Luke Appling, nicknamed “Old Aches and Pains,” is a Hall-of-Fame shortstop, who played his entire career with the Chicago White Sox (1930-1950) … except for the year he played for America in World War II (1944). After his playing career, he was a Minor League manager and, eventually, a Major League coach. He made seven All-Star teams, won two batting titles, and has his number retired by the Sox.
But even though he played for 20 years, Appling retired with just 45 home runs. That’s partly due to the era, but probably more about the type of hitter he was for his career (all average and OBP, no strikeouts, little power): .310/.399/.398 (115 wRC+).
But that didn’t stop him from going deep as a SEVENTY-FIVE (75) year old at the Old Timers Game in 1982.
I can watch this over and over:
https://twitter.com/MLBDailyDingers/status/1326152950218190849?s=20
I especially love his old-timey swing. Batters just don’t take that path to the ball anymore, which is probably a good thing, but it sure looks cool. What an awesome moment.