"The smooth second baseman enjoyed another consistent season, hitting .276. He finished sixth in the AL in on-base percentage and tied for seventh in walks. Willie hit five homers and drove in 40 runs, his best output in the production departments since 1980- he hit two of those homers in one game, against Oakland on September 5. He committed 11 errors, but none after July 30. He missed 13 games in September with a pulled hamstring.
One of the classiest acts in baseball, on the field and in the clubhouse, Willie was born in Holly Hill, South Carolina but grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He has a .158 average in 57 at-bats during three World Series [but with three homers and a .404 slugging percentage]. His brother Terry was drafted by the Green Bay Packers and played for the Jets."
-Tom Verducci, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1986 Edition
"Over the last ten years the Yankees have undergone a lot of changes, both in players and managers, but the one constant over the past decade in Yankees history has been Willie Randolph. Always a steady performer, Randolph has avoided controversy and free agent disputes in favor of focusing on his job on the field.
'I've become a little more vocal over the years,' Randolph admitted, 'but I try to do most of my talking on the field.' Willie's performance speaks for itself, both at the plate and in the field. 'He has been very, very steady,' added manager Lou Piniella. 'He has glued the infield and has done well offensively.'
He is the only everyday player left from the last Yankees World Championship club of 1978 and is ready to pace the team to the title again in 1986."
-The New York Yankees Official 1986 Yearbook
"Willie had another consistent year in 1985. Among AL second basemen he was second with 739 total chances and 104 double plays and third with 425 assists. His 40 RBIs were his most since driving in 46 in 1980 and he had his most games played, game winning RBIs and stolen bases since 1982. Willie's five home runs were his most since smacking seven in 1980. His .382 on-base percentage was sixth in the AL, 14th in the majors, and his 85 walks tied for seventh in the AL, 13th in the majors. Willie also received the Good Guy Award from the New York Press Photographers Association.
He had his 5,000th career at-bat on September 29 against Baltimore, hit his 200th career double on October 3 off Milwaukee's Tim Leary and broke into the Yankee all-time lists in a big way: he's now 15th in runs scored with 812; 18th on the hit list with 1,365; 18th with 4,958 at-bats; 19th with 1,323 games played; and tied with Roger Peckinpaugh for 20th with 53 triples.
Randolph had a 10-game hitting streak, June 30-July 11, had three doubles in the first game of a July 30 doubleheader at Cleveland, scored four runs on July 27 at Texas and had his first career two-homer game on September 5 against Oakland, going 4-for-4. He had 36 multiple-hit games.
Willie has been on four All-Star teams in his nine full seasons. He was leading the International league in hitting when he was called up in 1975 to the Pirates. He was named the James P. Dawson Award winner as the top rookie in the 1976 Yankee camp and was on the All-Star ballot as a rookie. Randolph was named to the Topps All-Rookie team in 1976, though he was hampered by a right shoulder injury and an injury to the outside of the right knee that required minor surgery. In 1977, he was named to the AP, UPI and Sporting News All-Star teams.
He had a five-RBI game against Boston on September 7, 1978 and despite a bruised left knee and a pulled left hamstring, still made the AP and UPI All-Star teams. The hamstring kept him out of postseason play. In 1979, his 13 triples were third in the AL and the most by a Yankee since Henrich's 14 in 1948. He committed only 13 errors and his .985 percentage was just .003 behind league leader Duane Kuiper.
In 1980, as the Yankee leadoff hitter, Willie had his best season ever. He led the AL in walks with 119, the most by a Yankee since Mantle's 122 in 1962. He had a 13-game hitting streak in May, at that time the longest of his career, and was named to the UPI and Sporting News All-Star teams and won the Sporting News Silver Bat award for AL second basemen.
Willie's homer in Game 3 of the 1981 ALCS was the game winner to win the AL pennant and in 1982 he led the Yankees in games played (144), at-bats (553), runs scored (85), hits (155) and walks (75). In 1984, he flirted with a .300 average all season before finishing at .287, the second highest of his career, and stole the 200th base of his Yankee career on July 16 at Texas- Willie now ranks third on the all-time Yankee stolen base list.
Although born in South Carolina, Willie's family moved to the Brownsville section of Brooklyn when he was an infant. He played stickball in the streets and fields of Canarsie and baseball at Tilden High School. His brother Terry was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1977 and also played for the Jets."
-1986 New York Yankees Information Guide
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