About Frenchy Bordagaray
Stanley George "Frenchy" Bordagaray (January 3, 1910 – April 13, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and third baseman for the Chicago White Sox, Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Yankees between 1934 and 1945. He had a.283 batting average with 14 home runs and 270 runs batted in over 930 major league games for his career. Bordagaray gained publicity through the press through his colorful personality and various gimmicks. He appeared in bit parts in movies and grew a mustache in a time when baseball players were expected to be clean shaven. He has been inducted into the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame, the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame. They originally gave him a three-week tryout without pay, so that he could retain his amateur status; at the end of the tryout, the Senators offered Bordagaray his first professional contract. When asked about it, Bordagaray replied, "The penalty is a bit more than I expectorated." Bordagaray became known for his sayings, some of which exemplified the Dodgers' daffiness. As Brooklyn's primary third baseman and leadoff hitter in 1944, Bordagaray hit.281 with a.331 OBP and.385 SLG with 85 runs in 501 at-bats, topping 100 games played for the first time since 1936. He publicly held out from the Senators for more money during the offseason, which became an annual tradition for Bordagaray.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.