On this date (May 18) in 1958, Indians’ rookie Carroll Hardy hit his first major league home run – and it was a big one, a walk-off, in fact. It was a three-run shot in the bottom of the eleventh inning (off Billy Pierce) and it gave the Indians a 7-4 victory over the White Sox. Notably, Hardy was pinch-hitting for a fellow who would later gain quite a reputation for the long ball – Roger Maris. It would be the first of only 17 MLB home runs for Hardy – and it came on his 25th birthday. This dinger, and Carroll Hardy, caught Baseball Roundtable’s eye for a trio of reasons.
First, the thrill it must have been to have your first home run be a walk-off. Second, Hardy is most noted in MLB for his notable pinch-hitting appearances. Third, it gave Hardy the distinction of having both homered in the major leagues and scored a touchdown in the National Football League.
For BBRT’s Minnesota Readers
Carroll Hardy’s last MLB appearance came as a Minnesota Twin. On September 27, 1967, in a game against the Angels (in Minnesota), Hardy pinch hit for Twins’ pitcher Jim Merritt with one out and no one on in the bottom of the ninth inning. (The Twins were down 5-1 at the time). Hardy flied out to second base. Hardy finished that season appearing in nine games for the Twins – going three-for-eight, with a walk, one home run and two RBI.
We’ve already looked at reason one. Let’s move on to two and three.
Carroll Hardy as a pinch-hitter.
Carroll Hardy was a career .225 hitter. However, not only did he pinch hit for Roger Maris, he also – on September 20, 1960, in Ted Williams’ final MLB season – became the only player ever to pinch hit for the Splendid Splinter. It came in the top of the first inning of a game against the Orioles. The BoSox had a runner on first and no one out, with Williams at the plate. Williams (hitting .313 at the time) fouled a ball off his foot and had to leave the game. Enter pinch-hitter Hardy (hitting .217), who hit into a pitcher-to-first double play. (Side note: Hardy was also the final player ever to replace Williams on the field – replacing him in left field in the ninth inning of Williams’ final game – on September 28, 1960. Williams, who had gone deep in the bottom of the eighth, took the field for the top of the ninth, but was called back to the dugout to set the stage for a final standing ovation. Hardy took Williams’ place in front of the Green Monster.) On May 31 of the following season, Hardy pinch-hit for another future Red Sox Hall of Famer, Carl Yastrzemski.
Carroll Hardy and Football
Carroll Hardy played for the San Francisco 49ers (receiver/half-back) in 1955 and, like his first home run (that walk-off I talked about earlier), his first “catch” was memorable – a 78-yard touchdown reception (from quarterback Y.A. Tittle) in a 38-21 win over the Lions. It was the 49ers’ longest play from scrimmage that season. Hardy appeared in ten games in 1955, catching 12 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns and rushing 15 times for 37 yards.
Carroll Hardy – All Around Athlete
Carroll Hardy earned ten varsity sports letters at Colorado University (1951-55). He earned four letters in football; four in baseball; and two in track. Hardy was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1979. His college football coach (Dial Ward) said he “was the best all around athlete Colorado has ever produced.” Just a few highlights, Carroll Hardy: was a two-time honorable mention All-American in football; was the 1955 Hula Ball Most Valuable Player; gained 238 yards on ten carries in his final game for Colorado and averaged 9.2 years per carry for the season; had a 41.6 yards per kick average as a punter in his final college season; had a career batting average of .392 at Colorado; ran a 9.8 in the 100-yard dash.
Hardy played in eight MLB seasons (1958-64, 1967 … Red Sox, Indians, Astros, Twins) going .225-17-113 in 433 games.
Primary resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Colorado Sports Hall of Fame; Colorado University Athletic Hall of Fame; Carroll Hardy Bio, Society for American Baseball Research, by Bill Nowlin.
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