Yankee cornerstones Hank Bauer and Moose Skowron created one of the funniest combinations since Martin & Lewis. An underrated & tough player, Bauer passed away today at the age of 84. Also winning a World Series as manager of the Baltimore Orioles, Bauer had a taste for success.
His gruff military background translated to his playing career, which delivered him to the Yankees for a 1948 debut.As a tough presence in the clubhouse, Bauer is said to have chastised a young Mickey Mantle for not running out a ground ball, yelling, "Don't fool with my money" -- a reference to the regularity with which Bauer cashed Yankees World Series checks.
Indeed, many of Bauer's most memorable moments with the Yankees came in October. Bauer contributed a game-saving catch to rob the Giants' Sal Yvars in the 1951 Fall Classic, and set a then-World Series record with a 17-game hitting streak from 1956-58.
A smart, relentless baserunner and a strong rightfielder with a powerful arm, Bauer was an underappreciated staple of the 1950s Yankee juggernaut. Most recently, Bauer became an unofficial Yankee historian with a flare for storytelling with hilarious punchlines.
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