Mickey Owen has died at the age of 89 in a nursing home in Mount Vernon, Missouri. Owen, who was a native of Nixa, Missouri, played 13 seasons in the major leagues with the Cardinals, Dodgers, Cubs and Red Sox.
Owen was a four-time All-Star and became the first player to hit a pinch-hit home run, when he did it in 1942. But he was mostly known for his defensive prowess. Owen set a National League record by going 476 consecutive innings without an error. However, one of the few mistakes he made was quite costly.
In game four of the 1941 World Series, with his Brooklyn Dodgers leading the Yankees 2-1 in the series and 4-3 in the game, he dropped a swinging third strike by Tommy Henrich to keep the inning alive. The Yankees went on to win the game 7-4 and the series in five games.
After his career in baseball ended, Owen went on to serve as the Greene County Sheriff from 1965-1980.
