
In that year he received the first of his seven consecutive Gold Gloves. 302 and scoring a career-high 112 runs, third most in the NL he also had career bests in doubles (34), triples (9) and stolen bases (17), and collected 200 hits in an NL-leading 662 at bats. He continued to improve offensively in 1963, hitting. He had his breakthrough year after Johnny Keane took over as manager in 1961, batting. Louis although he struggled at the plate from 1958–1960, his defensive skill was apparent. For the next twelve seasons he became a fixture in center field for St. Flood signed with the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1956, and made a handful of appearances for the team in 1956–57 before being traded to the Cardinals in December 1957. Although his legal challenge was unsuccessful, it brought about additional solidarity among players as they fought against baseball's reserve clause and sought free agency.īorn in Houston, Texas and raised in Oakland, California, Flood played in the same high school outfield with Vada Pinson and Frank Robinson. He retired with the third most games in center field (1683) in NL history, trailing only Willie Mays and Richie Ashburn.įlood became one of the pivotal figures in the sport's labor history when he refused to accept a trade following the 1969 season, ultimately appealing his case to the U.S. 300 six times, and led the NL in hits (211) in 1964.
#Curt flood free agency pro athletes full#
A defensive standout, he led the National League in putouts four times and in fielding percentage twice, winning Gold Glove Awards in his last seven full seasons from 1963–1969.

Please help Baseball Wiki by revising it.Ĭurtis Charles Flood (January 18, 1938–January 20, 1997) was a Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career as a center fielder for the St.


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