit eligibility to those players who had retired after 1921; Frisch was among the first four players to benefit from the more reasonable field of candidates.

After his retirement as an active player, Frisch continued to manage the Cardinals, but was never able to capture another pennant. Frisch also had managerial stints with the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] (1940–46) and the [[Chicago Cubs]] (1949–51), but without the success he had in St. Louis. Frisch's career ledger as a manager shows a 1,138–1,078 (.514) mark, including the pennant in 1934. He also spent the first two months of the 1949 season as a New York Giants' coach, working under his old double-play partner, [[Leo Durocher]], before leaving June 14 to replace [[Charlie Grimm]] as manager of the Cubs.

==Post-baseball career and death==
Frisch also worked for several years as a baseball [[color commentator]] on radio and television. In 1939, he called games for the [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Bees]] and the [[Boston Red Sox]] on the Colonial Network,<ref>{{cite magazine | title = New England's Largest Sports Audience (advertisement) | magazine = Broadcasting | date = April 15, 1939 | page = 3 | volume = 16 | issue = 8}}</ref> a regional radio network serving five New England states. He also called Giants radio in 1947–48, then worked as a post-game host for the team's telecasts in the 1950s. His broadcasting trademark was worrying about pitchers walking batters: "Oh, those bases on balls!" After a heart attack in September 1956 forced Frisch to curtail his activities, [[Phil Rizzuto]] (recently released by [[New York Yankees|Yankees]] as a player) filled in for him on Giants post-game shows for the rest of the season. From 1959 to 1961, Frisch teamed with [[Jack Whitaker]] to form the backup crew for Saturday ''[[Major League Baseball Game of the Week|Game of the Week]]'' coverage on [[Major League Baseball on CBS|CBS]].

A number of years after Frisch left the playing field as a manager, he became a member of the Hall of Fame's [[Veterans Committee|Committee on Baseball Veterans]], which is responsible for electing players to the Hall of Fame who had not been elected during their initial period of eligibility by the [[Baseball Writers' Association of America|Baseball Writers]]; he later became chairman of the committee. In the years just prior to his death, a number of Frisch's Giants and Cardinals teammates were elected to the Hall; some notable writers, chiefly among them [[Bill James]], have criticized these selections—including [[Jesse Haines]], [[Dave Bancroft]], [[Chick Hafey]], [[Rube Marquard]], [[Ross Youngs]] and [[George Kelly (baseball)|George Kelly]]—which include some of the most widely questioned honorees in the Hall's history. Critics have pointed out that many of these selectees had accomplishments which were less outstanding than those of other players who were bypassed, and were only selected because of Frisch's influence.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=11592|title=Prospectus Hit and Run: Don't Call it the Veterans' Committee|first=Jay|last=Jaffe|work=[[Baseball Prospectus]]|publisher=Prospectus Entertainment Ventures, LLC|date=July 28, 2010|access-date=November 3, 2011}}</ref>

[[Image:Frankie Frisch Headstone 1024.jpg|thumb|300px|The grave of Frankie Frisch]]Frisch died in [[Wilmington, Delaware]] from injuries suffered from a car accident near [[Elkton, Maryland]] a month earlier. He was 75 years old. Frisch had been returning to Rhode Island from the meeting of the Veterans Committee in [[Florida]] when he lost control of his car. Frisch died in the same manner as other N.Y. Giant Hall of Famers [[Mel Ott]] (1958) and [[Carl Hubbell]] (1988). He is interred at [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in [[the Bronx]], New York City.

During his lifetime, Frisch used 1898 as his year of birth, although other records (Social Security death index, Census records, World War I Draft registration,<ref>[https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXYW-BXT "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918"], database with images, FamilySearch (February 23, 2021), Frank Francis Frisch, 1917-1918.</ref> and passport application) indicate an 1897 birth.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
                           
In 1999, he ranked number 88 on ''[[The Sporting News]]'' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,<ref>[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/lisn100.shtml 100 Greatest Baseball Players by The Sporting News : A Legendary List by Baseball Almanac<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and was a nominee for the [[Major League Baseball]] All-Century Team.

In January 2014, the Cardinals announced Frisch among 22 former players and personnel to be inducted into the [[St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum]] for the inaugural class of [[2014 St. Louis Cardinals season|2014]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140118&content_id=66822534&vkey=pr_stl&c_id=stl |title=Cardinals establish Hall of Fame & detail induction process |publisher=St. Louis Cardinals|date=January 18, 2014 |access-date=January 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126165854/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140118&content_id=66822534&vkey=pr_stl&c_id=stl|archive-date=January 26, 2014}}</ref>

Frisch is mentioned in the poem "[[Line-Up for Yesterday]]" by [[Ogden Nash]]:

{{Quote box |width= 18em |border= 4px |align= center |bgcolor= #FAF0E6 |qalign= center | title="Line-Up for Yesterday"|quote=F is for [[Fordham University|Fordham]]<br />And Frankie and Frisch;<br />I wish he were back<br />With the [[History of the New York Giants (NL)|Giants]], I wish. 
|source= — [[Ogden Nash]], [[Sport (US magazine)|''Sport'' magazine]] (January 1949)<ref>{{cite web|title=Baseball Almanac|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_line.shtml|access-date=January 23, 2008}}</ref>}}

Years later, Nash added a footnote to this stanza: "p.s. Thanks to [[Leo Durocher|Durocher]], now everything's [[kosher]]."

For many years, he lived at 184 Fenimore Road in the Bonnie Crest neighborhood of [[New Rochelle, New York]]. He had two [[hound]]s named Flash and Patches who kept him company. Frisch eventually moved to [[Charlestown, Rhode Island]], devoting himself mainly to his interests in gardening and classical music.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110131040036/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,800389,00.html "A Job for the Flash"], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', June 20, 1949</ref>

The Mosholu Baseball Field in [[Bedford Park, Bronx]], was renamed to Frank Frisch Field in 1948.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bronx Park Highlights - Frank Frisch Field : NYC Parks|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/bronx-park/highlights/11596|website=www.nycgovparks.org|access-date=April 15, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bronx New Deal - Photo #410 - Mosholu Baseball Field (Frank Frish Field)|url=http://www.kermitproject.org/bronx/newdeal/jaff00.html|website=www.kermitproject.org|access-date=April 15, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

==Managerial record==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Games!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
|-
![[1933 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]]|| {{mlby|1933}}
||63||36||26||{{Winning percentage|36|26}}|| 5th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-style="background:#fde910"
![[1934 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]]|| {{mlby|1934}}
||154||95||58||{{Winning percentage|95|58}}|| '''1st in NL''' || {{WinLossPct|4|3}} || '''Won [[1934 World Series|World Series]] ([[1934 Detroit Tigers season|DET]])'''
|-
![[1935 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]]|| {{mlby|1935}}
||154||96||58||{{Winning percentage|96|58}}|| 2nd in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1936 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]] || {{mlby|1936}}
||155||87||67||{{Winning percentage|87|67}}|| 2nd in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1937 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]] || {{mlby|1937}}
||157||81||73||{{Winning percentage|81|73}}|| 4th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1938 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]] || {{mlby|1938}}
||139||63||72||{{Winning percentage|63|72}}|| (fired) || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|STL total || 822 || 458 || 354 || {{Winning percentage|458|354}} || || 4 || 3 || {{Winning percentage|4|3}} ||
|-
![[1940 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PIT]]|| {{mlby|1940}}
||156||78||76||{{Winning percentage|78|76}}|| 4th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1941 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PIT]]|| {{mlby|1941}}
||156||81||73||{{Winning percentage|81|73}}|| 4th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1942 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PIT]]|| {{mlby|1942}}
||151||66||81||{{Winning percentage|66|81}}|| 5th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1943 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PIT]]|| {{mlby|1943}}
||157||80||74||{{Winning percentage|80|74}}|| 4th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1944 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PIT]]|| {{mlby|1944}}
||158||90||63||{{Winning percentage|90|63}}|| 2nd in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1945 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PIT]]|| {{mlby|1945}}
||155||82||72||{{Winning percentage|82|72}}|| 4th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1946 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PIT]]|| {{mlby|1946}}
||152||62||89||{{Winning percentage|62|89}}|| (resigned) || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|PIT total || 1,085 || 539 || 528 || {{Winning percentage|539|528}} || || 0 || 0 || – ||
|-
![[1949 Chicago Cubs season|CHC]]|| {{mlby|1949}}
||104||42||62||{{Winning percentage|42|62}}|| 8th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1950 Chicago Cubs season|CHC]]|| {{mlby|1950}}
||154||64||89||{{Winning percentage|64|89}}|| 7th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1951 Chicago Cubs season|CHC]]|| {{mlby|1951}}
||81||35||45||{{Winning percentage|35|45}}|| (fired) || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|CHC total || 339 || 141 || 196 || {{Winning percentage|141|196}} || || 0 || 0 || – ||
|-
! colspan="2"|Total<ref>{{cite web|title=Frankie Frisch|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/friscfr01.shtml|website=Baseball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=October 22, 2024}}</ref> || 2,246 || 1,138 || 1,078 || {{Winning percentage|1138|1078}} || || 4 || 3 || {{Winning percentage|4|3}} || 
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
* [[List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball player-managers]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball managers with most career ejections]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball managers with most career wins]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders]]
* [[List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball]]
* [[List of St. Louis Cardinals team records]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{bbhof|frisch-frankie}}
*{{baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=f/friscfr01 |fangraphs=1004364}}

{{1947 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
{{St. Louis Cardinals HOF}}
{{St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame}}
{{1921 New York Giants}}
{{1922 New York Giants}}
{{1931 St. Louis Cardinals}}
{{1934 St. Louis Cardinals}}
{{NL MVP's}}
{{NL stolen base champions}}
{{St. Louis Cardinals managers}}
{{Pittsburgh Pirates managers}}
{{Chicago Cubs managers}}
{{Chicago Cubs HOF}}
{{Major League Baseball on CBS}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frisch, Frankie}}
[[Category:1898 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Maryland]]
[[Category:Boston Braves announcers]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox announcers]]
[[Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs managers]]
[[Category:Fordham Rams baseball players]]
[[Category:Fordham Rams football players]]
[[Category:Fordham Rams men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball player-managers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball second basemen]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
[[Category:National League Most Valuable Player Award winners]]
[[Category:New York Giants (baseball) announcers]]
[[Category:New York Giants (NL) coaches]]
[[Category:New York Giants (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates managers]]
[[Category:Road incident deaths in Maryland]]
[[Category:Baseball players from the Bronx]]
[[Category:Baseball players from New Rochelle, New York]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals managers]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals players]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:World Series–winning managers|Frankie Frisch]]
[[Category:Fordham Preparatory School alumni]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]