Background

Hank Greenberg was born Hyman Greenberg on January 1, 1911, in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood. He was one of four children of Romanian immigrants David and Sarah Greenberg. His father owned a successful cloth-shrinking plant; his homemaker mother kept a kosher house.

Education

When Hank was six, his family moved to a Jewish neighborhood in the Bronx, New York City; here young Greenberg attended Hebrew school. Hoping their son would pursue higher education and a professional vocation in medicine or law, Greenberg's parents disapproved of the boy's early passion for baseball and his preference for sports over academics.

A top athlete at James Monroe High School in the Bronx, Greenberg played both baseball and basketball. Bigger and stronger than his peers, he had a natural advantage over other athletes of his age, yet he had to work hard to gain the grace and skill that athletics demanded.

Fresh out of high school, Greenberg impressed the major-league baseball coaches with his talent and potential. Signing with a major-league team meant that Greenberg would not advance directly to the majors, but would play in the minor leagues first until he was ready. The New York Giants were looking for a Jewish player to attract fans from New York's large Jewish population, yet they passed over Greenberg, fearing that he was too clumsy to become a star player. Willing to take a chance on Greenberg, the New York Yankees made him a lucrative offer; but Greenberg, a first-baseman, turned it down because the Yankees already had star player Lou Gehrig on first base. Similarly, Greenberg turned down an offer from the Washington Senators, who boasted Joe Judge on first.

Ultimately, 19-year-old Greenberg signed with the Detroit Tigers, who offered a contract that allowed him to attend New York University on an athletic scholarship. Yet after attending college for only one year, Greenberg dropped out to pursue baseball exclusively.

Career

After Greenberg dropped out of New York University, he played one game with the Tigers in 1930, and then spent the next three years in the minor-league "farm system." Here the young player worked to overcome any lingering awkwardness and to hone his skills as a batter and fielder.

Called back to the major leagues, Greenberg became a starter and first-baseman with the Tigers in June of 1933. The rookie made his debut with thirty-three doubles, twelve home runs, and a .301 batting average in his first season. The following year found him playing a stronger game, with sixty-three doubles (the most in his league), twenty-six home runs, 139 RBI (runs batted in), and an impressive .339 average. That year, "Hammerin' Hank," as he became known, helped lift the Tigers to their American League pennant win. The team lost the World Series to the "Gashouse Gang" St. Louis Cardinals, however, with Greenberg hitting .321, but striking out nine times.

Greenberg impressed fans and fellow players not only with his solid performance in 1934 but also with his decision not to play baseball on the Jewish high holiday of Yom Kippur.

Yet the budding baseball star often faced bigotry in the predominantly Gentile world of baseball. While it was rampant in pre-World War II Germany, anti-Semitism was not uncommon in the United States in the 1930s. Greenberg was often heckled by baseball spectators and by opposing players - some of whom joked that pitchers should try throwing a pork chop at him to strike him out. Throughout these trials, Greenberg maintained his dignity and became more beloved among his fans for his fortitude and perseverance.

Helping the Tigers take a consecutive American League pennant in 1935, Greenberg led the league with thirty-six home runs and 170 RBI. A broken wrist kept him on the sidelines after the second game of the World Series, but the Tigers prevailed nonetheless. But after a strong start to the 1936 season, he broke his barely healed wrist once again and sat out the remainder of the season. Fans worried that his career might be over, but Greenberg proved them wrong the following year when he performed better than ever.

Hitting forty home runs and batting .337 in 1937, Greenberg netted 183 RBI, the third-highest total on record, one short of Gehrig's American League record. The following year, at the peak of his career, Greenberg took a shot at breaking Ruth's record-setting sixty home runs - only to fall two homers short. Many fans believed his rivals deliberately foiled Greenberg by walking him instead of letting him hit the ball - and some even cited this plot as anti-Semitic. Greenberg himself, fully aware of the bigotry that surrounded him, never believed this particular myth.

Slipping a little after his banner year, Greenberg hit thirty-three home runs and 112 RBI in 1939. The following year he relinquished his seven-year position at first base, switching places with outfielder Rudy York. The move proved successful, as Greenberg quickly mastered the new position, helping the Tigers take the American League pennant from the Yankees. He ended the 1940 season with league-leading fifty doubles, forty-one home runs, 150 RBI, and a .340 average.

In a hiatus from baseball, just before American involvement in World War II, Greenberg became the first baseball player to enlist in the United States Army. He was discharged two days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, after which he re-enlisted as an officer candidate in the Army Air Corps. Rising to captain in the corps, he commanded a B-29 bomber squadron in the Far East until his discharge in 1945. Returning home a war hero, Greenberg, who had missed four seasons, hit a home run in his first game, thrilling fans. The Tigers went on to win another pennant, with Greenberg hitting a winning home run in the last game's final inning. He later said he believed the 1945 season was his greatest - despite his stronger 1938 record.

In the wake of disagreements with the Tigers' owners, Greenberg was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1946. Pleased to have Greenberg, the National League team offered the star a contract worth more than any other baseball player had ever received: $100,000.

Yet the baseball star had passed the peak of his career. Bothered by injuries, Greenberg played only one season with the Pirates, slipping to an average of .249 and hitting only twenty-five home runs. He retired in 1947.

Turning to the business end of the sport, Greenberg became vice president and farm director for the Cleveland Indians; in 1950, he became the Indians' general manager. He later moved to the Chicago White Sox, as part-owner and vice president. He retired from the baseball business in 1963, becoming an investment banker. After retiring, Greenberg took up a new sport - tennis - becoming a regular player on the senior circuit, where he won several celebrity tournaments.

Achievements

• Noted as the first Jewish baseball star, Hank Greenberg became a hero to a generation of Jewish fans and led the way for greater Jewish opportunities in baseball. He managed to win two Most Valuable Player awards, earn four batting titles, hit 58 home runs in 1938, and get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956. He was also an American League (AL) All-Star for four seasons. Greenberg was the first major league player to hit 25 or more home runs in a season in each league. He remains the AL record-holder for most runs batted in in a single season by a right-handed batter.
  
  Greenberg's popularity changed America's perspective on Jews, and he has come to symbolize a hero who overcame prejudice to lead his baseball team, his country, and his faith.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Hank Greenberg: The Story of My Life

    (This autobiography of Hank Greenberg tells of one of the ...)

    1989

Views

Quotations: "When I was playing, I used to resent being singled out as a Jewish ballplayer. I wanted to be known as a great ballplayer, period. I'm not sure why or when I changed, because I'm still not a particularly religious person. Lately, though, I find myself wanting to be remembered not only as a great ballplayer, but even more as a great Jewish ballplayer."

"Home run hitters drive Cadillacs; singles hitters drive Fords."

"You only remember the ones you lost."

Personality

When Greenberg died, baseball fans around the country remembered a player of remarkable power, dignity, and humbleness. Stories about Greenberg extol not only his athleticism but also his hard work and dedication to the sport of baseball. He is remembered as a player whose demeanor made him a role model for fans and players alike.

Physical Characteristics: Hank Greenberg was 6 ft 3 inches (190 cm) tall and weighed 210 lb (95 kg). He died of metastatic kidney cancer.

Quotes from others about the person

• Joe DiMaggio: "He was one of the truly great hitters, and when I first saw him at bat, he made my eyes pop out."

Interests

• Sport & Clubs

  baseball, basketball

Connections

On February 18, 1946, Greenberg married Caral Gimbel. The couple had three children - sons Glenn H. Greenberg and Stephen and a daughter, Alva. They divorced in 1958.

In 1966, Greenberg married Mary Jo Tarola, better known as Linda Douglas, and remained with her until his death.

Father:

David Greenberg

(died September 16, 1969)

Mother:

Sarah Greenberg

Spouse:

Linda Douglas

Mary Jo Tarola, better known as Linda Douglas (February 27, 1928 - May 2017), was an American model and actress.

ex-spouse:

Caral Gimbel

(November 29, 1914 - September 25, 2008)

Son:

Glenn H. Greenberg

(born January 22, 1947)

Glenn H. Greenberg is the Managing Director and Founder of Brave Warrior Advisors, a privately owned Investment Advisory firm.

Son:

Stephen Greenberg

Daughter:

Alva Greenberg

Friend:

Jack Robinson

References

• Hank Greenberg: The Hero Who Didn't Want to Be One In Hank Greenberg Mark Kurlansky explores the truth behind the slugger's legend: his Bronx boyhood, his spectacular discipline as an aspiring ballplayer, the complexity of his decision not to play on Yom Kippur, and the cultural context of virulent anti-Semitism in which his career played out.
  2011
• Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes Hank Greenberg is an intimate account of his life - a story of integrity and triumph over adversity and a portrait of one of the greatest baseball players and most important Jews of the twentieth century.
  2013
• Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War Hank Greenberg in 1938 chronicles the events of 1938, both on the baseball diamond and the streets of Europe.
• The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg A documentary movie on the life and career of Hank Greenberg.
  1998