Yankees Great Hank Bauer Dead at 84

Hank Bauer the longtime Yankees great has passed away at age 84 due to cancer. Bauer, the onetime marine, played for the Yankees from 1948 thru 1959. He was dealt to Kansas City prior to the 1959 season in the deal that brought Roger Maris to the Yankees. He served as manager for two seasons with the A's, including a year as player/manager in 1961. He won a World Series title at the helm of the Baltimore Orioles in 1966 as part of his 5 seasons there and finished up his managerial career with one year in Oakland (1969). He won 594 games in his 8 seasons as a manager.

But Bauer will best be remembered as the hard-nosed outfielder for the Yankees. He was a member of 9 World Series teams, winning 7 championship rings in the process. He had a lifetime
.277 average over 14 years in the big leagues and was always a crowd favorite at Old-Timer's day. He was also one of the Yankees involved in the famous Copacabana incident that helped lead to the trade of Billy Martin.

Bauer had cartilage removed from throat in 1993 after first being diagnosed with cancer. His voice was raspy, but he was still the fun loving Hank Bauer. He will certainly be sorely missed.