Gil McDougald was Rookie of the Year in 1951 beating out his highly touted teammate Mickey Mantle. Batting with an open stance, feet far apart, Gil hit .306, on base pct .396, runs scored 72. In the 1951 World Series he became the first rookie to ever hit a grand-slam home run. A member of eight Yankee pennant winners and six WS Championships, hard-working McDougald played 3B moved to 2B when Billy Martin was drafted into the military, and later played SS when Phil Rizzuto retired.

Highly regarded McDougald was one of the best infielders during the 1950's and was noted for making great diving plays and outstanding clutch hitting. In the 1953, Gil batted .285, scored 82 R with 83 RBI's and in the World Series he hit 2 HR's with 4 RBI's. McDougald best season was 1956 when he hit .311and lined seven hits in the 1956 WS as the Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in 7 Games. In the 1958 WS vs. the Milwaukee Braves, McDougald batted .321, 5 R and 4 RBI's. He stills ranks among the best in WS play with 53 games, at bats 190, R 23, hits 45, HR's 7, 24 RBI's and walks 20. Gil McDougald was a outstanding all-around New York Yankees all thru the 1950's. Baseball History