by Max Silberman

Following World War II, the A’s made their last great run at the pennant, competing until Labor Day in 1948.

Pete Suder was soon joined by Eddie Joost, Ferris Fain and Hank Majeski to form one of baseball’s most famous infields.

In 1949, this infield set a major league record turning 217 double plays.

This was accomplished in a 154 game season. Even with the 162 game schedule, the record still stands.

While it is quite remarkable that a record could surive almost 60 years in the face of expansion (16 teams to 30 teams) and the increase in number of games per season, there are still some “Doubting Thomases” who will tell you that Athletics pitchers allowed 36% of batters to reach base but many teams with weak pitching (especially at present) allowed as many runners and never came close to matching that record.

How many times in baseball history has an infield turned 200 or more double plays? Only 10 and those 10 included the 1949,1950 and 1951 Athletics. For much of that period the infield remained intact with Eddie Joost playing shortstop and Ferris Fain at first. Second base was manned by Pete Suder from 1947 until 1949. An injury in 1950 led to Billy Hitchcock playing most of the time. Suder returned as a starter in 1951 but shared second base with Skeeter Kell in 1952. At third Hank Majeski was there from 1947 until 1949. Bob Dillinger and Kermit Wahl played third in 1950 after Majeski’s trade. Majeski returned for 1951 and was replaced by Billy Hitchcok at third for 1952.

At the second reunion of the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society held in 1998 in Bensalem, Eddie Joost, Pete Suder and the late Ferris Fain were in attendance to the delight of the sold out crowd. Hank Majeski passed away in 1991 and Fain in 2001 but Joost and Suder are both celebrating their 90th birthdays this year!

“Joost to Suder to Fain” was a poem composed by A’s publicist Dick Armstrong. The closing stanza of that beloved poem read: “A long time from now when they’re telling of how so and so could “get two” with no strain, we’ll think of the days of Connie Mack’s A’s and Joost and Suder and Fain. While Majeski did not find his way into the poem, he is very much in the memories of A’s fans and was a big part of that infield’s success.

So many great players and achievements make up the Philadelphia Athletics history but to the fans following the Second World War, the double play record of 1949 certainly ranks with the best of memories.

by Ronnie Joyner