Jackie Jensen

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Jack Eugene Jensen (March 9, 1927 – July 14, 1982) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who competed for three American League (AL) clubs from 1950 to 1961, most notably the Boston Red Sox.

In 1958, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP), after hitting 35 home runs and leading the league with 122 runs batted in (RBIs); he also led the league in RBIs and stolen bases once apiece;

He was lauded for his throwing arm and led the AL in assists and double plays twice apiece.

He retired in his early thirties as major-league baseball expanded westward, owing to a genuine fear of flying.

Jensen was the first man to play in the Rose Bowl, the World Series, and the MLB All-Star Game after being a two-sport star in college.

Early years

Jensen was born in San Francisco, California. He was divorced at the age of five, and his mother, who often moved the family, was a strong influence. He began serving in the Navy during WWII and became an All-American in two sports at the University of California. He helped California win the inaugural College World Series in 1947 as a baseball pitcher and outfielder. Cal defeated Cal in the regional final by outdueling Bobby Layne of Texas, and in the championship, Cal defeated a Yale team starring future President George Bush. Jensen, who was a consensus All-American as a junior in 1948, became the first Cal player to rush for 1,000 yards as a football halfback. He ran for 170 yards, kicked a punt for 67 yards, and had a 32-yard touchdown late in a 4th-and-31 game. Cal finished the regular season at 10–0, winning a share of its first Pacific Coast Conference title in ten years, and Jensen placed fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, with Doak Walker winning the award. Jensen scored a touchdown in the first quarter to tie the game 7–7, but fourth-ranked Northwestern defeated fourth-ranked Cal 19-20-21.

Later life

Jensen spent time as a sports director at ABC television Reno, Nevada, and taught baseball at the University of Nevada and Berkeley. In 1970, he was the manager of the minor league Jamestown Falcons. He was co-owner of the Bow & Bell restaurant in Oakland, California, with Charles "Boots" Erb.

Jensen married Zoe Ann Olsen, the silver medalist in diving at the 1948 Summer Olympics, on October 16, 1949; the couple divorced on May 18, 1963, and divorced again on January 17, 1968. Katherine Cortezi was married in February 1968. Jensen had three children by his first wife, Jon, Jan. and Jay. Tucker Jensen, a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, spent two NCAA Division II Baseball Tournaments for the Toronto Blue Jays organization from 2011-2012 and starred for the Gateway Grizzlies of the independent Frontier League from 2013 to 2014.

Jensen died at or on the way to University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia, at the age of 55, after suffering a suspected heart attack at his house near Scottsville, Virginia. He is buried in Amherst, Virginia, and is interred.

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Baseball career

Jensen, who batted and threw right-handed, left college after his junior year and signed with the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast League in 1949. In 1950, his deal, as well as Billy Martin's, was sold to the New York Yankees with the intention of replacing him as a backup for future Hall of Fame centerfielder Joe DiMaggio. However, he appeared in just 108 games for the Yankees over three years, most in left field. In Game 3 of the 1950 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, he appeared as a pinch runner for Bobby Brown, but he was only in the game for a brief period before Johnny Mize came up to end the game. Jensen did not stay in the game defensively, and the Yankees beat the Phillies 4-0 in Game 4. Mickey Mantle, DiMaggio's heir-apparent, appeared in 1951, defining Jensen and starting in the right direction. Jensen did not appear in the 1951 Series against the New York Giants, so he did not appear.

Jensen was signed in a six-player contract with the Washington Senators in May 1952, and he made his first All-Star team in May 1952. He finished the season with a.286 batting average and 80 RBIs, leading the league with 17 assists and finishing third in the AL with 18 steals, a total number that he duplicated in 1953. He was traded to the Red Sox in December 1953 and was ranked third in RBIs (117) and fourth in home runs (25). Despite his high success, he also broke records by grounding into double plays 32 times, smashing fellow Red Sox Bobby Doerr's 1949 total of 31; the record will remain until Red Sock Jim Rice grounded to 36 double plays in 1984. Jensen returned to his team's principal star in 1955, leading the league with 116 RBIs and finishing tenth in the MVP race.

Jensen had a career-high.315 and led the AL with 11 triples, and in 1957, he had 103 RBIs and led the league in both assists (16) and double plays (4). With a 286 batting average, beating out Bob Turley, Rocky Colavito, and Bob Cerv with a league-leading 122 RBIs, the 31-year-old star had his best season in 1958, finishing second in the AL with 99 walks and fifth in home runs (396) and on-base percentage (3.96). He set a record for the most home runs in a single month (since tied by David Ortiz) with 14, and made his final All-Star team in July. He led the AL in RBIs (112) and claimed his second Gold Glove after winning his second Gold Glove for the second time in his career; he also earned top ten positions in the AL in steals for the fourth time in his career career; his seven Top 10 finishes was his fourth. In the MVP voting, he came in tenth.

Jensen, who was still in his prime at 32, announced his retirement from baseball in January 1960, mainly because of his tremendous fear of flying, but also because of his family's long distances. "I have only one life to live," he said, and I'll be happier when I spend it with my family. Being away from home with a baseball team for seven months a year doesn't reflect the lifestyle I like or the lifestyle that my spouse and children want. Well, on his way to the Red Sox in 1953, he considered not reporting to the team in order to return to his family in California, but general manager Joe Cronin increased his salary by $1,000 and promised to play. He had struggled against his aversion to flying in the 1950s, but Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey, who arranged for therapy services, had failed to respond. Jensen's challenges were almost unsurmountable as major-league baseball grew to the West Coast in 1958, with more expansion and continuous air travel foreseen.

Jensen made a comeback to Boston in 1961, but his panic attacks at airports became unbearable. He retired for good after being dissatisfied with his sub-par performance (.263, 66 RBIs). Jensen was a.279 hitter with 199 home runs and 929 RBIs in 1,438 games during his 11-season career. He also had 810 runs, 259 doubles, 45 triples, 143 stolen bases, and 750 walks for a.369 on-base percentage and.460 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a.977 fielding percentage at all three outfield positions.

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