Highlighted Year: Norm Cash, 1961

First Baseman, Detroit Tigers

Age: 27

2^nd season with Tigers

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 185 

Prior to 1961:

A native Texan, Cash grew up on a farm in a small town where he had no opportunity to play organized baseball. At Sul Ross State University he starred on the football team where he rushed for a school record with 1255 yards as a senior in 1955. Drafted as a halfback by the NFL’s Chicago Bears, Cash instead chose baseball after playing for a town team and demonstrating a natural talent for the game. He signed with the Chicago White Sox. The young outfielder was first assigned to the Waterloo White Hawks of the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa (or Three I) League where in 92 games he batted .290 with 13 doubles, 5 triples, 17 home runs, 64 RBIs, a .371 on-base percentage, and a .504 slugging percentage. With Waterloo again in 1956 he hit .334 with 23 home runs, 96 RBIs, and a .436 OBP. During a two-year stint in the Army, Cash performed well in military ball with Fort Bliss. The White Sox converted him into a first baseman in 1958 and he was sent to Indianapolis of the Class AAA American Association where he batted .247 in 29 games with a .319 OBP before being called up to the White Sox to back up first baseman Earl Torgeson. He fielded well when he got the opportunity but hit .250 with no extra-base hits. With the pennant-winning White Sox in 1959, Cash appeared in 58 games and batted .240 with 4 home runs, 16 RBIs, and a .372 OBP. With the White Sox choosing to deal prospects for established veterans in the offseason, Cash was part of a seven-player trade with the Cleveland Indians. Just prior to the 1960 season, he was dealt again, this time to the Tigers. With a fun-loving personality, Cash quickly became popular with his teammates. He also saw considerable action at first base, batting .286 with 16 doubles, 18 home runs, 63 RBIs, a .402 OBP, and a .501 slugging percentage.

1961 Season Summary

Appeared in 159 games

1B – 157, PH – 2

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 673 [11]

At Bats – 535

Runs – 119 [4]

Hits – 193 [1]

Doubles – 22

Triples – 8 [4, tied with Tito Francona & Jim Landis]

Home Runs – 41 [6]

RBI – 132 [4]

Bases on Balls – 124 [2]

Int. BB – 19 [1]

Strikeouts – 85 [15]

Stolen Bases – 11 [14, tied with Albie Pearson]

Caught Stealing – 5 [14, tied with eight others]

Average - .361 [1]

OBP - .487 [1]

Slugging Pct. - .662 [2]

Total Bases – 354 [2]

GDP – 16 [14, tied with Roger Maris, Al Kaline & Jackie Jensen]

Hit by Pitches – 9 [3, tied with Nellie Fox]

Sac Hits – 2

Sac Flies – 2 

League-leading hits were +1 ahead of runner-up Brooks Robinson

League-leading int. bases on balls were +8 ahead of runner-up Woody Held

League-leading batting average was +.037 ahead of runner-up Al Kaline

League-leading OBP was +.039 ahead of runner-up Mickey Mantle

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 9, 3B – 4, HR - 24, RBI – 70, AVG - .355, SLG - .666, OBP – .483

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) vs. Washington 6/11 – 11 innings, (in 5 AB) at KC A’s 7/23, (in 5 AB) at Minnesota 9/29 – 10 innings

Longest hitting streak – 12 games

HR at home – 21

HR on road – 20

Most home runs, game – 2 (in 4 AB) vs. Washington 6/11, (in 3 AB) vs. Boston 6/13, (in 4 AB) at Cleveland 6/25

Multi-HR games – 3

Most RBIs, game – 5 at KC A’s 7/23

Pinch-hitting – 0 for 1 (.000) with 1 BB

Fielding

Chances – 1369

Put Outs – 1231

Assists – 127

Errors – 11

DP – 121

Pct. - .992

Awards & Honors:

All-Star (Started for AL at 1B, both games)

4^th in AL MVP voting (151 points – 1 first place vote, 54% share)

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The Tigers went 101-61 to finish second in the AL, 8 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees while leading the league in runs scored (841), triples (53), batting (.266), and OBP (.347). The Tigers started off fast and were in first place from April 29 until June 6 and then again from June 17 through July 6. They were in first or second for the remainder of July but in second to stay through August and September. After losing three straight to the Yankees in New York to start September, they continued to lose until the string reached eight to end any pennant hopes.

Aftermath of 1961:

1962 was a disappointing season for the Tigers, who dropped to fourth place, and somewhat disappointing for Cash, hindered by a broken finger and lengthy slump that resulted in his batting .243 although with a robust 39 home runs, 89 RBIs, and a .382 OBP thanks to drawing 104 walks, and a .513 slugging percentage. Cash got off to a slow start in 1963 but came on to hit .270 with 19 doubles, 26 home runs, 79 RBIs, a .386 OBP, and a .471 slugging percentage. Nicknamed “Stormin’ Norman” by long-time Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell for his occasional displays of temper despite his genial nature, Cash drank heavily during time off. In 1964 he was occasionally platooned with Don Demeter (typically an outfielder) but led AL first basemen with a .997 fielding percentage. At the plate he hit .257 with 23 home runs, 83 RBIs, a .351 OBP, and a .453 slugging percentage. In 1965 a strong second-half power spurt propelled Cash to 23 doubles, 30 home runs, 83 RBIs, a .266 batting average, a .371 OBP, and a ..512 slugging percentage. He maintained his power production in 1966, batting .279 with 18 doubles, 32 home runs, 93 RBIs, a .351 OBP, and a .478 slugging percentage. He was an All-Star for the second time and placed twelfth in league MVP voting. Detroit was part of a wild pennant race in 1967 which resulted in a tie for second place, just behind the first-place Red Sox, and while Cash’s power production remained solid with 22 home runs and 72 RBIs, his average dropped to .242 with a .352 OBP and .430 slugging percentage. Thus, down the stretch, he found himself slpitting time at first base with veteran slugger Eddie Mathews, who had been obtained from Houston. The Tigers rolled to the AL pennant in the pitching-dominated 1968 season, and Cash, who was mired in a slump during much of the season, came on strong in the second half to finish at .263 with 25 home runs, a .329 OBP, and a .487 slugging percentage. In the come-from-behind World Series win against the St. Louis Cardinals, he contributed a home run and 5 RBIs while hitting .385. The Tigers returned to being a second-place club in the first season of divisional play in 1969 and Cash batted .280 with 22 home runs, 74 RBIs, a .368 OBP, and a .464 slugging percentage. Splitting time with aging veteran outfielder Al Kaline at first base in 1970, Cash’s production dropped to .259 with 18 doubles, 15 home runs, 53 RBIs, a .383 OBP, and a .441 slugging percentage. He returned to form in 1971 and batted .283 with 32 home runs, 91 RBIs, a .372 OBP, and a .531 slugging percentage. He was voted to be the starting first baseman for the American League in the All-Star Game and finished twelfth in league MVP balloting. With an aging roster, the Tigers were AL East champions in 1972 and Cash, who as usual saw the most action at first base, hit .259 with 22 home runs, 61 RBIs, a .338 OBP, and a .445 slugging percentage. In 1973, the 39-yer-old slugger known for his pranks, came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning in a game in which fireballing RHP Nolan Ryan of the California Angels was tossing a no-hitter brandishing a table leg from the clubhouse instead of a bat. When the plate umpire objected, Cash responded “I’ve got as much chance with this as I do with a bat.” Returning to the batter’s box with a bat, he immediately struck out to seal the no-hitter. It was a part of a season in which “Stormin’ Norman” batted .262 with 19 doubles, 19 home runs, 40 RBIs, a .357 OBP, and a .471 slugging percentage. Cash returned for one more season at age 40 in 1974 and his season, and career, concluded with his release in August while hitting .228 with 7 home runs and 12 RBIs. For his major league career Cash batted .271 with 1820 hits that included 241 doubles, 41 triples, and 377 home runs. In 15 seasons with the Tigers he batted .272 with all 241 doubles, 40 triples, 373 home runs, 1027 runs scored, 1088 RBIs, a .374 OBP, and a .490 slugging percentage. Appearing in 16 postseason games, Cash hit ..311 with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs. Having hosted a local variety show in the early 1970s, following his playing career he did some broadcasting where his attempts at humor were not always appreciated. He made a cameo appearance in the biopic about Ron LeFlore, who following a prison stint, went on to play for the Tigers. His health deteriorated, including a stroke in 1979. Cash died tragically at age 52 in 1986 due to drowning after falling off a dock during a boating trip on Lake Michigan. He was posthumously inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Little League baseball field in Post, Texas was named for Cash. A personable man with many hobbies, he provided a reliable power bat to the Tigers and was a fine fielder as well.

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.