- Freddie Patek
Infobox MLB retired
name=Freddie Patek
position=Shortstop
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1944|10|9
city-state|Seguin|Texas
debutdate=June 3
debutyear=by|1968
debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
finaldate=October 3
finalyear=by|1981
finalteam=California Angels
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.242
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=1,340
stat3label=Stolen base s
stat3value=385
teams=
*Pittsburgh Pirates (by|1968-by|1970)
*Kansas City Royals (by|1971-by|1979)
* California Angels (by|1980-by|1981)
highlights=
* 3x All-Star selection (1972, 1976, 1978)
*Led AL in triples in 1971 with 11
*Led AL in stolen bases in 1977 with 53Frederick Joseph Patek (pronEng|ˈpɑːˌtɛk; born
October 9 ,1944 in Seguin,Texas [cite web | url = http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/patekfr01.shtml | title = Freddie Patek Statistics | publisher = Baseball-Reference.com | accessdate = 2007-05-09 ] ) is a formerMajor League Baseball player for thePittsburgh Pirates ,Kansas City Royals , and California Angels from 1968 to 1981.Primarily a
shortstop , Patek was a three-time All-Star, and at a height of five feet, five inches (by some accounts he was five-foot-four), was the shortest player of his time. His diminutive size earned him nicknames such as Little Freddie, The Flea, and Moochie, all of which he disliked as it was tough enough to prove himself in general. It did not help that his voice was somewhat high-pitched, sounding not unlike that of the stereotypical little person, or perhaps a jockey. Although he disliked the "little guy" nicknames, he did manage to display some humor about his size; when asked by a reporter what it felt like to be the smallest player in the Major Leagues, Patek replied- "it's better than being the smallest player in the "Minor Leagues"."A memorable image was captured by NBC-TV of Patek sitting painfully alone in the Royal's empty dugout while the
New York Yankees celebrated on-field their come-from-behind victory to win the1977 American League Championship at Kansas City. The game and series ended when he grounded into a double-play.Patek made his major league debut in 1968 with the Pirates, but made a name for himself after he was traded in 1970 to Kansas City, where he would lead the league in triples in 1971 and
stolen base s in 1973. Not normally a power hitter—he hit 41home run s in 1,650 games over his career—Patek became the second shortstop, afterErnie Banks , to hit three home runs in a single game onJune 20 1980 while playing for the Angels. Patek was better known for his speed and his defensive abilities. Former managerWhitey Herzog called Patek the bestartificial turf shortstop he ever managed, ranking him even higher thanOzzie Smith .Patek retired after the 1981 season with a career
batting average of .242.Although Patek played in 4
American League Championship Series , his teams never got to theWorld Series . The Pirates won the World Series the season after Patek left the Pirates (1971), and the Royals lost the World Series the season after Patek left the Royals (1980). Baseball analystBill James has ranked Patek, a member of theKansas City Royals Hall of Fame , the 14th best player in Royals' history.ee also
*
Hitting for the cycle
*List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
*List of Major League Baseball triples champions
*Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game References
External links
*Freddie Patek at:
** [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/P/Patek_Freddie.stm Baseball Library]
** [http://www.baseball-reference.com/p/patekfr01.shtml Baseball Reference]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
