Athletes - Randy Jackson

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	Athletes - Randy Jackson

Randy "Handsome Ransom" Jackson (Ransom Joseph Jackson; 10 February 1926 - Little Rock, Arkansas) American Major League (MLB) baseball player for the Chicago Cubs (1950-1955), Dodgers (1956-1958; two seasons in Brooklyn, one in Los Angeles), Cleveland Indians (1958-1959), and ended his career back with the Cubs (1959).

Before Major League Baseball

After a year at the University of Arkansas, he transfered two times, and helped lead the football teams of both Texas Christian University (1945) and the University of Texas at Austin (1946) to consecutive Cotton Bowl appearances as a halfback. Playing baseball in college he hit .500, .438 and .400.

The Majors

The Chicago Cubs drafted Jackson and on 2 May 1950, the 24 year old made his major league début. "Hansom" had four solid seasons at third base for the Cubs from 1951 to 1955. After getting off to a slow rookie start in his first season, in which he only appeared in 34 games and had 111 at bats, the improvement over the next four seasons would send him to two all-star appearances in 1954 and 1955. He also led the National League (NL) in double-plays in 1955. He had a solid second season hitting .275 with 76 RBI's and 16 home runs, but then slumped his third season, batting .232 with 34 RBI's and 9 home runs. However, the next three seasons (along with his second season) would be the highlight of his career: consecutively hitting .285, .273, and .265; RBI's of 66, 67, and 70; home runs of 19, 19, and 21. His hitting and excellent play at third would earn him a trip to the All-Star Game in his last two seasons in Chicago. In the 1954 game he came off the bench behind starter Ray Jablonski of the St. Louis Cardinals, in a 9-to-11 loss to the American League (AL). The next season, 1955, he again came off the bench, in a 6-to-5 win for the National League, behind the Milwaukee Braves Eddie Mathews.

On the strength of his five continuous seasons in Chicago, the Dodgers, looking for a replacement for their aging All-Star third baseman Jackie Robinson, traded Don Hoak, Russ Meyer and Walt Moryn to the Cubs for Jackson and Don Elston. But, coming off the bench, playing behind Robinson, Randy never got going with the Dodgers, having only 8 home runs and 53 RBI's in 1956. The Dodgers made it the famed "subway series" against cross-town, and hated, rivals, the New York Yankees in the 1956 World Series, but Jackson made only three "pinch-hit" plate appearances, going 0-for-3, including two strike-outs.

The following season (1957) he would have a major knee injury, ending his chances to become a star for the Dodgers. He would come off the bench, and not appear in more than 64 games in a season for the rest of his career, and would hit only 8 more home runs and 43 RBI's combined for the next three seasons.

Notable games

28 June 1951: Hits a home run in the seventh inning to help the Cubs Frank Hiller to a "one-hitter", winning 8–0 over the St. Louis Cardinals, facing just 27 batters.

15 August 1953: Ties a NL record by grounding into three double-plays against the Milwaukee Braves in a 2-0 loss (Joe Torre
would later break the record).

17 April 1954: With the wind at his back, he had four hits, including a home run that hit an apartment building on Waveland Avenue, across from Wrigley Field, in a NL record three-hour and 43-minute game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs won the game 23–13, the highest scoring game ever between these two rivals, and the two teams combine for 35 hits, including five homers and a 10-run Chicago 5th inning. Jim Brosnan is the winning pitcher over Gerry Staley.

Stats

Height: 6' - 1-1/2"
Weight: 180 lb (82 kg)
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Uniform number: 2 (1950-1959) / 16 (1959 Cubs)
All-Star teams: 1954 & 1955 (Chicago Cubs)
World Series teams: 1956 (Brooklyn Dodgers; batted 0 for 3)
MLB Career
* Games: 955
* Batting average: .261
* Hits: 835
* RBI's: 415
* Homeruns: 103

Transactions

9 December 1955: Traded to the Dodgers for Don Hoak (3B) and Walt Moryn (OF).
At the same time the Dodgers traded Russ Meyer (P) to the Cubs for Don Elston (P-RH) and cash.
4 August 1958: Purchased by the Cleveland Indians from the Los Angeles Dodgers
4 May 1959: Traded for Bob Smith (P-LH) from Cleveland to the Chicago Cubs
8 October 1959: Released by the Chicago Cubs

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