The Chicago Tribune ran the fan balloting to elect the starters that year and the fans, no doubt appreciating Kazak's war hero background, voted him as the starter over the more accomplished Elliott (the 1947 NL MVP) and Sid Gordon (.310 with 16 home runs at the break). He hit .268 with three home runs in the first half of 1976 -- and for some reason was selected as the Cubs' representative over Bill Madlock (who won the batting title that year and was eighth in the NL in OPS at the All-Star break) or Rick Monday (who had 15 home runs and was ninth in OPS). A 29-year-old journeyman with little time in the majors when the Kansas City Royals acquired him in 1972, Scheinblum parlayed his one season as a regular into an All-Star appearance while nearly winning a batting title, leading the AL for much of the season before finishing sixth with a .300 average.
Author: David Schoenfield
Published at: 2025-07-06 21:40:37
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