In the 1988 film “Bull Durham”, much is made of Kevin Costner’s character Crash Davis and his dogged pursuit of the seemingly mythical Minor League record of 246 home runs.
Now, I’m not sure if that was ever the official record or not, or if the number was used simply because it seemed like an awful lot of dingers for someone who spent their entire career in the Minors. But I do know this. Crash Davis is a character in a movie and his real-life counterpart, John Lindsey, is out there swinging every day and he surpassed 246 home runs a while ago.
You remember Lindsey, right?
He was the guy who, four seasons ago, after spending close to 16 years in the Minors, finally got called up by Los Angeles. Sure, he’d only record 12 at bats for the Dodgers (his stint would be cut short after getting his hand broken by a pitch), but that didn’t keep Lindsey from continuing his dream of getting back to the bigs.
Currently playing for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico, the designated hitter recently hit the 300th home run of his Minor League career Sunday against the Tigres de Quintana Roo.
“Man, it’s a blessing to be able to play this long to do it,” Lindsey told The Hall Wednesday. “I only wish a few of them where in the big leagues. But for every opportunity I got, I made the best out of it.”
And here’s the cool thing…Lindsey, now 37, isn’t really showing any no signs of slowing down.
Days after hitting number 300, “The Mayor” sent number 301 over the fence. Currently in his 20th year of professional baseball, Lindsey is off to one of his better starts. Through 19 games, he’s hitting .359 and already has a team-high six home runs and 16 RBI.
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