Enos Slaughter wasn’t a man who did what you expected. Born in Person County in 1916 he could’ve easily resigned himself to life working in a tobacco field. Instead, he turned his ambition and talents toward professional baseball. It was on this kind of field that he became legend.
In 1938 Enos Slaughter joined the St. Louis Cardinals at age 22 and went on to become one of the greatest outfielders in the game’s history. Known as “Country” to his friends, family and fellow players, Enos was a Southern Gentleman off the field and a fierce competitor on game day. He was always hustling, running. Sometimes his intensity was mistaken for brashness or cockiness. “To be a big-league ball player, you have to love the game,” he said. “This is a pretty good game and a pretty swell way to make a living. The conditions in the majors are fine and the money is good. So, I say keep yelling and hustling every minute you’re in uniform.” And that’s exactly what Slaughter did. He was a 10-time All-Star, led the National League with 130 RBI, and he played in five World Series.
Slaughter is best known for his “Mad Dash” in the 1946 World Series. It was the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 7 with St. Louis taking on the Boston Red Sox. The score was tied at 3. Slaughter was on first base with two outs when Cardinals manager Eddie Dyer called for a hit-and-run. Outfielder Harry Walker lined a ball to center field and Slaughter took everyone–including the Red Sox defenders–by surprise when he ran through a stop sign at third base. A rushed throw home by Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky proved too slow and allowed Slaughter to score the winning run. The man who never did what you expected, had done it again.
Enos Slaughter played a total of 19 seasons in the Major Leagues, 13 of those with the St. Louis Cardinals. During that period, he batted over .300 and his 1,751 games played ranks third in St. Louis Cardinals’ history behind only Lou Brock and Stan Musial.
Slaughter retired from baseball and returned to his beloved Roxboro in 1959 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. After battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Slaughter died in 2002 at the age of 86.
Today, visitors to the Person County Museum of History can learn more about this local legend through an exhibit that includes a one-of-a-kind bat collection, signed memorabilia and collected stories from family and friends. Members of the Museum’s Enos Slaughter Century Club are also invited to an annual reception hosted locally by Enos’ daughter Sharon.
Enos Slaughter wasn’t a man who did what you expected. But, in the end, that’s what made him a champion. Visit us today and discover how we are Making History Personal.
