Curt Flood

Curt Flood
Flood with the Cardinals
Center fielder
Born: (1938-01-18)January 18, 1938
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Died: January 20, 1997(1997-01-20) (aged 59)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 9, 1956, for the Cincinnati Redlegs
Last MLB appearance
April 25, 1971, for the Washington Senators
MLB statistics
Batting average.293
Home runs85
Runs batted in636
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Curtis Charles Flood Sr. (January 18, 1938 – January 20, 1997) was an American professional baseball player and activist.[1][2][3] He was a center fielder who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Redlegs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Senators.

Flood was a three-time All-Star, a Gold Glove winner for seven consecutive seasons, and batted over .300 in six seasons.[4] He led the National League (NL) in hits (211) in 1964 and in singles, 1963, 1964, and 1968. Flood also led the National League in putouts as center fielder four times and in fielding percentage as center fielder three times. He retired with the third most games in center field (1683) in NL history, trailing Willie Mays and Richie Ashburn.

Flood 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. Supreme Court.[5] 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.

  1. ^ "Curt Flood, Baseball Player, and Union Activist born". African American Registry. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference barra was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Dreier, Peter (August 27, 2021). "The Ballplayer Who Fought for Free Agency". The Nation. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  4. ^ Leggett, William (August 19, 1968). "Not just a Flood, but a deluge". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  5. ^ Leggett, William (March 23, 1970). "A Bird in hand and a burning Busch". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.