Black History Month Profile: Elrod Hendricks

My next athlete in tribute of Black History month isn’t in the Hall of Fame, nor will he ever get into it, but for much of Baltimore and myself, he meant a lot.

Elrod Hendricks was a catcher with the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees and only had a lifetime .220 batting average with 62 homeruns, but came up huge in the 1970 Series where he hit .364 with a homerun and 4 RBI to lead the O’s over the Reds.

However, he’ll be remembered with the Baltimore Orioles and the city itself as the longtime bullpen coach for 28 years & served the longest tenure of any coach with the team. All in all, he served 37 years with the team, but his contract was not renewed for that position as of October 2005 due to a mild stroke in April.

After his contract was not renewed, he was reassigned to another position within the organization, which would involve public relations and working with community. Sadly, his work in the community never came to fruition, as he passed away before his 65th birthday a few days before Christmas in 2005.

Myself, I saw him all the time at Oriole Park and got an autograph from him, but the only time I spoke with him at length was when I was in Boston three years ago at Fenway Park and incidentally had seats near the Baltimore bullpen. I introduced myself to him with my Orioles gear on and told him a little about myself. Rather than blow me off or say he was busy, we talked for 10 minutes about my trip, what I did for a living and the Orioles.

When you went to the park, he’d seemingly be the first one on the field, and always signing autographs, mingling with fans and putting a smile on everyone’s face. With respect to Cal Ripken, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson, he’s probably recognized in the pantheon of Orioles’ legends due to his work and infectious attitude.

He was such a class act and nice man. In the end, Elrod needs to have his number retired or something needs to be done in his name for his contributions to Baltimore and the Oriole organization.