One of the most durable, consistent, and respected hitters of his era, Baines batted over .300 eight times and hit .324 in 31 career postseason games, topping .350 in five separate series. Upon his retirement, he ranked seventh in AL history in games played (2,830) and 10th in RBI (1,628). Noted as well for his power hitting in clutch situations, he was tied for seventh in AL history in grand slams (13),[3] fourth in three-home-run games (three),[4] and tied for seventh in major league history in walk-off home runs (10).[3] He served as a coach with the White Sox from 2004 to 2015 before moving into a role of team ambassador and spring training instructor.[5] Baines was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Today's Game Era Committee as part of the class of 2019.[1]
Early life
Baines was raised in St. Michaels, Maryland, by his father, Linwood, a stonemason, with his three brothers and a sister.[6] He described his father as his "idol, more than anybody else." His father was separated from his mother, Gloria.[7] White Sox owner Bill Veeck began scouting Baines when he was just 12 years old while Veeck was living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.[6]
He graduated in 1977 from St. Michaels High School on Maryland's Eastern Shore where, as a senior, he batted .532 and was named a high school All-American.[8] The White Sox made Baines the first overall selection in the 1977 amateur draft.[9] He received a signing bonus of $32,000 – a record low for a first overall pick.[10]
Professional career
Baines took a high step with his right leg, a la Mel Ott, as part of his stride into a pitch.
On April 10, 1980, Baines made his major league debut on Opening Day, starting in right field and going 0-for-4 in a 5–3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.[11] In 1982, he batted .271 with 25 home runs and 105 RBI in 161 games.[1]
In 1984, baseball writer Bill James called Baines his favorite opposing player to watch, saying, "He is gorgeous, absolutely complete. I've seen him drop down bunts that would melt in your mouth, come up the next time and execute a hit and run that comes straight off the chalkboard. I've seen him hit fastballs out of the yard on a line, and I've seen him get under a high curve and loft it just over the fence."[12] Baines ended the longest game in major league history (eight hours and six minutes over 25 innings on successive evenings) with a walk-off home run against the Milwaukee Brewers' Chuck Porter on May 8, 1984;[13] the bat he used is currently kept at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In 1986, a succession of knee problems began which gradually ended his fielding career, forcing him to become a regular designated hitter. Despite the knee ailments and the resulting lack of speed, he remained a powerful hitter, picking up 166 hits in 1988.[1]
Baines holds the record for the most seasons by a player between 100-RBI seasons, with 14 seasons between 113 RBIs for Chicago in 1985 and 103 for Baltimore and Cleveland in 1999.[14]
Midway through the 1989 season, the Texas Rangers acquired Baines, along with Fred Manrique, from the White Sox in a much-derided trade which sent Wilson Álvarez, Scott Fletcher and Sammy Sosa to Chicago.[15] After the trade, the White Sox retired Baines's #3 on August 20, 1989, a rare occurrence for a player who was still active in the major leagues (the number would be "un-retired" each time Baines returned to the White Sox, and he wore it as a coach).[16]
On January 14, 1993, Baines was traded by the A's to the Baltimore Orioles for minor league pitchers Bobby Chouinard and Allen Plaster.[21] Baines batted .313, .294 and .299 over his first three seasons with Baltimore.[1] On December 11, 1995, Baines returned to the White Sox as a free agent.[22] On July 29, 1997, Baines was traded back to the Orioles for a player to be named later.[23] He helped the Orioles reach the playoffs, where they lost to the Cleveland Indians in the League Championship Series.[24]
Baines represented the Orioles in the 1999 All Star Game.[25] On August 27, 1999, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for minor league pitcher Juan Aracena and a player to be named later.[26] On December 9, 1999, Baines returned for a third stint with the Orioles, signing a one-year, $2 million contract.[27] He was traded back to the White Sox with catcher Charles Johnson in exchange for Miguel Felix, Juan Figueroa, Brook Fordyce and Jason Lakman on July 29, 2000.[28]
His final contract with the White Sox was not renewed following the 2001 season, after his third stint with the team. He finished his career with 2,866 hits, 384 home runs and 1,628 RBI.[1] His career RBI total is 34th all-time (through 2022);[29] prior to his induction, he had the ninth-highest RBI count among retired players not elected in the Hall of Fame; his hit total ranks 46th all-time (through 2019).
Coaching career
Baines's fourth stint with the Chicago White Sox began when he was named bench coach in March 2004 under new manager Ozzie Guillén, his White Sox teammate, from 1985 to 1989 and in 1996–97.[30] Baines served as the team’s interim manager for four games, from August 17–20, 2004, while Guillén was serving two consecutive two-game suspensions.[31][32]
On July 20, 2008, the White Sox unveiled a bronze statue of Baines at U.S. Cellular Field prior to their game against the Kansas City Royals; it is the seventh statue featured on the park's outfield concourse.[33][34]
In August 2009, the Orioles announced that Baines would be inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame as the 46th member. In his seven seasons with the Orioles, he batted .301 with 107 home runs and 378 RBI as their designated hitter.[35]
Hall of Fame candidacy
Baines giving a speech at his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2019
Baines first became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame with the 2007 election. While 75% of the vote is needed for induction, he never received greater than 6.1% (which he received in 2010).[1] On January 5, 2011, Baines received just 28 votes (4.8%) in the 2011 Hall of Fame election, dropping him off all future writers' Hall of Fame ballots by receiving less than 5% of the vote.[36]
On December 9, 2018, Baines was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019 via the Today's Game Era ballot, a voting panel of 16 consisting of six players, one manager, six executives, and three journalists.[37] His election drew intense criticism from baseball writers and fans due to his low Wins Above Replacement numbers, poor performance in MVP voting, and lack of defensive playing time. Baines was voted into the Hall of Fame by his peers: he played against five of the six players on the committee, while a sixth served as manager against him. Four executives on the panel were in management while Baines was a player and his former manager and team owner also were on the committee.[38][39] Specific criticism was leveled at Tony La Russa,[40]Jerry Reinsdorf,[38] and Pat Gillick[39] for their close personal relationships with Baines, (La Russa managed him for seven seasons in Chicago and three more with the Oakland A's, Reinsdorf owned the White Sox when Baines played, and Gillick acquired him for the Orioles during his time as the team's General Manager).
He and five other players were inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 21 before a crowd of 55,000, including 53 previous inductees.[41][42]
Baines's hometown of St. Michaels has designated January 9 as Harold Baines Day. He has also created the Harold Baines Scholarship Fund to help deserving college-bound students.[43]
Baines is married to Marla Henry and has four children: Toni, Britni, Harold, Jr., and Courtney. All attended Baines's alma mater, St. Michaels Middle/High School.[31]
In May 2021, Baines had to undergo emergency surgery for both heart and kidney transplants on successive days. Both organs had been damaged by amyloidosis, the condition that his father had. Baines (the son) had learned of this disease a couple of years earlier. The surgeries were successful.[44]
^Spatz, Lyle (2007). TheSABR Baseball List & Record Book – Baseball's Most Fascinating Records and Unusual Statistics. United States: Simon & Schuster. p. 496. ISBN9781416532453.
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