Eric on The Road

Journeys into the offbeat, off the beaten path, overlooked and forgotten - by Eric Model

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Passing: Johnny Blanchard, Yanks’ ’60s Super Sub (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By RICAHRD GOLDSTEIN
Published: March 25, 2009

Johnny Blanchard, a power-hitting catcher and outfielder known as Super Sub who played in five consecutive World Series for the Yanks in the 1960s, died March 24, 2009 in Robbinsdale, Minn. He was 76.

As a left-handed hitter who could deliver the long ball, Blanchard seemed a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium and its short right-field fence. But he was essentially a catcher and had little chance of breaking into the starting lineup since the Yankees had Yogi Berra and Elston Howard.

Blanchard’s best season was 1961, when he hit a career-high 21 home runs and batted .305 in 93 games.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/sports/baseball/26blanchard.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries

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