1963 Profile: Phil Linz

"Playing shortstop, second, third and even right field on one occasion, young Phil Linz is the Yankee handyman. Basically a shortstop, Phil competed with Tom Tresh for the position in the spring of 1962 while Tony Kubek was in service. While Phil did not win the competition, he made a major contribution to the Yankees' winning cause last season.

He was the fifth-leading hitter on the club with a .287 average. He led the Yanks in pinch-hitting, garnering seven hits in 15 at bats for a .467 mark. Phil's first major league hit was a two-run homer, his only round tripper with the Yankees.

The bespectacled infielder (he tried contact lenses this spring, but went back to his regular glasses) comes by his strong major league hitting honestly. In his last two minor league campaigns, the native Baltimorean led the Texas League in hitting (with .349 in 1961) and the Carolina League in hitting (with .321 in 1960). In each of his five full minor league seasons, Linz increased his batting average. He goes with the pitch, scattering his shots to all fields.

Phil Linz may be the Yankees' No.1 infield utility man, but he doesn't weaken the club when he's in the regular lineup. Phil's an aggressive, driving ball player, with good speed on the bases and a flair for the dramatic."

-The New York Yankees Official 1963 Yearbook

Philip Francis Linz (IF)     #34

Born June 4, 1939, in Baltimore, Maryland, where he resides. Height: 6-1, weight: 171. Bats right and throws right.

-The New York Yankees Official 1963 Yearbook

Signed by Yankee organization, June 9, 1957.

Leading hitter in Carolina League (.321), 1960.

Leading hitter in Texas League (.349), 1961.

First major league hit was a home run, against Kansas City, May 23, 1962.

-1963 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide

"Used principally as an infield reserve in 1962, bespectacled Phil Linz nevertheless was able to bat a very respectable .287 in 71 games with the Bombers.

He was available to Manager Houk for emergency calls at second, short or third. And when asked to perform, Phil turned in a creditable job.

Linz was corralled by the Bomber organization in June 1957. After advancing through the chain with Kearney, Auburn, and Modesto, Linz lead the Carolina League in hitting with a .321 while performing for Greensboro. In 1961 he paced all Texas League batters with an average of .349 for Amarillo.

Phil, more of a line-drive hitter than a slugger type, is rated highly as a fielder and has good speed on the basepaths."

-1963 Jay Publishing New York Yankees Yearbook

1963 Profile: Joe Pepitone

1963 AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR

"Is Joe Pepitone ready to follow in the tradition of Yankee first basemen? If confidence is a qualification, the smooth swinger out of Brooklyn has the job won. Prepped as an outfielder in his four minor league seasons, he did get a brief fill-in trial at the bag in 1962 before getting sent to Richmond. Pepitone swings a quick bat, lashing at the pitch at the last moment.

He was almost killed by a bullet in a schoolboy accident."

-Don Schiffer, 1963 Major League Baseball Complete Handbook

" 'Quick wrists ... a good looking hitter with natural instincts.' That's what Joe DiMaggio said of Joe Pepitone at the Yankee Advance Training Camp at Ft. Lauderdale in 1962. That prediction and Ralph Houk's confidence in the Brooklyn-born 22-year-old will be tested this year as Peppy bids to become the Yankees' regular first sacker.

Now a resident of the Bronx, Pepitone was a much sought after outfielder-first baseman in Brooklyn as a free-swinging member of the Nathan's Famous (Hot Dog) team. Most other major league clubs lost interest in Joe after he was accidentally shot through the chest in a high school classroom. But his great desire to become a Yankee may soon pay off for the World Champions.

'As a little kid, I wanted to be a Yankee. I guess I've never wanted anything else,' Pepitone said to a reporter last spring.

Pepitone served a Yankee apprenticeship during the first half of 1962. He played first, the outfield and he pinch-hit. He batted only .239, but played well in the field and hit seven homers. Actually, he entered the record books with his slugging prowess, tying a major league record by hitting two home runs in one inning, May 23, 1962 versus Kansas City.

He spent about six weeks in Richmond last year, hitting .315 with eight homers. He's back at Yankee Stadium now ... he hopes to stay."

-The New York Yankees Official 1963 Yearbook

Joseph Anthony Pepitone (1B)     #25

Born October 4, 1940, in Brooklyn, resides in the Bronx. Height: 6-2, weight: 185. Bats left, throws left.

Married and father of one girl, Eileen (2) and one boy, Joseph, Jr. (3 months).

-The New York Yankees Official 1963 Yearbook

Signed by Yankee organization, April 13, 1958.

Tied major league record by hitting two home runs in one inning, against Kansas City, May 23, 1962.

-1963 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide

"Trying his best to become a Yankee regular is 22-year-old Joe Pepitone, the Brooklyn native who lives in the Bronx.

Though he spent little more than half the 1962 campaign with the Yanks before being sent to Richmond, Joe tied a major league record by hitting two homers in one inning against the Kansas City A's on May 23.

While batting only .239 with the Yanks, Pepitone showed the Bomber board of strategy that he has the talent to make it big at the Bronx ballyard.

Signed by the Yanks in August of 1958, Joe has seen service with Auburn, Fargo-Moorhead, Binghamton and Amarillo. His best season came with the latter club in 1961 when he batted .316, with 21 homers and 87 RBI."

-1963 Jay Publishing New York Yankees Yearbook

1963 Profile: Clete Boyer

1963 Profile: Clete Boyer

"The man who uses a built-in snapping turtle as a glove is Clete Boyer, the Cassville (MO) native who is so sensational on defense. He reached career highs for average (.272), homers (18) and RBIs (68) in '62 and has good power to all fields, but shows a definite weakness against right-hand curve ballers.

Boyer was nursed in the Yankee system and then traded to the Athletics. He was dealt back to New York without ever playing in K.C."

-Don Schiffer, 1963 Major League Baseball Handbook

"Improvement is a word clearly understood by Clete Boyer. The "Fancy Dan" third baseman put in a claim as the top fielding third baseman in all of baseball in 1961. Last year, Clete worked hard on his hitting and upped his batting average some 48 points to .272. But in so doing, the lithe third sacker slipped a bit in the field. This spring Boyer concentrated on his fielding and gave every indication that this would be his biggest major league season yet.

Last year, the 26-year-old Boyer set personal highs with home runs with 18 and in runs batted in with 68.

Clete is one of seven ball-playing brothers, six of whom already have taken a fling at pro baseball. Ken, the Cardinals' great slugging third sacker, was the first successful Boyer. Cloyd, former Cardinal and Kansas City Athletic, is a minor league pitching coach for the Yankees. Young Ronnie, in his first spring training with the World Champions, made a fine showing as an infielder.

In the World Series against the Giants, Clete pounded out a .318 average, second only to teammate Tom Tresh. Clete has recently moved to New Jersey and he will become a Yankee of the first flight. He's made great strides, but the future of Clete Boyer is still ahead of him."

-The New York Yankees Official 1963 Yearbook

Cletis Leroy Boyer (IF)     #6

Born February 8, 1937, in  Cassville, Missouri, resides in Webb City, Missouri. Height: 6-0, Weight: 182. Bats right, throws right. 

Married and father of two girls, Valerie (6) and Stephanie (3).

-The New York Yankees Official 1963 Yearbook

Acquired along with Art Ditmar, Bobby Shantz, Jack McMahon and Wayne Belardi from Kansas City Athletics in exchange for Rip Coleman, Tom Morgan, Maury McDermott, Billy Hunter, Milt Graff and Irv Noren, February 19, 1957.

Brother of Ken Boyer of the Cardinals, Cloyd Boyer, former pitcher for the Cardinals and currently a pitching coach in the Yankee farm system, and Ronnie Boyer, who signed a Yankee contract on May 30, 1962.

-1963 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide

"Already rated a magician around third base due to his tremendous fielding ability, Clete Boyer is also maturing as a batsman.

The 1962 campaign was Boyer's best at the dish since he's been in the majors. During his first two full years with the Bombers - 1960 and 1961 - Clete's batting averages were an anemic .242 and .224., respectively. Last year, however, he zoomed to .272.

Boyer's home run production rose from 11 to 18 and his RBI from 55 to 68. Why, he even batted .318 in the World Series, connecting for his first Fall Classic round-tripper in the process.

Boyer, a member of a true baseball family, is a native of Cassville, MO. His brother, Ken, is the star third baseman of the St. Louis Cardinals. Another brother, Cloyd, formerly hurled for the Cards and Kansas City A's and is currently the pitching coach at Richmond. Still another brother, Ronnie, was signed to a Bomber contract in May 1962.

Clete was signed to a big bonus contract by the A's in 1955 and sat on the bench with them for two seasons before being acquired by the Yanks in a huge deal on February 19, 1957. In the trade, Boyer, along with pitchers Art Ditmar, Bobby Shantz and Jack McMahon and first baseman Wayne Belardi, came to New York in exchange for hurlers Rip Coleman, Tom Morgan and Maurice McDermott, infielders Billy Hunter and Milt Graff and outfielder Irv Noren.

Through a ruling by Commissioner Ford Frick, however, Boyer wasn't permitted to become Yankee property until June, having to serve out his bonus term with the A's."

-1963 Jay Publishing New York Yankees Yearbook

1963 Profile: Tony Kubek

see Yankees 1960-69 blog

1963 Profile: Bobby Richardson

see Yankees Yearbook Fan 1960-69

1963 Profile: Hector Lopez

see Yankees 1960-69 blog

1963 Proifle: Tom Tresh

see 1960-69 Yankees blog