Ron Santo
Ron Santo was born in Seattle, Washington, United States on February 25th, 1940 and is the Baseball Player. At the age of 70, Ron Santo biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
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Ronald Edward Santo (February 25, 1940 – December 3, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 to 1973 and the Chicago White Sox in 1974.
Santo joined the Cubs broadcasting team in 1990 and continued as a Cubs analyst on WGN radio, providing commentary for Cubs games until his death in 2010.
He was born in 1999 and was selected to the Cubs All-Century Team.
In 2012, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Southeast Seattle, attended Franklin High School (Seattle), and played in the Babe Ruth League's new organized youth baseball.
He grew up near Sicks Stadium, home to the Seattle Rainiers, in the Pacific Coast League, and spent summers as a batboy, groundskeeper, and clubhouse attendant while attending three sports in high school.
He was a member of the Seattle, Washington All Star Babe Ruth team, which went on to the 1954 Babe Ruth World Series at age 14.
Early life
Santo was born in southeastern Seattle, attending Franklin High School, and playing in the Babe Ruth League for the first time. While playing three sports in high school, he grew up near Sicks Stadium, home to the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League, and spent summers there as a batboy, groundskeeper, and clubhouse attendant. He competed with the Seattle all-star team in the 1954 Babe Ruth World Series at the age of 14. Santo was inserted at first base to replace a 15-year-old player who broke his thumb in a Washington, DC. Santo had a grand slam over the 354 foot mark in left center field and the Washington All Stars defeated Tennessee in that match.
Personal life
Vicki Santo and Vicki married in 1982 in Bannockburn, Illinois.
Major league career
Santo debuted on June 26, 1960 as a free agent for the Chicago Cubs. In 1961, he set a record of 41 double plays at third base, beating Bernie Friberg's record of 33. In 1962, he led the National League in assists for the first time, setting a new franchise record of 323 set by Randy Jackson in 1951. Santo continued to lead the National League six times through 1968, breaking Ned Williamson's record of leading the league six times; Brooks Robinson went on to lead the American League eight times. Mike Schmidt eventually tied Santo's NL record of seven. Santo surpassed Tommy Leach's 1904 record of 371. He set a new record for 391, the previous record being Billy Shindle's 382 in 1892; his total was 99 higher than league runner-up Ken Boyer's 382. Santo set a new record in 1967 with 393 assists, which remained the NL record until Schmidt's 1974 appearance of 404. In the 1967 NL Most Valuable Player Award voting results, he also placed fourth. Santo's assists figures from 1963 to 1968 were the sixth highest by an NL third baseman between 1905 and 1973. Tim Wallach tied the NL in putouts every year from 1962 to 1969, tying the league record held by Pie Traynor and Willie Jones in leading the league seven times; he tied the record later this year.
Santo was profoundly saddened by Ken Hubbs, the Cubs' second baseman,'s death in a plane crash just before the 1964 season. Santo was interviewed by Tom Harmon, the film's narrator, in which Santo expressed the highest respects to the young Hubbs.
Santo and the Cubs were in first place in the National League East for 190 days before going 8–17 in their final 25 games, while the New York "Miracle" Mets went 37–11 in their final 48 games. The Cubs sent their entire starting lineup, including Santo, to the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C.; he and Cubs shortstop Don Kessinger started with the NL team during the NL season. Santo's MVP voting ended the season with a.289 batting average, 29 home runs, and a career-high 123 runs batted in (RBI).
Santo was known for doing a heel click after a game against the Montreal Expos on June 22, 1969. The Expos were leading 6–3. They were losing 6–3 going into the ninth inning. After another single by Billy Williams, Paul Popovich hit a single and advanced to second base with one out. Despite Santo's grounded out for the second time, Popovich and Williams both gained a base. Ernie Banks, the next Hall of Famer, was chosen to bring Williams and Popovich home and keep the Cubs within a game. Rick Bladt has been promoted to the Bank as a pinch runner. Jim Hickman, who won the game 7–6, was up for a challenge for him. Santo's feet soared on each hop as he reached home plate, and he was so ecstatic that after bear hugging and pounding him on his head, Santo was so ecstatic that he hopped down the third base line and soared three times.
Santo walked into Leo Durocher's office the next day; Durocher begged him to keep clicking his heels as the Cubs won at Wrigley Field to inspire the team. After every home win, Santo carries on. In the last weeks of the season, the stunt enraged opponents and made the team a candidate for payback. He didn't stop clicking on the heels as the Cubs began their September swoon, which came only after Santo called out rookie teammate Don Young in public after a loss to the Mets in New York. On September 2, the last Cub home victory while still in first place, was his final "click." Santo never again performed the heel click during and after the craziness of the late fade, as many believe the program was to blame for its arrogance and overconfidence. The Cubs' starting lineup all did the "kick" at the start of the game on the day Santo was enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Santo was the first person to invoke the ten-and-five rule under the collective bargaining deal that was signed to bring an end to the 1972 Major League Baseball strike. Any trade was allowed to players with ten years of service, the last five with the same team, to refrain from selling any trade. The Cubs had reached an agreement to send Santo to the California Angels; the team would have received two young pitchers back: Andy Hassler, who went on to have a difficult career as a reliever/spot starter, and Bruce Heinbechner, a highly regarded left-handed pitching prospect who died before the 1974 season. Santo's inability to remain in Chicago fueled his decision to veto the contract on December 8, 1973.
With the North Siders acquiring Steve Swisher, Steve Stone, and Ken Frailing, he advised Cubs leadership to try for a deal with the crosstown White Sox, which was made official on December 11, 1973. Jim Kremmel was sent by the Cubs to complete the deal one week later, December 18. Bill Melton, the White Sox's third baseman, had been sent mostly to designated hitter duty, which Santo hated. He wanted to play in the league, but White Sox manager Chuck Tanner refused to bench Melton and unsuccessfully attempted Santo at second base. Santo retired from baseball at the age of 34 in 1974 with a.221 batting average and 5 home runs.