James Thomas Northrup (November 24, 1939 – June 8, 2011), nicknamed "the Silver Fox" due to his prematurely graying hair, was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and left-handed batter who played for the Detroit Tigers (1964–74), Montreal Expos (1974) and Baltimore Orioles (1974–75).

Career overview

Northrup was a good outfielder who played significant percentages of his time in all three outfield positions. Northrup's versatility allowed then-manager Mayo Smith to make him the Tigers' center fielder in the 1968 World Series, as Smith famously moved regular center fielder Mickey Stanley to shortstop to replace the weak-hitting Ray Oyler.

An excellent streak hitter and catalyst for Detroit during the 1960s, Northrup was a power hitter who had good strike-zone judgment and a short, quick stroke. In the field, he had a decent arm, a quick release and good accuracy.

Northrup is best remembered for his contributions to the 1968 Detroit Tigers World Series Championship team. Northrup led the 1968 Tigers in hits and RBIs, hit five grand slams, broke up three no-hitters, and had the game-winning triple off Bob Gibson in Game 7 of the 1968 World Series.

In his 12-year major league career Northrup batted .267 (1254-for-4692), with 153 home runs, 610 RBIs, 603 runs, 218 doubles, 42 triples, 39 stolen bases and 449 bases on balls in 1392 games. Defensively, he recorded a .981 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions and first base. In 12 postseason games, he batted .286 (12-for-42) with 4 runs, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 9 RBI and 3 walks.

Once a year, Northrup and his father would make a seven-hour drive (before the expressways) to Detroit when the Boston Red Sox came to town. Ted Williams was Northrup's idol, the "only idol I've ever had." Northrup, however, never saw a complete game as a boy. Rather than pay full price, his father would "wait until the sixth or seventh inning, because then you could give the guy outside a buck or two and you could go out there and watch Ted play."

Northrup played in a rotation of four players at the three outfield positions, with Willie Horton, Mickey Stanley, and Al Kaline being the others. However, for the World Series, Detroit manager Mayo Smith decided to bring Stanley in from the outfield to play shortstop, giving the Tigers a firm outfield of Horton (left field), Northrup (center field), and Kaline (right field) in all seven of the games.

Northrup also hit five grand slams during the 1968 season, four in the regular season. The first came in May. Then, on June 24, 1968, Northrup hit grand slams on consecutive pitches in consecutive at bats in the 5th and 6th innings. This made him one of only 13 players (through July 28, 2009) to have hit 2 grand slams in one game, and the second to do so in consecutive at-bats (the first was Jim Gentile in 1961). Five days later, Northrup hit another grand slam, becoming the first major league player to hit three grand slams in a single week. Larry Parrish later accomplished the same feat in 1982, however, Northrup hit his three slams in only 14 plate appearances, setting a record that still stands Northrup's fifth grand slam came in Game 6 of the 1968 World Series, fueling a 13-1 blowout win for Detroit.

In addition to his grand slam in Game 6, Northrup had the key hit in Game 7 off St. Louis Cardinals ace Bob Gibson. After striking out 17 batters in Game 1, and pitching a complete game victory in Game 4, Gibson held the Tigers scoreless through the first six innings of Game 7. Northrup, who had a solo home run against Gibson in Game 4 to account for the Tigers only run off the ace thus far in the Series, came to bat with two men on and two outs in the 7th inning. Northrup hit a triple over center fielder Curt Flood's head, as Norm Cash and Willie Horton both scored. Bill Freehan followed with a double to score Northrup, and the Tigers won Game 7 to become World Series Champions.

Curt Flood, normally a superb defensive outfielder, was tagged a "goat" for having misplayed Northrup's Game 7 triple. But Northrup defended Flood: "He slipped a little, but it still went 40 feet over his head. . . . He never had a chance to catch it." In a 2001 interview, Northrup concluded: "Winning the World Series had to be the highlight of my baseball career." Northrup placed 13th in the 1968 American League Most Valuable Player voting.

1969–74

Northrup had another solid season for the Tigers in 1969, as he raised his batting average to .295 (9th in the AL) and had career highs with 25 home runs and 31 doubles (6th in the AL). On August 28, 1969, Northrup became the first Tiger since Ty Cobb to hit 6-for-6, finishing the game with a 13th-inning game-winning home run over the Tiger Stadium roof.

In 1970, the Tigers dropped to 4th place in their last season under manager Mayo Smith. The Tigers were an aging squad when Billy Martin took over, and Martin sought to light a fire under them. Though Martin turned the Tigers back into contenders in 1971 and 1972, Northrup chafed at Martin's tactics. Northrup noted: "We got sick and tired of reading Martin say in the papers, 'I manage good, and they play bad.' 'I'd like to bunt, but my players can't do it.' . . . It was all, 'I, I, I,' and 'Me, me, me.' I did not respect him in any way . . ." The Caesars played in the American Professional Slow Pitch Softball League (APSPL), winning league titles in both seasons with Northrup. The team was owned by Mike Ilitch who would later become the owner of the Detroit Tigers. The Caesars had extensive talent from the amateur softball leagues and both Northrup and fellow former-Tiger Norm Cash played part-time and promotional roles.

From 1985 to 1994, Northrup was a color analyst for the Tigers on the PASS Sports cable television service. He was the CEO of Jim Northrup and Associates, a manufacturer's representative firm in Southfield, Michigan. He was inducted in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (2000), and also has been a supporter of many college activities.

Death

Northrup died on June 8, 2011, from a seizure. Longtime friend Bill Wischman said Northrup had been recently admitted to an assisted living facility in Holly, Michigan, 20 miles from his home in Highland. Northrup had been in poor health for some time and had been at the home for about a month because of Alzheimer's disease. In addition to having Alzheimer's, Northrup also battled rheumatoid arthritis for many years, Wischman said. "As ill as he was, he never complained", the friend said. Northrup was survived by his wife Patty; children Kamil, Azaria, Jim, Paige and Kate; and seven grandchildren.

See also

  • 1968 Detroit Tigers season
  • List of Major League Baseball single-game grand slam leaders
  • Detroit Tigers/Broadcasters
  • List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders

References

  • SABR Biography of Jim Northrup