Yankees: Their Top Five second basemen over the last half-century

Back to the sixties for this one………….

Bobby Richardson hit a total of 34 home runs for the Yankees during his tenure as their second baseman from 1957-1966.

But during that time, his team won three World Championships, including back to back titles in 1961 and 1962 against the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants.

In 1960, a series that the Yankees lost in a final seventh game in which Bill Mazeroski pulled off a Bobby Thompson home run sending the Bombers home, while Richardson became the Most Valuable Player in a losing cause batting .367 with 12 runs batted in and an unimaginable 1.054 OPS.

A seven-time All-Star, Richardson would end his career with a pedestrian batting average of .266, hardly worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.

But to the Yankees, he was the glue along with Tony Kubek up the middle that created the chance for others like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris to rise to their heights propelling the team to the World Series and beyond.

In later years following his retirement from baseball, Richardson would move on to pursue his faith as a minister of the gospel. Criticized by some for bringing religion to the forefront of baseball, he persevered.

At Mickey Mantle’s bedside during his last days, Richardson spoke with “The Mick” who was mournful for his behavior over the years and the two sealed a friendship that had its origins in the Yankees clubhouse many years before. Richardson also would also deliver the eulogy at Mantle’s funeral service.

Bobby Richardson is the personification of the major league second baseman who quietly does his job with none of the glitter and glam that makes him a name to remember in the Yankees annals. But any closer look reveals something much different.