1964 Profile: Johnny Blanchard

"Things are not the same for John Blanchard. A veteran of five full seasons with the Yankees, the husky Minnesotan has always found a Yogi Berra or an Elston Howard keeping from steady work from behind the plate. But now Berra has retired and John is the number two catcher.
In past years when his explosive bat was needed in the lineup, Manager Ralph Houk used him mostly in the outfield, particularly in 1963, the year of the multiple injuries. In fact, the only game Blanchard caught last year was the exhibition with the Mets.
'You can be sure John is going to see plenty of action behind the plate,' Berra said this past spring and Blanchard did catch in a dozen Yankee exhibitions. Unless another real emergency develops, Blanchard will be a receiver in 1964.
In the past four years, the 31-year-old southpaw slugger has been a top Yankee reserve. He's played left and right fields and first base in addition to catching and pinch-hitting. Last season John hit two of the Yanks' four grand slam home runs and now has three for his career. His 56 homers, going into this campaign, in 868 times at bat gives Johnny an average of one homer every 15.5 times at bat. In Fenway Park, Boston, considered a right-handed hitters' paradise, he has hit .290 with five homers and 16 RBIs in the past three seasons.
In 1961, his biggest year to date, John tied a major league record by hitting homers on four consecutive times at bat (two of these as a pinch-hitter)."

-The New York Yankees Official 1964 Yearbook

"Although he's been a member of the Yankees for the past five seasons, John Blanchard has yet to play in as many as 100 games in any of them. Feared by enemy pitchers as one of the toughest clutch batters in the loop, Blanchard has proved his worth with his long-ball touch.
Johnny has three classifications with the Yanks. He's a catcher, outfielder and pinch-hitter. The 31-year-old left-hand-hitting slugger was inked by the Bombers in July 1951. He was strictly a catcher then, getting his experience with Kansas City, Binghamton, Amsterdam, Joplin, Denver and Birmingham before joining the big club to stay in 1959.
Blanchard batted only .169 during his rookie campaign, rising to .242 in '60. Then came 1961, his best season to date. In 93 contests, John batted .305, belting 21 homers with 54 RBI. He tied a major league record by clouting four round-trippers in four consecutive times at bat, two as a pinch-hitter, that season. During the '61 Series, Blanchard cracked two homers, thus tying the mark for a five-game set.
John fell to .232 with 13 homers and 39 RBI in '62. The '63 season saw Blanchard hit only .225, but he upped his home run total to 16 and his RBI to 45.
If his upswing continues, you can be sure Yogi Berra will find a place for John, who would like nothing better than to play every day."

-1964 Jay Publishing New York Yankees Yearbook

Signed by Yankee organization, July 2, 1951.
Tied major league record by hitting four home runs in four consecutive times at-bat, two as a pinch-hitter, 1961.
Tied World Series record for most home runs hit in a five-game Series (2), 1961.
Hit two home runs in one game in three of the 59 games he started during the season (appeared in a total of 76  games), 1963.

-1964 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide