How old is ernie banks

He became the first African-American to play for the Chicago Cubs, and the first number the team retired. Along the way, he became known as much for his home runs and back-to-back National League MVPs as for his cheer, his optimism, and his love of the game. As a Hall-of-Famer, Ernie was an incredible ambassador for baseball, and for the city of Chicago.

He was beloved by baseball fans everywhere, including Michelle, who, when she was a girl, used to sit with her dad and watch him play on TV. And in , it was my honor to present Ernie with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Somewhere, the sun is shining, the air is fresh, his team's behind him, and Mr. Class — "Mr. Cub" — is ready to play two. Renowned for his sunny disposition, Banks, 83, loved the game and often proclaimed: "Let's play two! On Nov. When first notified that he would be receiving the award, Banks said: "It means everything to me.

It means life is just wonderful. When you do things to try to help people and share things, it really comes back to you. I try to do that. I love the players, love Wrigley Field, love all the players. It's almost like the Nobel Peace Prize to me. Eddie Yost 2, , Roy McMillan 2, , Don Kessinger 2, , George Sisler 2, , 13 Cy Williams 2, , and Adam Dunn 2, Copyright Hosted by Hosting 4 Less.

Part of the Baseball Almanac Family. Follow BaseballAlmanac Find us on Facebook. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. Pitchers in non-DH games that appeared on the lineup card but didn't bat will still have a game in this column.

Bold season totals indicate player led league. Italic season totals indicate player led all major leagues. Sign up for the free Stathead newsletter and get scores, news and notes in your inbox every day. View a sample email. It's also available for football, basketball and hockey.

Sign Up For Free. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Choice is:. Powered by. Standard Fielding. Appearances on Leaderboards, Awards, and Honors. Hall of Fame Statistics. Tall and thin, Banks didn't look like a typical power hitter. He looked even less so as he stood at the plate, holding his bat high and wiggling it as he waited for pitches.

But he had strong wrists and a smooth, quick stroke, and he made hitting balls out of the park look effortless. When he switched to a lighter bat before the season, his power quickly became apparent. He hit 44 homers that season, including three against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. His five grand slams that year established a major league record that stood for more than 30 years before Don Mattingly hit six in Banks' best season came in , when he hit. Banks won the MVP again in , becoming the first NL player to win it in consecutive years, even though the Cubs had another dismal year.

Banks hit. He led the NL in homers again in with 41, his fourth straight season with 40 or more. His homers from to '60 were the most in the majors, topping even Aaron and Mays. Although Banks didn't break the homer barrier again after , he topped the RBI mark three more times, including , his last full season.

Then 38, he hit. On May 12, , he hit his th home run, becoming only the eighth player at the time to reach the plateau. He remains the Cubs' leader in games played 2, , at-bats 9, , plate appearances 10, and extra-base hits 1, He is second in home runs , hits 2, and RBIs 1, Known mostly for his power at the plate, Banks was a solid fielder, too.

He is best known as a shortstop, where he won a Gold Glove in , but he switched to first base in He played 1, games at first and 1, games at shortstop.