"They say he can't run, he's not a great fielder, he looks lazy at the plate and he's getting older. But like Ol' Man River, Lou Piniella keeps rolling along and solidifying his place among baseball's finest.
To dispel those 'rumors' said about Lou, one should simply watch him perform. He can't run? Well, he may not be the fastest man in the East, but he has rolled up 56 doubles and seven triples in the past two seasons. Not a great fielder? Lou only had 13 assists last year ... good enough to tie him with teammate Ruppert Jones for fourth in the league, and he tied a major league record for an outfielder with two assists in one inning.
He may look funny at the plate, but who can argue with a .290 lifetime average and five .300 seasons. Last year, his .297 average tied him with Reggie Jackson for the team lead. And in the clutch, there are few better. His .342 average with men in scoring position last year was more than admirable. So were his seven game-winning RBIs of 1979.
Yes, Lou Piniella is getting older. Aren't we all? He'll be 37 in August of 1980, but like fine wine, Sweet Lou matures with much class and distinction."
-The New York Yankees Official 1980 Yearbook
"Lou just missed topping the .300 mark for the sixth time in his career, falling just short at .297. It was overall another consistent year for a man recognized as one of baseball's most professional hitters. Lou was extremely good for the Yankees in the clutch, and batted .342 (38-111) with men in scoring position, .341 (73-214) with men on base, and had seven game-winning RBIs.
Lou got off to a slow start, batting just .231 at the end of April, got up to .279 after May, then took off in June. He had a seven-game hitting streak from June 6-13, going 13-30 (.433), to raise his average up to .313, and reached a high point of .321 on July 7. His longest hitting streak of the year was a 10-game streak from August 7-21.
Three times Lou was part of back-to-back home runs, twice with Reggie Jackson. He had a pinch-hit homer off the Indians' Sid Monge on May 27 in the eighth inning to beat Cleveland 5-4. Lou also had two four-RBI games.
Defensively, Lou was tied for fourth in the league, with his new teammate Ruppert Jones, with 13 outfield assists, including two in one inning on June 20 against Toronto, the second time he has done that; he also did it on May 27, 1974, both times tying a major league record.
Lou batted .333 in 16 games as a designated hitter for the Yanks (14-42), and was six-for-twelve as a pinch hitter.
Lou was coming off a 1978 season which saw him bat .314, fourth best in the American League. He also had a good year as a DH (.372) and as a pinch hitter (.444). His average fell below the .300 mark only one day in all of 1978. Lou hit .302 with men on base that year, and his 34 doubles ranked him seventh in the A.L. He became an everyday player in mid-August of '77, and from August 10 to the end of that season hit .342.
Lou has been an excellent postseason performer. He hit safely in all five ALCS games in 1977, and in the first four World Series games. In '78, he hit safely in all six World Series games.
Lou returned to regular duty in 1976 after sitting most of the 1975 season with an inner ear problem that required mid-season surgery. He was runner-up to teammate Dock Ellis for Comeback Player of the Year in '76.
Lou was Rookie of the Year in 1969 with the Royals after Kansas City acquired him from the Seattle Pilots prior to the start of the season for ex-Yankee Steve Whitaker. He was the all-time Royals leader in games, at-bats, hits, doubles, triples, RBIs and total bases before his trade to the Yankees. Lou was a member of the 1972 American League All-Star team.
Originally signed by Cleveland scout Spud Chandler in 1962, Lou was drafted by Washington later that year, dealt to Baltimore in 1964, and then dealt back to Cleveland in 1966 for catcher Cam Carreon. Lou was selected by the Pilots from the Indians in the 1968 expansion draft.
Not known for his speed, Lou has still managed to leg out 16 triples in the last four years. Always one of the Yankees' most exciting players, fans welcome each of his at-bats with chants of 'Lou, Lou!'
A lifetime native of the Tampa, Florida area, Lou is of Spanish ancestry. He enjoys the stock market and has a landscaping business in Tampa."
-New York Yankees 1980 Media Guide
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