Musial passes Speaker on all-time hits list
“He used to take care of me at All-Star games, 24 of them,” fellow Hall of Famer Willie Mays said. “He was a true gentleman who understood the race thing and did all he could. Again, a true gentleman on and off the field – I never heard anybody say a bad word about him, ever.”
Musial hit .357 in 1943, en route to his first career batting title. He also led the NL in on-base and slugging percentage. The left-hander would crack a league-high 48 doubles and 20 triples to go along with 13 home runs.
For his efforts, Musial was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1943, the first of three such awards in his career.
In 1944, the Cardinals would again find themselves in the World Series, this time against the St. Louis Browns. The Cardinals would triumph in six games to defeat their crosstown rival.
Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year eligible in 1969, Musial is remembered not just only for his play on the field, but his actions off of it.
“Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight,” Hall of Fame executive Ford C. Frick wrote.
Ryan Turnquist was a public relations intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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Stan Musial

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