Jason Giambi – historic walk off homer.
Jason Giambi of the Cleveland Indian yesterday punched his 436th career home run in dramatic fashion. It was a ninth-inning, pinch-hit, walk-off homer that gave the Indian a 3-2 win over the visiting Chicago White Sox. It also made Giambi, in his 19th major league season, the oldest player to hit a walk-off homer; at 42 years, 202 days. The record had been held by Hank Aaron, who hit a walk-off in 1976 at 42 years, 157 days of age. It was Giambi’s 7 homer of the season, to go with a .194 average and 24 RBI.
Giambi might hold the only home run record not in the pocket of the ageless wonder – Julio Franco. Franco is the oldest player to homer in a MLB game. He turned the trick just shy of his 49th birthday (48 years, 254 days), hitting a two-run shot off Arizona’s Randy Johnson as Franco’s Mets topped the Diamondbacks 5-3. (Franco started at first base in that game and went two-for-three.) Franco is also the oldest player to hit a grand slam (46 years, 308 days) – connecting as a pinch hitter for the Atlanta Braves in a 7-2 win over the Marlins on June 27, 2005. He’s the oldest player to record a multi-homer game, belting a pair of homers on June 18, 2005 (age 46 years, 299 days), as his Atlanta Braves topped the Reds at Great American Ball Park. Franco started at first base and went two-for-four with two homers and three RBI. And, finally, he’s also the oldest player to hit a pinch hit home run, in the eighth inning of a Mets’ 7-2 win over the Padres at San Diego (April 20, 2006 – 47 years, 240 days old). Note: Only 25 MLB home runs have been hit by players 45 or older – and 20 of those belong to Franco.
Julio Franco – Old Guys rule and he is their king!
In this post, BBRT would also like to reflect on another Julio Franco record – the oldest player ever put in as a pinch runner (47 year, 340 days). It came on July 29, 2006, when the Mets’ first baseman and cleanup hitter Carlos Delgado was hit by a pitch in the top of the third inning in the New Yorkers’ 11-3 win at Atlanta. Franco came in as a pinch runner (stayed in at first base, going two-for-three) and promptly stole second base, going to third on an errant throw. Wow? The old guy still had wheels. (he’s the second-oldest player to steal a base, but that’s for another post.)
Now, here’s BBRT’s blatant pitch – Julio Franco for the BB Hall of Fame. Let’s look at his career. Franco came to the big leagues in 1982 at age 23. From 1982 to 1994, he played primarily as a middle infielder and DH for the Phillies, Indians, Rangers and White Sox – making three All Star teams (MVP of the 1990 All Star game) and leading the league in hitting .341 for the Rangers in 1991 (went he collected 201 hits, 15 homers, 78 RBI, 108 runs scored and 36 steals.). In 1994, when the remainder of the season was lost to a strike, Franco was in the midst of his best season. After 112 games, he was hitting .319, with 138 hits, 20 home runs, 98 RBI, 72 runs scored, and eight steals.
Franco was determined to stay active and signed to play in Japan with the Pacific League Chiba Lotte Marines In the 1995 Japanese season, Franco hit .306 and won the league’s equivalent of the Gold Glove at first base. Franco returned to MLB in 1996, joining the Cleveland Indians and going .322-14-76 in 112 games. In August 1997, the Indians released Franco –who was hitting .284-3-25 at the time, and he finished the season with the Brewers by hitting .241 in 14 games with Milwaukee.
In 1998, at age 39, Franco was back in Japan playing for Chiba Lotte. Then in 1999, he celebrated his fortieth year by hitting for a .423 average in the Mexican League and getting one more MLB late season at bat with the Marlins.
As he moved into his forties, Franco was far from finished as a player. He played in South Korea in 2000 (age 41) and then was back in the Mexican League in 2001 (Angelopolis Tigers), where stellar play earned him a spot on the Atlanta Braves roster. From 2001 to 2007, the ageless wonder – professional hitter and pretty darn good first sacker – played for the Braves and Mets. He finally retired from the field in 2008, while playing for the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League (where he hit .250 in 36 games.)
Why the Hall of Fame? In addition to the accomplishments above, in 23 MLB seasons, Franco hit .298, with 2,586 hits, a .298 average, 173 homers, 1,285 runs, 1,194 RBI and 281 stolen bases. He also collected 618 minor league (U.S) hits, 316 in the Mexican League, 286 in Japan, 267 in the Dominican Winter League and 156 in South Korea. Clearly, Julio Franco is a player whose skills were evident across time and geography and whose contributions and character deserve HOF consideration.
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