Collection: 1984 Union Oil Most Memorable Moments: Willie Davis

In 1969 Willie Davis set a new Dodger record by getting a hit in 31 consecutive games. It all started on August 1st and was a direct result of some deep evaluation on his part. Prior to that August day, Willie was known as a inconsistent batter. As indicated on the reverse:

One rival manager said of Davis, "He would try to be Stan Musial one day and Ernie Banks the next. He would imitate every hot hitter who came along."

Not that it's bad, it just was not him. He needed to find his own stroke and soon he would. All it would take is a July night were he hit four ball on the button only to land into the gloves of the opposing team for an out.

"It was a game in Pittsburgh in late July, just prior to my streak," recall Willie. "It discouraged me that I had hit four balls on the nose and all of them were caught. I changed to a heavier bat to keep the ball on the ground more and I began hitting more to the left side."

And that's all it took. He learned to trust his skills and it eventually allowed him to come into his own.

Artwork by Merv Corning.

Check out the rest of the set here in my photoalbum, or the following link with my post about each sheet.