Athletes - Elrod Hendricks

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	Athletes - Elrod Hendricks

Elrod Jerome (Ellie) Hendricks (December 22, 1940 – December 21, 2005) was a catcher and coach in Major League Baseball. Hendricks played during a 12-year career that lasted from 1968 through 1979 for the Baltimore Orioles (1968-1972, 1973-1976,1978-1979), Chicago Cubs (1972) and New York Yankees (1976-1977). He batted left handed and threw right handed. A native of Charlotte Amalie, Virgin Islands, Hendricks was a superior defensive catcher and a very fine handler of pitchers on an usually strong Baltimore Orioles rotation that included Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, Dave McNally, Jim Palmer and Tom Phoebus. He also spent most of his playing for the Orioles on teams that went to three consecutive World Series from 1969-71, sharing duties with Andy Etchebarren. Hendricks also played briefly for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. His most productive season came in 1970, when he hit 12 home runs with 41 RBI. Hendricks went 4-for-11 (.364) with a home run and four RBI to help Baltimore defeat the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970 World Series. He also appeared in the 1976 World Series for the Yankees against Cincinnati, made the Orioles bullpen coach following the 1977 season, and was a player-coach in 1978-79.

In 711 games played, including 658 with Baltimore, Hendricks was a .220 hitter with 62 home runs and 230 RBI. In nine postseason games, he had .273, two HR, 10 RBI. In 602 games as a catcher, Hendricks collected 2783 outs, 228 assists, 31 double plays, and committed just only 29 errors for a significant .990 fielding percentage.

Hendricks became a fixture in Baltimore by holding the position as bullpen coach for 28 years, the longest coaching tenure in Orioles history. He was relieved of that position in October 2005, in part because he had a mild stroke in April. The 2005 season marked the 37th that Hendricks served in a Baltimore uniform as a player or coach, another club record. He also had the longest active coaching streak with one club among all major league coaches. After his stroke, Hendricks was to be reassigned to another position within the organization, one that would enable him to take advantage of his huge popularity within the Baltimore community. He was supposed to be the host in the 2006 Baltimore Baseball Cruise aboard The Golden Princess. Elrod Hendricks died of a heart attack in Glen Burnie, Maryland, one day shy of his 65th birthday.

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