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After he retired from playing, Wertz kept a photo of “The Catch” in his office at his beer distribution company and explained he had no negative feelings about being remembered for hitting a deep fly out. "I'm very proud that I'm associated with it," Wertz told UPI in 1979. "I look at it this way: If
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Wertz was among the Top 10 in the
American League in home runs in 1949 (20), 1950 (27), 1951 (27), 1952 (23), 1953 (19), 1956 (32), and 1957 (28). His 1956 total of 32 home runs was second best in the AL. For his career, Wertz hit 266 home runs and 1,178 RBIs with a .469 career slugging average and
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that ball Willie caught had been a home run or a triple, how many people would've remembered me? Not many. This way, everybody who meets me for the first time always identifies me with Willie's catch, and that makes me feel good."
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Vic Wertz Field at the Berks County Youth
Recreation Facility in Pennsylvania is named in his honor. The field was dedicated on April 19, 2013.
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veteran. During and after his baseball career, Wertz worked in the
Detroit area beer distribution business . When he retired to
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Wertz finished in the Top 15 in MVP voting five times: 1949 (10th), 1950 (10th), 1956 (9th), 1957 (6th), and 1960 (14th).
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team four times (1949, 1951, 1952 and 1957). He missed part of the 1955 season when stricken with a nonparalytic form of
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in New York, and a sportswriter said, "It would have been a home run in any other park, including
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endurance ride, run annually in
Michigan starting in 1982 to benefit the Special Olympics.
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Wertz was signed as a free agent by the
Detroit Tigers in 1942, then played in their
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543:"Vic Wertz Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More"
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on
September 14, 1947, while in his rookie season with Detroit.
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the previous day. He is buried at Holy
Sepulchre Cemetery in
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640:"Former major leaguer Wertz, 58, dies during heart surgery"
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List of Major League
Baseball career runs batted in leaders
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and replacing a valve in his heart after he had suffered a
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on the morning of July 7, 1983. Surgeons were performing a
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List of Major League
Baseball players to hit for the cycle
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September 19, 1963, for the Minnesota Twins
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system until making his major league debut in 1947. He
562:"Catching up with Vic Wertz's 1954 World Series Drive"
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List of Major League
Baseball career home run leaders
317:(MLB) career from 1947 to 1963. Wertz played for the
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April 15, 1947, for the Detroit Tigers
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613:"They'll snowmobile 800 miles for Special Olympics"
378:Wertz started 1954 as a member of the newly formed
302:(February 9, 1925 – July 7, 1983) was an American
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441:Winter Games. He was the founder of an 800-mile
699:Career statistics and player information from
523:"Detroit Tigers 16, Washington Senators 6 (1)"
798:American military personnel of World War II
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367:Wertz was elected to the American League
808:Baseball players from York, Pennsylvania
40:Wertz with the St. Louis Browns in 1953
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818:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
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843:Major League Baseball right fielders
594:"SportsEngine | Sign In Step 1"
323:St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles
195:St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles
16:American baseball player (1925–1983)
838:Major League Baseball first basemen
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611:Foster, Terry (January 31, 1985).
577:– via The Glory of Baseball.
364:a .364 career on-base percentage.
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720:at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
645:The San Bernardino County Sun
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560:Deane, Bill (October 2005).
398:, Wertz hit a long fly ball
264:Career highlights and awards
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858:Winston-Salem Twins players
709:Baseball Reference (Minors)
664:– via newspapers.com.
628:– via newspapers.com.
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435:Mount Clemens, Michigan
337:; all teams within the
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813:Boston Red Sox players
547:Baseball-Reference.com
833:Detroit Tigers scouts
755:Hitting for the cycle
531:. September 14, 1947.
315:Major League Baseball
304:professional baseball
466:Southfield, Michigan
300:Victor Woodrow Wertz
759:September 14, 1947
313:. He had a 17-year
124:Last MLB appearance
705:Baseball Reference
618:Detroit Free Press
598:user.sportngin.com
448:Wertz died during
402:caught, known as "
72:York, Pennsylvania
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762:Succeeded by
396:1954 World Series
380:Baltimore Orioles
355:hit for the cycle
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656:. July 8, 1983
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728:Find a Grave
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658:. Retrieved
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622:. Retrieved
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571:. Retrieved
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462:heart attack
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431:World War II
429:Wertz was a
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408:Polo Grounds
388:Bob Chakales
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84:(1983-07-07)
82:July 7, 1983
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788:1983 deaths
783:1925 births
748:Bobby Doerr
680:"Vic Wertz"
412:Yellowstone
400:Willie Mays
777:Categories
713:Retrosheet
711:, or
707:, or
703:, or
528:Retrosheet
510:References
443:snowmobile
392:Bill Glynn
311:outfielder
65:1925-02-09
724:Vic Wertz
718:Vic Wertz
404:The Catch
150:Home runs
114:MLB debut
28:Vic Wertz
472:See also
369:All-Star
273:All-Star
99:Batted:
573:May 9,
345:Career
333:, and
105:Threw:
91:, U.S.
74:, U.S.
373:polio
173:Teams
164:1,178
107:Right
80:Died:
60:Born:
685:SABR
662:2017
626:2017
575:2017
309:and
289:1957
285:1952
281:1951
277:1949
255:1963
245:1963
241:1961
231:1961
227:1959
217:1958
213:1954
203:1954
199:1952
189:1952
185:1947
144:.277
101:Left
726:at
701:MLB
414:."
271:4×
154:266
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654:AP
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