top of page
Search

Bobby Richardson Decides Against Quitting Baseball

Jan. 14, 1965 - Bobby Richardson signed his 11th New York Yankee contract today, three months after he had decided to quit baseball.

His signing was announced by general manager Ralph Houk, who had a man-to-man talk with the all-star second baseman during last October’s World Series and persuaded him not to leave the game at the age of 29.

“Ralph convinced me that I belonged in baseball,” Richardson said at a luncheon and news conference at Reubens restaurant that had been called to announce the signing of the first Yankee player for 1965.

Both Houk and Richardson denied that a “modest” increase in salary — to the neighborhood of $35,000 — had anything to do with the convincing argument.

And Richardson denied that Yogi Berra’s name had been mentioned last fall either by him as a reason for leaving club or by Houk as a reason for staying.

Richardson, who had been described in some reports as a leader of a clique that resented Berra’s easygoing attitude, said his relations with Berra had always been “cordial and friendly.”

Several days after he had changed his mind about quitting, the Yankees lost the World Series to the Cardinals, and Berra was dismissed as manager.

Richardson reiterated that his reason for wanting to leave baseball had been personal — he had tired of being away from his wife and four small children and of maintaining homes in Florida, New York, and Sumter, S.C.

Bobby also said he had considered quitting seven or eight years ago in order to join the ministry, but he had been dissuaded that time by Houk, too.

“I am very much interested in religious work,” Bobby said. “As a member of the Christian Service Brigade, I thought perhaps I could become associated with some church and work with young people last year.”

Houk had plenty of statistical support in his argument, too. Richardson led the American League in times at bat (679) for the third straight year, led the Yankees in hits (181) for the fourth straight year, and set a record for most hits in a World Series (13). He played in 159 games last season and batted .267.



Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

Comments


© 2024 by Joe Rubenstein

bottom of page