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Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial ( or ; born Stanisław Franciszek Musiał; November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and first baseman. He spent 22 seasons playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1941 to 1945 and in 1946–63. Musial is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history,〔("Stan Musial: An American Life" ), Amazon.com, review of George Vecsey's "Stan Musial: An American Life" (ESPN: May 10, 2011). Retrieved May 18, 2011〕 Musial was a first-ballot inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. He was also selected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 2014. Musial batted .331 over his career and set National League (NL) records for career hits (3,630), runs batted in (1,951), games played (3,026), at bats (10,972), runs scored (1,949) and doubles (725), most of which were later broken by Pete Rose; his 475 career home runs then ranked second in NL history behind Mel Ott's total of 511. His 6,134 total bases remained a major league record until surpassed by Hank Aaron, and his hit total still ranks fourth all-time, and is the highest by any player who spent his career with only one team. A seven-time batting champion with identical totals of 1,815 hits at home and on the road, he was named the National League's (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times and led St. Louis to three World Series championship titles. He also shares the major league record for the most All-Star Games played (24) with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. 〔Baseball Almanac. Miscellaneous All-Star Records, All-Star Game Record Book, "Most games played", Aaron, Mays, Musial, 24. Retrieved July 21, 2013 ()〕 Musial was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, where he frequently played baseball, whether informally or in organized settings, eventually playing on the baseball team at Donora High School. Signed to a professional contract by the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher in 1938, Musial was converted into an outfielder prior to his major league debut in 1941. Noted for his unique batting stance, he quickly established himself as a consistent and productive hitter. In his first full season, 1942, the Cardinals won the World Series. The following year, he led the NL in six different offensive categories and earned his first MVP award. He was also named to the NL All-Star squad for the first time; he appeared in every All-Star game in every subsequent season he played.〔 Musial won his second World Series championship in 1944, then missed the entire 1945 season while serving with the Navy. When he returned to baseball in 1946, Musial resumed his consistent hitting. That year he earned his second MVP award and third World Series title. His third MVP award came in 1948, when he finished one home run shy of winning baseball's Triple Crown. After struggling offensively in 1959, Musial used a personal trainer to help maintain his productivity until he decided to retire in 1963. At the time of his retirement, he held or shared 17 major league records, 29 National League records, and nine All-Star Game records. Ironically, in 1964, the season following his retirement, the Cardinals went on to defeat the New York Yankees in an epic 7-game clash, for St. Louis' first World Series championship in nearly two decades (a team which included future Hall of Famer Lou Brock performing what would have likely been Musial's left field duties).〔Baseball Almanac. "1964 World Series." 1964 World Series. Retrieved November 6, 2014 ()〕 In addition to overseeing businesses, such as a restaurant both before and after his playing career, Musial served as the Cardinals' general manager in 1967, winning the pennant and World Series, then quitting that position. He also became noted for his harmonica playing, a skill he acquired during his playing career. Known for his modesty and sportsmanship, Musial was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. In February 2011, President Barack Obama presented Musial with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the highest civilian awards that can be bestowed on a person by the United States government. ==Early life== Musial was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, the fifth of the six children (four girls and two boys) of Lukasz and Mary (Lancos) Musiał (, ).〔Musial and Broeg 1964: 6〕 His mother was of Carpatho-Rusyn descent and his father was a Polish immigrant who chose the name Stanisław Franciszek for his first son, though his father always referred to Musial using the Polish nickname Stasiu, pronounced "Stashu".〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Musial, Stanley Frank )〕 Musial frequently played baseball with his brother Ed and other friends during his childhood, and considered Lefty Grove his favorite ballplayer.〔Lansche 1994: 6〕〔Musial and Broeg 1964: 10–11〕 Musial also had the benefit of learning about baseball from his neighbor Joe Barbao, a former minor league pitcher.〔Musial and Broeg 1964: 10〕 When he enrolled in school, his name was formally changed to Stanley Frank Musial.〔 At age 15 Musial joined the Donora Zincs, a semi-professional team managed by Barbao.〔Lansche 1994: 7〕 In his Zincs debut he pitched 6 innings and struck out 13 batters, all of them adults.〔 Musial also played one season on the newly revived Donora High School baseball team, where one of his teammates was Buddy Griffey, father of MLB player Ken Griffey, Sr. and grandfather to Ken Griffey, Jr.〔Giglio 2001: 23–24〕 Baseball statistician Bill James described the younger Griffey, in comparison to Musial, as "the second-best left-handed hitting, left-handed throwing outfielder ever born in Donora, Pennsylvania, on November 21."〔James 2001: 727〕 His exploits as a rising player in Pennsylvania earned him the nickname "The Donora Greyhound".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Stan Musial player page )〕 Musial also played basketball, for which he was offered a scholarship by the University of Pittsburgh.〔〔Musial and Broeg 1964: 14〕 Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals had scouted Musial as a pitcher and, in 1937, offered him a professional contract after a workout with their Class D Penn State League affiliate.〔Lansche 1994: 8〕 Musial's father initially resisted the idea of his son pursuing a baseball career, but reluctantly gave his consent after lobbying by both Musial and his mother.〔Giglio 2001: 26–27〕 Musial also credited his school librarian Helen Kloz for pointing out that baseball was his dream and advising him to pursue it professionally.〔 In what was then a common practice, the Cardinals did not file the contract with the baseball commissioner's office until June 1938. This preserved Musial's amateur eligibility, and he was still able to participate in high school sports, leading Donora High School's basketball team to a playoff appearance.〔Musial and Broeg 1964: 21〕 He then reported to the Cardinals' Class D affiliate in West Virginia, the Williamson Red Birds.〔Musial and Broeg 1964: 24–25〕〔Giglio 2001: 27–29〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Stan Musial」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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