Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 244

was wounded by shrapnel in his thigh. His wounds were severe enough to send him back to the United States to recuperate.

Returning to East St. Louis, Bauer joined the local pipe fitter's union, and he stopped by the local bar where his brother Joe Bauer worked. Danny Menendez, a scout for the New York Yankees, decided to sign him for a tryout with the Yankees' farm team in Quincy, Illinois. The terms of his contract were $175 a month, with a $25 per month increase if he made the team, and a $250 bonus. Batting .300 at Quincy and with the team's top minor league unit, the Kansas City Blues, Bauer eventually made

his debut with the Yankees in September 1948.

In his 14 season Major League Baseball career, Bauer had a .277

batting average with 164 home runs and 703 RBIs in 1,544 games played. He recorded a career .982 fielding percentage. Bauer