# 4081 - 2006 39c Baseball Sluggers: Hank Greenberg
Baseball Sluggers
Hank Greenberg
City: Bronx, NY
Quantity: 200,000,000
Printed by: Avery Dennison
Printing method: Photogravure
Perforations: Die cut 10 ¾
Color: Multicolored
Birth of “Hammerin’ Hank”
The son of Romanian-Jewish immigrants, Greenberg was an all-around athlete, but his favorite sport was baseball. Big for his age, he practiced hard to overcome the awkwardness he felt. In 1929, the New York Yankees recruited him, but he refused, opting to attend New York University instead.
Greenberg attended college for a year before signing with the Detroit Tigers. He made his major league debut on September 14, 1930, but spent much of the next three years playing in the minor leagues. In 1933, he returned to the Tigers major league team and hit .301, driving in 87 runs. The following year he hit .339 and played a role in helping the Tigers get to their first World Series in 25 years.
During the 1935 season, Greenberg led the league in RBIs, total bases, and extra-base hits and was unanimously voted the league’s Most Valuable Player. He also helped the Tigers get to the World Series again, but suffered an injury in the second game. Happily for Greenberg, the Tigers won the World Series that year.
After spending the first seven years of his career at first base, Greenberg moved to left field in 1940. He led the league that year in home runs, RBIs, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, and slugging percentage. That year he also became the first player to win the MVP award for two different positions.
Greenberg went on to spend several years in management with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. He died on September 4, 1986, in Beverly Hills, California.
Click here to see Greenberg’s career statistics.
Baseball Sluggers
Hank Greenberg
City: Bronx, NY
Quantity: 200,000,000
Printed by: Avery Dennison
Printing method: Photogravure
Perforations: Die cut 10 ¾
Color: Multicolored
Birth of “Hammerin’ Hank”
The son of Romanian-Jewish immigrants, Greenberg was an all-around athlete, but his favorite sport was baseball. Big for his age, he practiced hard to overcome the awkwardness he felt. In 1929, the New York Yankees recruited him, but he refused, opting to attend New York University instead.
Greenberg attended college for a year before signing with the Detroit Tigers. He made his major league debut on September 14, 1930, but spent much of the next three years playing in the minor leagues. In 1933, he returned to the Tigers major league team and hit .301, driving in 87 runs. The following year he hit .339 and played a role in helping the Tigers get to their first World Series in 25 years.
During the 1935 season, Greenberg led the league in RBIs, total bases, and extra-base hits and was unanimously voted the league’s Most Valuable Player. He also helped the Tigers get to the World Series again, but suffered an injury in the second game. Happily for Greenberg, the Tigers won the World Series that year.
After spending the first seven years of his career at first base, Greenberg moved to left field in 1940. He led the league that year in home runs, RBIs, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, and slugging percentage. That year he also became the first player to win the MVP award for two different positions.
Greenberg went on to spend several years in management with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. He died on September 4, 1986, in Beverly Hills, California.
Click here to see Greenberg’s career statistics.