Athletes - Ron Blomberg

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	Athletes - Ron Blomberg

Ronald Mark Blomberg (born August 23, 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia), nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played with the New York Yankees (1969, 1971-76) and Chicago White Sox (1978). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

A perennial prospect for most of his career, Blomberg was selected by the Yankees in the first round (1st pick) of the 1967 amateur draft. He debuted on September 10, 1969.

Unfortunately, Blomberg disappointed the Yankees' great expectations for him. He was a notoriously injury-prone player. After going 3-for-6 in his first season, Blomberg was out in 1970. Things were not much better in the years to come. He played 107 games in 1972, 100 in 1973, 90 in 1974, 34 in 1975, and only one in 1976. Out in 1977, he was granted free agency at the end of the season. He played his final game for the White Sox on October 1, 1978.

Blomberg's place in baseball history, however, is assured, as he has the distinction of being the first major leaguer to play a game as a designated hitter. On April 6, 1973 at Fenway Park, he was walked by Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant in his first plate appearance of the game.

In his eight-season career, Blomberg compiled a .293 batting average (391-for-1333) with 52 home runs, 224 RBI, 184 runs, 67 doubles, eight triples, and six stolen bases in 461 games. He added a .360 on base percentage and a .473 slugging average, for a combined .833 OPS.

Quotation

The strapping, ebullient Southerner was the nation's and the Yankees' first draft pick in 1967. A powerful lefthanded hitter and terrible fielder, on Opening Day, 1973 he became baseball's first designated hitter; the irrepressible Blomberg commented: "I've been a DH all my life: Designated Hebrew." Accused of being a Designated Hypochondriac, the perennial prospect spent months, and years sidelined with a variety of muscle injuries. Even when he was healthy, he was seldom permitted to face lefthanded pitching. In 1973 he hit a career-high .329 while playing in 100 games -- for him, a full season. Jane Charnin-Aker, at Baseball Library

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