Norbert Henry Zauchin (November 17, 1929 – January 31, 1999) was a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. He played all or part of six seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

(1951, 1955–57) and Washington Senators (1958–59). He batted and threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed . In a six-season career, Zauchin was a .233 hitter with 50 home runs and 159 RBI in 346 games. He is most remembered for driving in 10 runs during a major league game. A native of

Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236. Royal Oak is located along t ...

, Zauchin graduated from

Royal Oak High School Royal Oak High School (ROHS) is a secondary educational facility located in Royal Oak, Michigan in Greater Detroit. The current principal is Sharida Lewis. It is a part of Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools. History ROHS is a 2006 consolidation o ...

in 1948. He served two years in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and then became a major league baseball player. He started his professional career in 1950 with the Double-A Birmingham Barons, where he set a

Rickwood Field Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States. It was built for the Birmingham Barons in 1910 by industrialist and team-owner Rick Woodward and has served as the home park for the Bi ...

field record with 35

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. His most productive season came in 1955, when he hit .239 with 27 home runs for the Red Sox and finished third in

American League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

voting, behind

Herb Score Herbert Jude Score (June 7, 1933 – November 11, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and announcer. Score pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 1955 through 1959 and the Chicago White Sox from 1960 through 1962. He was ...

and Billy Klaus. Zauchin played in 130 games and led AL first basemen in fielding percentage (.995). On May 27, 1955, Zauchin collected 10 RBI with three home runs and a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

in the first five innings of a 16–0 victory over Washington. Before the 1958 season, Zauchin was traded with

Albie Pearson Albert Gregory ("Albie") Pearson (born September 12, 1934) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a centerfielder for the Washington Senators (1958–59), Baltimore Orioles (1959–60), a ...

to the Senators for

Pete Runnels James Edward "Pete" Runnels (January 28, 1928 – May 20, 1991) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Washington Senators (1951–57), Boston Red Sox (1958–62 ...

. Zauchin retired in 1960 after spending his last year in the minor leagues. Zauchin died from prostate cancer in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

at the age of 69. He was inducted into the Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame in 1997. His grandson,

Chad Smith Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the ...

, is a baseball player.

References

External links

Norm Zauchin Baseball Biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zauchin, Norm 1929 births 1999 deaths Baseball players from Michigan Birmingham Barons players Boston Red Sox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Deaths from cancer in Alabama Deaths from prostate cancer Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball first basemen Miami Marlins (IL) players Milford Red Sox players San Jose Red Sox players Scranton Red Sox players Sportspeople from Royal Oak, Michigan Washington Senators (1901–1960) players United States Army personnel of the Korean War