Jim Beauchamp 1939 - 2007
For some reason I remember Jim Beauchamp as being a much better player than he was. Upon hearing of his death from leukemia, I looked up his stats and was surprised to see he only hit .231 in a 10 year career, with a total of 14 home runs. My memory of his playing days is stronger than it deserves to be since he spent time with my beloved Mets in my prime baseball fanatic days. I collected autographs of pit-stop Mets like Jim, Bill Sudakis, and Phil Hennigan.
The day that Jim Beauchamp got etched in my Mets memory bank was Aug. 21, 1972. That was Jim's birthday, and he hit two home runs. He only hit 5 total in his two seasons with the Mets, but I thought he had a lot more based on that summer day. I remember Ralph Kiner's call as the second one was leaving the yard: "going, going, going, happy birthday Jim Beauchamp!". On the post-game Kiner's Korner, Ralph asked him if he's ever hit 2 home runs on this birthday before ( a quick glance at the back of his baseball card would have shown how unlikely that was). Jim, in a shy, southern drawl, said "Nah, I may have hit one on my daughter's birthday in the minors"
You only had 181 at bats in a NY uniform, but you're always a Met. R.I.P. and Happy Birthday Jim Beauchamp!
The day that Jim Beauchamp got etched in my Mets memory bank was Aug. 21, 1972. That was Jim's birthday, and he hit two home runs. He only hit 5 total in his two seasons with the Mets, but I thought he had a lot more based on that summer day. I remember Ralph Kiner's call as the second one was leaving the yard: "going, going, going, happy birthday Jim Beauchamp!". On the post-game Kiner's Korner, Ralph asked him if he's ever hit 2 home runs on this birthday before ( a quick glance at the back of his baseball card would have shown how unlikely that was). Jim, in a shy, southern drawl, said "Nah, I may have hit one on my daughter's birthday in the minors"
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posted by Matt at 10:45 AM
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