Hank Bauer, Yankees All-Star, Dies at 84

Hank Bauer, Yankees All-Star, Dies at 84
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 6:01 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (AP) -- Hank Bauer, the hard-nosed ex-Marine who returned to baseball after being wounded during World War II and went on to become a cornerstone of the New York Yankees dynasty of the 1950s, died Friday. He was 84. Bauer died of cancer in Shawnee Mission, Kan., said the Baltimore Orioles. Bauer managed the 1966 Orioles to their first World Series title.
A three-time All-Star outfielder, Bauer played on Yankees teams that won nine American League pennants and seven World Series in 10 years. He set the Series record with a 17-game hitting streak, a mark that still stands.
''Hank Bauer is an emblem of a generation that helped shape the landscape of our country,'' Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. ''He was a natural leader and a teammate in every sense of the word, and his contributions went well beyond the baseball field. His service to the Yankees, his country, and his family shows why I have been so privileged to call him a friend.''
Surrounded by sluggers such as Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, Bauer was a major ingredient in the Yankees' success during his years in New York from 1948-59.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/spor...gewanted=print

[ClutterbusterNY]

His baseball career made him famous, but it was his service in the USMC made him an American Hero.

"Bauer enlisted in the Marines shortly after Pearl Harbor and saw action in a number of battles in the Pacific, including Okinawa and Guadalcanal, according to Hall of Fame archives. He earned two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.
Bauer was wounded at Okinawa, hit in the left thigh by shrapnel in his 53rd day on the island.
''We went in with 64 and six of us came out,'' Bauer said."

Rest in Peace Marine!