When your third in line to catch behind the likes of Yogi Berra and Elston Howard, you've got things tough. But that didn't stop Johnny Blanchard from leaving his mark on baseball. Blanchard died earlier today of an apparent heart attack. He was 76.Blanchard played on five pennant winners (1960-1964) with the Yankees as part of his eight year career. He was one of six Yankees to top twenty home runs when the team set a then major league record with 240 home runs in 1961. That season Blanchard was at best, hitting .305, with 21 home runs and 54 RBI in just 93 games.
Blanchard hit .345 in 29 World Series at-bats with a pair of home runs and 5 RBI. Though we never got to see him play, we always remember him as a regular attendee at Old-Timer's Day.
We send our condolences to his family.
photo courtesy of vintagecardtraders.com
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