Henry Benjamin Greenberg (January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), called "Hammerin' Hank," "Hankus Pankus," and "the Hebrew Hammer," was an American baseball player and team leader. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB), mainly for the Detroit Tigers as a first baseman in the 1930s and 1940s. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award twice. He was one of the top power hitters of his time and is often considered one of the greatest sluggers in baseball history.

Greenberg played for the Detroit Tigers for the first 12 of his 13 seasons in the major leagues. He was selected to the All-Star team four times and won the American League (AL) MVP Award in 1935 and 1940. He had a batting average above .300 in eight seasons and won two World Series championships with the Tigers in 1935 and 1945. He led the AL in home runs four times. In 1938, he hit 58 home runs, matching Jimmie Foxx’s record from 1932 for the most in a single season by any player other than Babe Ruth. Greenberg also tied Foxx for the most home runs between Ruth’s record of 60 in 1927 and Roger Maris’s record of 61 in 1961. He was the first major league player to hit 25 or more home runs in a season in both leagues, and he still holds the AL record for the most runs batted in by a right-handed batter in a single season.

When the United States entered World War II, Greenberg was the first major league player to join the military. He served for 47 months, more than any other major league player, during years that would have been the peak of his baseball career. His career statistics were affected by the war, and they likely would have been higher if he had not served in the military. In 1947, Greenberg signed a contract for a record $85,000 salary before being sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played his final MLB season that year. After retiring as a player, he worked in baseball as a team executive for the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.

Greenberg was the first Jewish superstar in American team sports. In 1934, during a pennant race, he faced the decision of whether to play baseball on the Jewish High Holy Days. After talking with his rabbi, he chose to play on Rosh Hashanah but did not play on Yom Kippur, instead spending the day at the synagogue. He experienced antisemitic abuse during his career and was one of the few players to publicly welcome African-American player Jackie Robinson to the major leagues in 1947.

Early life

Greenberg was born on January 1, 1911, in Greenwich Village, New York City, to Romanian Jewish immigrant parents from Bucharest, Sarah (née Schwartz) (1881–1951) and David Greenberg (1883–1969). He was the third of four children and had two brothers, Ben (1906–1994) and Joe (1915–2001), and a sister, Lillian (1907–1989). His parents originally wanted to name him "Hyman," but the name on his birth certificate was mistakenly listed as "Henry."

The family owned a successful cloth-shrinking plant in New York. Later, they moved from Greenwich Village to the Bronx, where Greenberg attended James Monroe High School. At school, Greenberg was an excellent athlete and was given the nickname "Bruggy" by his basketball coach. His favorite sport was baseball, and he played as a first baseman. However, he excelled most in basketball and helped his high school team win the city championship. Greenberg also performed well in soccer and track and field.

In 1929, when Greenberg was 18 years old and 6 feet 4 inches tall (1.93 meters), he was recruited by the New York Yankees. At that time, the team already had Lou Gehrig playing first base. Since first base was already taken on the Yankees, Greenberg declined their offer and instead attended New York University on an athletic scholarship. There, he was a member of Sigma Alpha Mu. During this time, he also tried out for the New York Giants. However, the Giants' manager, John McGraw, was not impressed by Greenberg’s performance as a first baseman. After his freshman year at university, Greenberg signed with the Detroit Tigers for $9,000 ($173,000 in today’s money).

Professional career

Greenberg played in minor league baseball for three years. In 1930, he played 17 games for the Hartford Senators of the Eastern League before joining the Raleigh Capitals of the Piedmont League for the rest of the season. He had a batting average of .314 and hit 19 home runs. In 1931, he played for the Evansville Hubs in the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, where he had a batting average of .318, hit 15 home runs, and drove in 85 runs. In 1932, he played for the Beaumont Exporters in the Texas League, where he hit 39 home runs, drove in 131 runs, won the league’s Most Valuable Player award, and helped Beaumont win the Texas League title.

On September 14, 1930, Greenberg made his major league debut as a pinch hitter against the New York Yankees. He only played in that one game that year, making him the youngest player (19 years old) to appear in the major leagues in 1930. He did not return to the majors until 1933. In 1933, while playing for the Tigers, Greenberg had a batting average of .301 and drove in 87 runs. At the same time, he was third in the league in strikeouts (78).

In 1934, Greenberg’s second season in the majors, he had a batting average of .339 and helped the Tigers reach their first World Series in 25 years. He led the league in doubles (63) and extra-base hits (96). He was third in the American League in slugging percentage (.600), behind Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig, but ahead of Babe Ruth. He was also third in RBIs (139), sixth in batting average (.339), seventh in home runs (26), and ninth in on-base percentage (.404).

Late in the 1934 season, Greenberg announced he would not play on September 10 (Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year) or September 19 (Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement). Some Detroit fans were upset by this decision, with one saying, “Rosh Hashanah comes every year, but the Tigers haven’t won the pennant since 1909.” After talking with his rabbi and father, Greenberg agreed to play on Rosh Hashanah but not on Yom Kippur. He hit two home runs in a 2–1 Tigers victory over the Red Sox on Rosh Hashanah. The Detroit Free Press printed “Happy New Year” in Hebrew on its front page the next day.

Columnist Edgar A. Guest wrote a poem titled “Came Yom Kippur: Speaking of Greenberg” about the situation, using Irish names like Murphy and Mulroney. The Detroit press and many fans were not kind about Greenberg’s Yom Kippur decision, but he received a standing ovation from members of Congregation Shaarey Zedek when he arrived. When Greenberg was not in the lineup, the Tigers lost to the New York Yankees 5–2. They then faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1934 World Series, losing in seven games.

In 1935, Greenberg led the league in RBIs (168), total bases (389), and extra-base hits (98). He tied Jimmie Foxx for the AL home run title (36), was second in doubles (46), slugging percentage (.628), third in triples (16), and in runs scored (121). He was sixth in on-base percentage (.411) and walks (87), and seventh in batting average (.328). He was unanimously chosen as the Most Valuable Player in the American League. By the All-Star break, Greenberg had hit 25 home runs and set an MLB record (still standing) of 103 RBIs. He was not selected to the AL All-Star roster, partly because AL manager Mickey Cochrane added himself to the roster even though he did not play in the game.

That season, Greenberg helped the Tigers win another pennant. However, during Game 2 of the World Series, he sprained his wrist and missed the rest of the series as the Tigers won their first World Series title.

In April 1936, Greenberg re-injured his wrist in a collision with Jake Powell of the Washington Senators and did not play the rest of the season. He finished with 16 hits, 1 home run, and 15 RBIs in 12 games.

In 1937, Greenberg recovered from his injury and was voted to the AL All-Star roster but did not play. On September 19, 1937, he hit the first home run into the center-field bleachers at Yankee Stadium. He led the AL in RBIs (184), extra-base hits (103), and had a batting average of .337 with 200 hits. He was second in home runs (40), doubles (49), total bases (397), slugging percentage (.668), and walks (102), third in on-base percentage (.436), and seventh in batting average (.337). Greenberg finished third in the MVP vote, behind teammate Charlie Gehringer and Joe DiMaggio.

A strong home run hitter, Greenberg almost broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record in 1938, hitting 58 home runs and leading the league for the second time. He had 11 games with multiple home runs, a new major league record. He matched the single-season home run record for right-handed batters (Jimmie Foxx, 1932), a record that stood for 66 years until Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire broke it. Greenberg also hit a home run on Yom Kippur.

In 1939, Greenberg hit 37 home runs and had a batting average of .323. He was chosen as the AL Most Valuable Player for the second time.

In 1940,

Player profile

Hank Greenberg was one of the greatest baseball players of his time. When he first stepped up to bat, his skill and power left many people in awe.

Some people believe that if Hank Greenberg had not served in World War II, he might have hit nearly 500 home runs and recorded about 1,800 runs batted in (RBIs) during his career. He missed most of the 1941 season and the three full seasons that followed, as well as most of 1945, due to his military service.

Greenberg played as a first baseman and left fielder for the Detroit Tigers from 1930 and 1933 to 1946. He also played briefly for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947. Over nine full seasons, he played in 1,394 games, hitting 331 home runs, scoring 1,046 runs, and driving in 1,276 runs. He had a lifetime batting average of .313, which means he made contact with the ball more often than most players. He was selected to the All-Star Team four times and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1935 and 1940.

As a fielder, Greenberg was not confident at first base early in his career. However, he practiced hard and became very skilled at the position. He had a fielding percentage and range that were better than average for a first baseman. In 1940, the Tigers asked him to move to left field to make room for another player. He worked hard to learn the position and reduced his errors from 15 in 1940 to 0 in 1945.

In 23 games during the World Series, Greenberg hit .318, scoring 17 runs, hitting 5 home runs, and driving in 22 runs.

Throughout his career, Greenberg faced antisemitic incidents, including racial slurs from fans and opposing players. Some players stared at him because they had never seen a Jewish player before. According to a sportswriter, Greenberg may have faced more discrimination than any player except Jackie Robinson. He sometimes responded to these attacks, such as when he challenged a manager to a fight or called out an entire team to confront someone who insulted him.

During the 1935 World Series, an umpire told three Chicago Cubs players to stop shouting antisemitic slurs at Greenberg and removed them from the bench. The umpire was later disciplined by the league commissioner.

Greenberg did not initially want to be seen as a Jewish player and was not very religious. However, he later accepted his identity and said that the discrimination he faced motivated him to play harder. Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, he proved that Jewish people could be athletic and successful in sports. His decision not to play on Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday, during a time of widespread antisemitism, made him a hero to many Jewish people in the United States. Sandy Koufax, a later baseball player, noted that Greenberg was the first to refuse to play on Yom Kippur, a choice Koufax later made in 1965.

Post-playing career

After the 1947 season, Greenberg stopped playing baseball. Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck hired him as the team's farm director. When Veeck had to sell the team because of a divorce, new owner Ellis Ryan kept Greenberg and promoted him to general manager.

During his time in this role, Greenberg helped more African American players join major league teams than any other major league leader. His work with the Cleveland farm system helped the team succeed in the 1950s. However, writer Bill James later said that the team's poor performance in the late 1950s was also partly Greenberg's fault. In 1949, Larry Doby, a player, asked Greenberg to scout three players he used to play with in the Negro leagues: Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Willie Mays. The next year, Doby asked what scouts thought of his recommendations. Greenberg replied: "Our scouts reviewed them and found them not good. They said Aaron has a problem with his swing and can’t hit strong pitching. Banks is too slow and doesn’t have enough speed for shortstop, and Mays can’t hit a curveball."

At first, Ryan let Greenberg handle baseball decisions. But after the 1952 season, when attendance dropped even though the team almost won the pennant, Ryan tried to take more control. The team’s board supported Greenberg, so Ryan sold the team to a group led by Myron H. Wilson, who trusted Greenberg. Under Wilson, Greenberg became the main leader of the franchise. He represented the Indians at owner meetings with George Medinger, a board member. During this time, Greenberg and Pirates owner John W. Galbreath helped create a new rule about player pensions, giving players 60% of television money from the All-Star Game and World Series.

In 1953, Greenberg helped change a rule about how teams could sign players. Before this change, if a player passed through a team’s league’s waiver process (AL or NL), any team from the other league could sign him. The Yankees often used this to outbid other AL teams for NL players. Greenberg pushed for a new rule that required players to pass through waivers in both leagues after June 15 before teams in the other league could sign them.

Greenberg’s influence grew in 1956 when he joined a group led by Bill Daley to buy the Indians from Wilson. Although he had been the team’s leader since 1950, this was his first time being a part-owner. However, in 1957, he resigned as general manager, saying he did so "to satisfy a hostile press." He stayed a part-owner and tried to buy out Daley in 1958 to become the main owner. Daley and others bought him out instead.

In 1959, Greenberg and Veeck worked together again when they led a group that bought the Chicago White Sox. Veeck became team president, and Greenberg was vice president and general manager. During their first season, the White Sox won their first AL pennant since 1919. Veeck sold his shares in 1961, and Greenberg left his role as general manager in August of that year.

After the 1960 season, the American League planned to create a team in Los Angeles. Greenberg became the favorite to own the team and convinced Veeck to join him. However, Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley threatened to stop the plan by using his rights to operate a team in southern California. O’Malley wanted to avoid competition with a team led by Veeck, even as a minority partner. Greenberg refused to back down and withdrew from the plan for the Los Angeles Angels. Later, Greenberg became a successful investment banker and briefly returned to baseball as a minority partner with Veeck when he repurchased the White Sox in 1975. For example, in 1965, he helped a group of investors restart the bankrupt airline Overseas National Airways.

In 1970, when St. Louis Cardinals player Curt Flood challenged Major League Baseball’s reserve clause, Greenberg was one of the few baseball players to openly support him and testified on his behalf.

Personal life

Greenberg was raised in an Orthodox Jewish household but did not follow Jewish religious practices. He later raised his children without religious traditions.

In 1946, Greenberg married Caral Gimbel, the daughter of Bernard Gimbel, who was part of the Gimbels department store family. Their marriage was not happy, and they divorced in 1958. In 1966, Greenberg married actress Mary Jo Tarola, who performed on-screen using the name "Linda Douglas." They remained married until Greenberg’s death.

Greenberg had three children from his first marriage: two sons, Glenn and Stephen, and a daughter, Alva. Stephen played baseball at Yale University and worked with the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers teams for five years. He later became a baseball executive and sports agent. Alva became a newspaper editor for the Old Lyme Gazette in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

In his later years, Greenberg enjoyed playing tennis and often participated in local tournaments.

Greenberg died after a 13-month battle with cancer that spread to other parts of his body. He passed away at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on September 4, 1986. His remains were buried at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Honors

Greenberg was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956 after being on the ballot nine times. He received 85% of the votes and was the first Jewish player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

On June 12, 1983, the Detroit Tigers retired Greenberg’s number 5 at Tiger Stadium during an event called "Greenberg-Gehringer Day," which also honored his teammate Charlie Gehringer’s number 2. Both Greenberg and Gehringer attended the ceremony. In 1999, he was ranked No. 37 by The Sporting News on its list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players" and was nominated for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team that year. In 2020, Greenberg was ranked No. 67 by The Athletic on its "Baseball 100" list, which was created by sportswriter Joe Posnanski.

Greenberg was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1958. He was also inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1979 and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award recognized Greenberg as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army Air Force during World War II.

In 2006, Greenberg appeared on a United States postage stamp. The stamp was part of a set of four honoring "baseball sluggers," which also included Mickey Mantle, Mel Ott, and Roy Campanella.

In 1998, a documentary about Greenberg was made. The film, titled The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, was directed and written by Aviva Kempner. In 2010, Greenberg was featured in another film called Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story, which also included Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The film was directed by Peter Miller and written by Ira Berkow.

In May 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to recognize the contributions of Jewish Americans due to increasing antisemitism in the country. Greenberg, along with Koufax, was specifically named in the resolution.