Spook Jacobs

Spook Jacobs (b. November 4, 1925) was a major league infieder from (1954 "-" 1956). He played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Kansas City Athletics, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was born in Cheswold, Delaware.

Jacobs' given name is Robert Forrest Vandergrift Jacobs. He is 5'9". His playing weight was 155 pounds. His build reminded some of Nellie Fox. Jacobs wore # 6 for Philadelphia and Kansas City and # 9 for Pittsburgh. He batted .247 with a .971 fielding percentage in his three year career. He stole 22 bases, 17 of them in 1954.

Jacobs threw righthanded and batted righthanded. His debut in the major leaguescame on April 13, 1954, he is one of only two players in major league history to go 4 for 4 in his major league debut, the other being Delino DeShields of Seaford, Delaware."Spook Jacobs Stats", http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=jacobsp01, pg. 1.] Jacobs was a "pesky" hitter who reached base by slapping balls through the infield. He gained his "ghostly nickname" fromhis tendency to dump hits just over the heads of opposing infielders. ["Cronin's Corner", Los Angeles Times, September 6, 1956, pg. A3.] A baseball writer gave Jacobs the nickname in 1947 when he was playing with Johnstown, Pennsylvania club, the Johnnies, of the Middle Atlantic League. ["Spook Has Licenses To Prove It", Los Angeles Times, May 16, 1957, Page C3.] Casey Stengel once said of him, "He's always been in our hair."

He was a farmhand of the Brooklyn Dodgers for eight years before becoming the property of the Philadelphia Athletics. The Dodgers had vast minor league holdings in 1954, and loaded a number of their draft choices on the roster of a single club. Under the rules of the time only one selected player could be lost to a team per draft period. Jacobs was never called up to the Dodgers' top farm club, the Montreal Royals, because of their surplus of players. On one occasion he was passed over when Brooklyn picked Junior Gilliam. Clyde Sukeforth hinted that the Pittsburgh Pirates might have an interest in drafting Jacobs, but the team chose Danny Lynch instead. Philadelphia manager, Eddie Joost,was particularly impressed by Jacobs' fielding and his hit and run capability. ["A's Rookie Top Argument Against Draft System", Hagerstown, Maryland Morning Herald, Friday, March 26, 1954, pg. 27.]

On April 20, 1954 Jacobs' 4th inning triple, followed by an error of a fly ball hit by Vic Power, gave Philadelphia a 5-0 lead over the Washington Senators. ["Kellner 1-Hitter Tops Senators, 7-0.", New York Times, April 21, 1954, pg. 37.] On May 3, 1954 Chicago White Sox righthander, Sandy Consuegra, retired the first nineteen Athletics' hitters before Jacobs doubled in the 7th inning with one man out. Consuegra retired the next five hitters prior to encountering trouble in the 9th inning. Jacobs bunted successfully, and Consuegra threw wildly into right field, allowing two runs to score. Chicago beat Philadelphia 14-3 at Connie Mack Stadium, with Jacobs collecting the only two hits for the losers. ["Jacobs Gets Only Hits As Chicago Wins, 14-3", Times Recorder, Zanesville, Ohio, Tuesday, May 4, 1954, pg. 10.]

Jacobs was involved in a fracas while playing for the Columbus Jets in July 1955. Lou Limmer of the Toronto Maple Leafs slid into him at second base, knocking Jacobs head over heels.Jacobs was thrown out of the International League game in the 4th inning for throwing a punch in retaliation. ["Limmer Hurt In Fracas", New York Times, July 9, 1955, pg. 10.] A sore arm led to his demotion to Columbus. His arm recovered and Jacobs was selected as the outstanding International Leaguesecond baseman in 1955, batting .316."Two A's Battling At Second", Mansfield, Ohio News Journal, April 3, 1956, pg. 9.]

During 1956 spring training Jacobs competed with Jim Finigan for the starting second baseman job for the Kansas City Athletics. Finigan was considered a more powerful hitter but Jacobs was a faster player. He was optioned to the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League by the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 4, 1956. ["Pirates Call 3 and Option 4", New York Times, July 5, 1956, pg. 31.] Jacobs was among 14 players recalled by the Pirates in September 1956. ["Sports In Brief", Los Angeles Times, September 2, 1956, pg. A5.]

Jacobs was injured when he collided with Hollywood shortstop, Dick Smith. The players were chasing a fly ball in a game against the
San Diego Padres (PCL) on April 11, 1957. Jacobs was thought to have suffered a skull fracture after being carried from the field on a stretcher. ["Twink Infielders Hurt in Collision", Los Angeles Times, April 12, 1957, Page C1.] He sustained a hairline skull fracture. ["Hyland Fling, Los Angeles Times, July 2, 1957, Page C2.] He returned to the Stars' lineup on May 7. ["Here's The Pitch", July 31, 1957, pg. C2.]

Tommy Lasorda and Jacobs were teammates on the 1956 Athletics. While pitching for the Los Angeles Angels (PCL) , Lasorda deliberately hit Jacobs in the 5th inning of an August 1957 game. The knockdown came after relief pitcher, Fred Waters, hit a 400 foot home run which broke a 4-4 tie. Jacobs charged Lasorda and then went after his rival second baseman, Sparky Anderson. Hollywood went on to score 7 runs in the 5th inning to gain an 11-4 win at Gilmore Field.

In 1977 Jacobs owned and operated a newsstand in the bus terminal in Milford, Delaware. ["Old Brawlers", Los Angeles Times, May 27, 1977, pg. E3.]

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