My Favorite Hall of Fame Duos
June 10, 2013 by Matt Nadel · Leave a Comment
I’m sure you all know the dynamic duo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. If you don’t, let me just tell you that they are a great Hall of Fame duo. Do you think they made my list of my top favorite Hall of Fame duos in baseball history? Read on and find out.
Number Five:
Paul Molitor
and Robin Yount
Why?
Besides playing together on the Brewers from 1978-1992, these two Hall of Famers are the only two to be teammates and get at least 3,000 hits in their career (except for another pair of HoFers on this list). Also, they helped my favorite NL team win the AL pennant in 1982. (Note: the Brewers switched to the NL in ’98.)
Number Four:
Eddie Murray
and Cal Ripken
Jr.
Why?
The other Hall of Fame pair in which each person hit over 3,000 hits, Cal and Eddie played together on the Orioles from 1977-1988 and 1996 and helped the O’s win the 1983 World Series. Overall, with Ripken owning the record for most consecutive games played in and Murray being one of the only players ever with 3,000+ hits and 500+ homers, the two were a force to be reckoned with for over a decade of pain for AL pitchers not in Baltimore.
Number Three:
Harmon Killebrew
and Rod Carew
Why?
A literal “Twin Killing” from 1967-1974, the powerful Killebrew and the contact hitter Carew terrorized pitching wherever they played. Their two different styles resulted in many Twins runs, as Carew (with 3,000+ hits) would get on base often, which provided Killebrew the ability of knocking him in on an RBI double or a homer (Killebrew hit 500+ homers in his career). Here’s a fun fact about these two: they are the only AL Hall of Fame teammates to have their last names rhyme.
Number Two:
Willie Mays
and Willie McCovey
Why?
The Say Hey Kid and Stretch were basically the best power hitters of their generation. From 1959-1972, these two San Fran teammates were one of the best duos in baseball. There is a simple science to how these two batted: most of the time, Mays would get on base (3,000+ hits in his career) and McCovey would hit a homer (500+ homers in his career), or Mays would just crack a homer of his own (600+ homers in his career). Either way, these two Hall of Famers make up one of the best power-hitting duos in baseball history.
Number One:
Babe Ruth
and Lou Gehrig
Why?
They are simply the greatest. From 1923-1934 in the Bronx, they completely roughed up pitching everywhere. They both batted over .340 in their careers and led their team to four Fall Classic victories. I think this story best sums up the best one-two punch in baseball history. In Game Three of the 1932 World Series against the Cubs, Ruth hit a homer at Wrigley Field that he supposedly predicted, commonly referred to as “the Called Shot”. What most people don’t know is that Gehrig hit a homer in the next at-bat, meaning back-to-back homers in the World Series! Personally, I think that is pretty cool, because those two homers were hit by two of the best players in baseball history.
Well, that’s my list. I know it may be controversial, but it’s my top favorite duos, not a list of the top five HoF duos who I think are the best. If you don’t agree with the list, send me a comment. Anyway, thanks for reading this post and I hoped you enjoyed it. Check back in a couple of days for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”