View source for Stan Hack

{{Short description|American baseball player and manager (1909–1979)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{refimprove|date=June 2014}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Stan Hack
|image=Stan Hack 1938.jpeg
|caption=Hack in 1938
|position=[[Third baseman]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1909|12|6}}
|birth_place=[[Sacramento, California]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1979|12|15|1909|12|6}}
|death_place=[[Dixon, Illinois]], U.S.
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|debutleague=MLB
|debutdate=April 12
|debutyear=1932
|debutteam=Chicago Cubs
|finalleague=MLB
|finaldate=September 24
|finalyear=1947
|finalteam=Chicago Cubs
|statleague=MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.301
|stat2label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat2value=2,193
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=57
|stat4label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=642
|stat5label=Managerial record
|stat5value=199–272
|stat6label=Winning %
|stat6value={{Winning percentage|199|272}}
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1932}}–{{mlby|1947}})
'''As manager'''
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1954}}–{{mlby|1956}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1958}})
|highlights=
* 5× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1938 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1938]], [[1939 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1939]], [[1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1941]], [[1943 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1943]], [[1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1945]])
* 2× [[List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders|NL stolen base leader]] (1938, 1939)
* [[Chicago Cubs#Cubs Hall of Fame|Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame]]
}}
'''Stanley Camfield Hack''' (December 6, 1909 &ndash; December 15, 1979), nicknamed "'''Smiling Stan'''", was an American [[third baseman]] and [[manager (baseball)|manager]] in [[Major League Baseball]] who played his entire career for the [[Chicago Cubs]] and was the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s top third baseman in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Usually a [[batting order (baseball)|leadoff]] hitter, he [[batting average (baseball)|batted]] .301 lifetime, scored 100 [[run (baseball)|runs]] seven times and led the NL in [[hit (baseball)|hits]] and [[stolen base]]s twice each. His 1092 [[base on balls|walks]] ranked fourth in NL history when he retired, and remain a franchise record; he also hit .348 
in the [[World Series]], which he competed in four times. His .394 career [[on-base percentage]] was the highest by a 20th-century third baseman until [[Wade Boggs]] exceeded it in the late 1980s, and was the top NL mark until 2001. Hack led the NL in [[putout]]s five times, in [[double play]]s three times and in [[assist (baseball)|assists]] and [[fielding percentage]] twice each. At the end of his career he ranked second in major league history to [[Pie Traynor]] in games (1836) at third base, second in NL history to Traynor in putouts (1944), assists (3494) and [[total chances]] (5684), and third in NL history in double plays (255).

==Career==
Hack, who batted left-handed and threw right-handed, was born in [[Sacramento, California]] and played baseball at [[Sacramento High School]]. After high school he worked at a bank and played semi-pro baseball on weekends. He tried out for the [[Sacramento Solons]] in 1931, and was signed by Cubs president [[William Veeck, Sr.]] for $40,000 after hitting .352 in his first minor league season that year. He broke in with the Cubs in {{Baseball year|1932}}, and backed up [[Woody English]] in his first two years – also hitting .299 in the [[International League]] in 1933 – before becoming the full-time third baseman in 1934. In the [[1932 World Series]] against the [[New York Yankees]], his sole appearance was as a pinch runner for [[Gabby Hartnett]] in the eighth inning of the final 13–6 Game 4 loss. In his first full year in 1934, he batted a respectable .289 and tied for fifth in the league with 11 steals. In {{Baseball year|1935}} he began to assume Traynor's mantle as the league's top third baseman, batting .311 and finishing third in the NL in on-base percentage and tied for fourth in steals.

He quickly became one of the sport's most popular players, and 21-year-old team employee [[Bill Veeck]] (William's son) staged a 1935 promotion in which fans were given mirrors labeled "Smile with Stan", with Hack's face on the reverse side; but the fans used the mirrors to reflect sunlight into the eyes of opposing batters, and the umpires threatened to forfeit the game if they didn't stop. The NL office quickly banned any similar promotions in the future. Batting an unusually low seventh in the [[1935 World Series]] against the [[Detroit Tigers]], he hit only .227 as the Cubs lost in six games. In Game 3 he singled, stole second base and scored to give Chicago a 2–0 lead in the second inning, and singled and scored again in the ninth as the Cubs tied the game at 5, though they lost 6–5 in 11 innings. In Game 6 at [[Navin Field]], he [[double (baseball)|doubled]] with two out in the sixth inning, and [[triple (baseball)|tripled]] to lead off the ninth with the score tied at 3, but the Cubs were unable to drive him in. Manager [[Charlie Grimm]] opted to let starting pitcher [[Larry French]] bat with one out, and French hit a ground ball to the pitcher, [[Tommy Bridges]], with [[Augie Galan]] flying to left to end the inning; the Tigers won the Series in the bottom of the inning when [[Mickey Cochrane]] scored on [[Goose Goslin]]'s single.

In 1936 Hack batted .298, and tied for second in the NL with 17 steals – the first of five straight years in which he finished first or second. He also scored 100 runs for the first time, and had a career-high 78 [[run batted in|runs batted in]]. He led the league in putouts (151), assists (247) and double plays (25) in {{Baseball year|1937}}, and was second in runs (106) and steals (16) and third in walks (83) while hitting .297. {{Baseball year|1938}} marked his best season to date as he hit .320 (sixth in the league), led the NL in steals (16), was second in hits (195) and runs (109), fourth in walks (94) and fifth in on-base percentage (.411). He had 67 RBI as the team featured a remarkably well balanced offense, with seven of the eight regulars having between 56 and 67 RBI. He was among the league's top ten players in doubles, triples (a career-best 11) and [[total bases]], led the NL in putouts (178) and double plays (26), and made his first of five [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] teams as the Cubs won the pennant by two games; Hack finished seventh in the [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|MVP]] voting. In the [[1938 World Series|World Series]] against the Yankees, he was one of the Cubs' scarce heroes, batting .471 although they were swept in four games. In Game 1, he had three singles and drove in Chicago's only run in a 3–1 loss. He singled and scored in the first inning of Game 2, and did so again to tie the score at 2 in the third inning, though they went on to lose 6–3. He doubled and scored in the fifth inning of Game 3 for a 1–0 lead, but they lost 5–2; he had two more hits in the 8–3 Game 4 loss.

In {{Baseball year|1939}} he batted .298 and tied for the NL lead in steals with 17, also finishing second in runs (112) and pacing the league in putouts (177). He had another outstanding campaign in {{Baseball year|1940}}, topping the league in putouts (175), assists (302) and double plays (27), finishing fourth with a .317 batting average, and tying for the NL lead in hits (191). He was one behind the league leader with 21 steals, and was fourth in doubles (38, a personal best), fifth in runs (101), and sixth in on-base percentage (.395) and total bases (265). Although he did not make the All-Star team, he finished eighth in the MVP balloting. On May 17 of that year, he suffered a [[concussion]] after being hit in the head by a foul ball while standing on third base as a baserunner. {{Baseball year|1941}} saw him duplicate the previous year's accomplishments by again finishing fourth in the NL with a .317 batting mark and leading the league in hits; he was second in the league with a .417 on-base percentage and 111 runs, fourth in walks and fifth in doubles. And in {{Baseball year|1942}} he was third in hits and doubles, fourth in runs and walks, and fifth in on-base percentage, while again batting .300 and leading the NL in fielding average for the first time with a .965 mark.

1943 saw a slight drop-off in his performance, though he was still among the league leaders in walks and on-base percentage, with a .289 batting average, and was again an All-Star; but a strained relationship with manager [[Jimmie Wilson (baseball)|Jimmie Wilson]] led Hack to retire at season's end. He was persuaded to return in mid-1944 after Grimm returned to lead the team, and batted .282 in 98 games – his lowest mark in over ten years – with similarly lowered averages in slugging and OBP. But {{Baseball year|1945}} marked a full comeback as he enjoyed one of his best years, leading the NL again in putouts (195) and fielding average (.975), and setting a record with 54 consecutive error-less games. He hit a career-high .323 (fourth in the league), and finished third in OBP (.420), hits (193) and walks (99) and fifth in runs (110). The Cubs won the pennant by three games, and Hack finished eleventh in the MVP vote, won by teammate [[Phil Cavarretta]]. In the [[1945 World Series|World Series]] against the Tigers, he hit .367, though memories of Game 6 of the 1935 Series lingered. In Game 1 at Detroit, he was observed staring out toward third base; when asked what he was looking at, he replied, "I was just looking to see if I was still standing there." He reached base four times in a 4–1 loss in Game 2, and had two hits in the 3–0 Game 3 win. Game 6 at [[Wrigley Field]] was a thrilling affair; after a walk and a single in his first two turns at the plate, he singled with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to give the Cubs a 2–1 lead, and went on to score himself. After another walk and single, he came to bat in the 12th inning with the score tied at 7, two out and pinch runner [[Bill Schuster]] on first base; Hack doubled to left field off Tiger pitcher [[Dizzy Trout]], with the ball taking a sharp bounce over outfielder [[Hank Greenberg]]'s shoulder, giving the Cubs an 8–7 win and tying the Series. At the time, it was the first time in Cubs history any player recorded 4 hits in a World Series game; a feat that was matched 71 years later by [[Kris Bryant]] in Game 6 of the 2016 World Series. It was all for naught, however, as Chicago lost 9–3 in Game 7. They would not return to the Fall Classic until 2016.

In 1946, he hit .285 in only 92 games, though he was still fifth in the league with 83 walks. He ended his career in {{Baseball year|1947}} with a .271 average in 76 games. In a 16-season career, Hack had 57 [[home run]]s and 642 RBI; his totals of 1,938 [[games played|games]], 7,278 [[at-bat]]s and 2,193 hits ranked second in Cubs history to 19th-century first baseman [[Cap Anson]], and his totals in hits, doubles (363) and total bases (2,889) placed him behind only Traynor among NL third basemen. His 1,239 runs were the third most by a third baseman, behind only [[Arlie Latham]] (1,478) and [[Lave Cross]] (1,333); his 165 stolen bases were the fourth most by any National Leaguer between 1920 and 1950, trailing only [[Frankie Frisch]], [[Max Carey]] and [[Kiki Cuyler]]. He was only 27 games behind Traynor's league record for games at third base, and was behind only Traynor and [[Heinie Groh]] in career double plays in the NL. His total of 1,092 walks – then the most by any third baseman – placed him behind only [[Mel Ott]] (1,708), [[Jimmy Sheckard]] (1,134) and [[Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1866)|Billy Hamilton]] (1,096) in NL history. In {{Baseball year|2001}}, [[Chipper Jones]] moved ahead of his career on-base percentage among NL third basemen.

==Managing==
[[File:Stan Hack 1953.jpg|thumb|170px|Hack managing the [[Los Angeles Angels (PCL)|Los Angeles Angels]] in 1953.]]
Hack became a minor league manager, leading Des Moines in 1948–49, Springfield in 1950 and the [[Los Angeles Angels (PCL)|Los Angeles Angels]] from 1951 to 1953. He then took over as Cubs manager in spring training of 1954, replacing Cavarretta. They had losing campaigns during each of his three seasons running the team. He became a batting coach for the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] in 1957–58, managing them for the last ten games in 1958, and then returned to managing in the minor leagues in Denver (1959), Salt Lake City (1965) and Dallas-Fort Worth (1966).

==Personal life and post-career==
He later became a restaurant manager, with his second wife Gwen, and died at age 70 in [[Dixon, Illinois]].  His first wife [[Dorothy Weisel Hack]] was a prominent amateur [[tennis]] player. He is buried in Grand Detour Cemetery in Grand Detour, Illinois. Stan had two sons with Gwen: Stanford Hack and David Hack. David had two sons with his first wife, Diane: Michael and Robert Hack, then a son and daughter with his second wife, Deb: Steven and Rebecca.

==Quotations==
*"I watch the ball more than most hitters. I let it get right up on me – maybe I even swing a little late." – explaining why most of his hits went to the opposite field
*"Hack came closest to an earthly manifestation of the ideal third baseman of the day. Tall, slender, handsome, confident – Hack was the idol of every sandlot urchin playing third base in a pair of torn knickers." – William Curran, author of a study on baseball fielding

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise]]
*[[List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches]]

==References==
* ''Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia'' (2000). Kingston, New York: Total/Sports Illustrated. {{ISBN|1-892129-34-5}}.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Baseballstats|br=h/hackst01|brm=hack--001sta|retro=H/Phacks101}}
*{{Find a Grave}}

{{NL stolen base champions}}
{{Chicago Cubs managers}}
{{Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame}}
{{St. Louis Cardinals managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hack, Stan}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball third basemen]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Sacramento, California]]
[[Category:National League stolen base champions]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs managers]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals managers]]
[[Category:People from Ogle County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from the Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois]]
[[Category:Sacramento Senators players]]
[[Category:Albany Senators players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball third base coaches]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs coaches]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals coaches]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Angels (minor league) managers]]