Louie, Louie
When the Orioles dealt for Luis Aparicio in 1963, they sealed the left side of their infield for years to come. Few balls got past future Hall of Famers Aparicio, the go-go shortstop, or unerring Brooks Robinson at third. For five seasons here, the airborne Venezuelan turned double plays like this one, against Cleveland (and base runner Max Alvis) in 1967.
Aparicio had perhaps his best year in Baltimore in 1966, when he had hitting streaks of 17 and 14 games. Three times that summer, he hammered five hits in one game to help the Orioles to a World Series championship.
"I disappointed vice president, though," he said afterward. "(Hubert) Humphrey told me to hit home run for him and I didn’t."
Now 75, Aparicio resides in his native land.
Sun file photo
Also see: Through the Looking Glass archive
in Orioles, Through The Looking Glass, Today's Special
| Permalink
Comments
little louie was a brilliant shortstop winning i think 9 gold gloves and winning i think 9 stolen base titles. he played with flair and whenever he got on first base the crowd would chant "louie" "louie" and go go go. for my money he was the orioles best shortstop ever...though belanger was truly a great fielder as well with i think 9 gold gloves.
Posted by: fkterp | June 5, 2009 1:32 PM
If I remember correctly, no one ever heard from Louie was until he showed up for spring training. Also, every spring we found that he had a new addition to his family. He was a class guy and one of the best fielding shortstops of all time.
Posted by: SamD | June 9, 2009 2:31 PM