Richie Hebner

Richard Joseph Hebner (born November 26, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and coach.

The left-handed batting Hebner threw right-handed, and was originally a shortstop when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round (15 overall) of the 1966 MLB draft out of Norwood High School.

He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from 1968 through 1985, most prominently as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that won five National League Eastern Division titles in six years between and and won the World Series in.

After his playing career, Hebner spent several years as a hitting coach at the major league and minor league levels.

He also managed minor league teams in the Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles organizations.

Hebner was born in Brighton, Massachusetts, a neighborhood of Boston.

He was known for working as a gravedigger at a cemetery run by his father and brother, Dennis, during the offseason.

He was moved to third base in the minors, and batted .308 with twelve home runs and 84 runs batted in (RBI) over three seasons in the minors to receive a September call-up to the majors in 1968.

When Maury Wills was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft, it created a hole at third base that Hebner was expected to fill.

Hebner got off to a torrid start to his rookie season, as he flirted with a .400 batting average through the middle of May.

By season's end, he settled into a .301 average with eight home runs and 47 RBI.

Hebner put up similar numbers in 1970 (.290 average, 11 home runs, 46 RBIs), but crushed Chicago Cubs pitching (.333 average, 3 home runs, 13 RBI in 15 games) to help his team capture the National League East by five games over their division rival.

Despite the fact that they were swept by Cincinnati's mighty "Big Red Machine" in the 1970 National League Championship Series, Hebner had a great series.

He was four-for-six with two walks.

Whereas his batting average dipped in 1971 (.271), Hebner's power numbers increased, as he clubbed seventeen home runs and drove in 67.

The Pirates repeated as division champions to face the San Francisco Giants in the 1971 National League Championship Series.

With the series tied at one game apiece, and the Pirates winning the third game by a score of 1–0, Hebner committed a throwing error in the sixth inning that allowed the Giants to tie the score.

He redeemed himself in the eighth, hitting a game-winning solo shot off Juan Marichal to give the Pirates the 2–1 edge in the series.

He provided similar heroics in the fourth game of the NLCS with another Hall of Fame pitcher on the mound.

With the Giants leading 5–2, Hebner hit a three-run home run off Gaylord Perry to tie the score.

The Pirates went on to a 9–5 victory, and faced the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.

Hebner continued his trend of hitting home runs off Hall-of-Famers, as the only scoring the Pirates did off Jim Palmer in the second game of the series was Hebner's three-run homer.

The Pirates would win the World Series in seven games.

Hebner clubbed nineteen home runs and batted an even .300 in 1972 to help his team cruise to the postseason for the third straight year.

He hit a career-high 25 home runs in 1973, the most memorable of which came when the St. Louis Cardinals and Pirates went into extra innings in the first game of a September 3 doubleheader.

With the two teams battling for first place in the division, Hebner led off the bottom of the thirteenth inning with a walk off inside-the-park home run.

Both teams would eventually succumb the division to the New York Mets in 1973, but they would again find themselves in a tight race in 1974.

Hebner hit a three-run home run off Cardinals closer Al Hrabosky at Three Rivers Stadium on September 19 to carry his team to an 8-6 victory.

Four days later, his team would travel to St. Louis.

The Pirates' Jim Rooker and Cardinals' Lynn McGlothen both pitched masterfully, as the game headed into extra innings scoreless.

In the top of the tenth, Hebner drove in Miguel Dilone for the only run of the game.

They would go on to win the division by a game and a half over the Cards.

After batting a career low .246, and seeing a dropoff in every offensive category in 1975, Hebner's salary was cut by the Pirates for 1976.

Hebner was unhappy with his club's decision, and made his feelings known to the fans and media.

Coupled with an abysmal month of May (.149 batting average, 5 RBI), this landed Hebner square in the crosshairs of Pirates fans and sports writers.

After hovering in the low .200s for most of the 1976 season, he rebounded with an excellent month of September to bring his season average to .249 with eight home runs and 51 RBIs (both even further dropoffs from the previous season).

Needing a change in scenery, Hebner opted to play out his contract and become a free agent at the end of the season.

Pirates general manager Pete Peterson attempted to dissuade Hebner from signing with another team, and offered to match any dollar offer he received elsewhere.

Regardless, Hebner signed with the division rival Philadelphia Phillies.

With perennial All-Star and Gold Glove winner Mike Schmidt manning third base, the Phillies shifted Hebner (who had never excelled defensively at third base) across the diamond to first.