Enos Slaughter was famous for baseball’s “Mad Dash” and baseline hustle long before Pete Rose knocked over his first catcher.
It was the 1946 World Series and the game was tied in the eighth inning between Slaughter’s St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. He led off the inning with a single and broke to steal second on the very next pitch. As the ball sailed into the outfield, Slaughter did not break stride until he was standing on home plate with the winning run.
Enos Slaughter played 22 seasons with the Cardinals, Yankees, Braves and Athletics. During that period, he batted over .300 in 10 seasons, was a 10-time All-Star, and played in five World Series. His 1,751 games played ranks third in St. Louis Cardinals’ history behind Lou Brock and Stan Musial. He finished his career with an even .300 batting average, and in 1985, Enos Slaughter was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.