Mize, John Robert

▪ 1994

      ("JOHNNY"; "THE BIG CAT"), U.S. baseball player (b. Jan. 7, 1913, Demorest, Ga.—d. June 2, 1993, Demorest), was a slow-moving right-handed first baseman but a powerhouse left-handed hitter whose unique, graceful swinging style earned him the moniker "the Big Cat." His heavy Southern drawl spawned the nickname "Big Jawn." Mize belted 359 home runs during a 15-year major-league career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1936-41), New York Giants (1942-49), and New York Yankees (1949-53). Mize, who as a youth also excelled in tennis, honed his legendary hand-eye coordination by batting a tennis ball against a barn with a broomstick. He was a high school baseball star and, after turning professional, he made several incredible achievements. Mize was the only major-league player to hit three home runs in a game six times, had eight pinch-hit home runs, led or tied for the lead in home runs four times (28 in 1939, 43 in 1940, 51 in 1947, and 40 in 1948), led the National League with 16 triples in 1938 and 39 doubles in 1941, and in 1947 led the majors with 138 runs batted in. Mize retired in 1953 with a .312 batting average and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.

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