Andy Hansen Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth and Family

In August, Hansen pitched 4+1⁄3 innings in the team’s first contest, allowing two runs to the Cardinals on four hits and losing his third game of the season. He appeared in three consecutive doubleheaders (August 9, 11, and 13) and followed by pitching 1⁄3 of an inning in a 15–0 loss at Brooklyn on August 16. Hansen rested until August 22, when he relieved Curt Simmons against the Cincinnati Reds; he pitched 3+2⁄3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, walking two, and absorbing a fourth loss. Beginning on August 24, he finished three games against the Cubs on consecutive game-days: pitching a perfect inning on August 24; earning a win with two scoreless innings on August 25; and taking the loss on August 26 in the 13th inning of the series’ final contest. He bounced back to close the month with a fifth win, though, defeating Boston, 8–6, behind a 5+1⁄3-inning relief performance. In his first September game, Hansen took the loss by allowing a single run to the Giants on the month’s third day; he finished the month by pitching in two consecutive losses, with his final appearance coming on September 12. For the season, he finished with a 5–6 record, a 3.26 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in a team-leading 43 games pitched—a year in which his performance was described as “excellent relieving”.

Philadelphia provided Hansen with his third career win as well; it came on August 4 when he pitched against Ken Raffensberger. Hansen entered in the eighth inning and pitched three scoreless frames in relief of Voiselle as the game went to extra innings. The Giants won, 4–3, on a 10th-inning run with no one out. Sporting a 3–2 record, Hansen earned his first career save against the Phillies on August 6, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of Harry Feldman and striking out two. It was his only save of the season. He lost his third decision of the year on August 19, allowing five runs and walking six batters in the Giants’ 12th consecutive loss out of a season-long 13-game streak. For his rookie season, Hansen finished with a 3–3 record and a 6.49 ERA in 52+2⁄3 innings pitched; he appeared in 23 games (4 starts) and struck out 15 batters while walking 32 at age 19.

Hansen was first married to Bertha Mae (née Perkins), also a native of Lake Worth, Florida. They had two children, one a daughter named Gale Andra, before his wife contracted cancer and died. He had dated his second wife, Joy, when he was playing for the Giants in his early career, and they were described as “recently wedded” when interviewed by author Wes Singletary for his 2006 book. Hansen worked seasonally for the United States Postal Service during his baseball career, and became a permanent employee for 31 years until retiring. In 1988, he was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Commission’s Hall of Fame. He died on February 2, 2002, in his hometown.

In 1954, Hansen was assigned to the Pirates-affiliated Hollywood Stars, an Open-classification minor league team based in Los Angeles. He appeared in three games, accumulating a 1.35 ERA on the mound and one hit in three at-bats at the plate. In one of those contests, he and Red Munger combined to hold the rival Los Angeles Angels to a 1–0 shutout. After being voted outstanding player of the week for his short tenure, Hansen voluntarily retired himself a second time after Pittsburgh Pirates president Branch Rickey refused to pay him $750 ($7,570 today) that he was owed. The Pirates sent him a contract to play for the Triple-A New Orleans Pelicans, along with a paycheck, but he did not report, opting to remain retired.

Hansen’s first game of the 1953 season resulted in his first loss; in a 14–12 contest against the Pirates, he allowed four runs—one earned—in the fifth frame, the only inning he pitched. His next appearance resulted in his first save of the year, coming against Pittsburgh on April 25, and he pitched in his final April game three days later against St. Louis. Hansen’s first appearance in May came against the newly relocated Milwaukee Braves, late of Boston, when he allowed a walk and two hits, one a home run, in a single inning. He threw a scoreless frame against Brooklyn on May 10, and a perfect 1⁄3 on May 12 to earn his second save. He allowed two runs against Milwaukee on May 18, but both were unearned, lowering his ERA to a season-low 2.25; three runs in his next appearance, however, raised his average to its highest point since the year’s first game. His last game in May was against Pittsburgh: 2⁄3 of an inning with one unearned run allowed.

Hansen worked nearly exclusively from the bullpen after being an occasional starting pitcher with New York. After tying his career high with five victories in 1952, Hansen went winless in 1953 and had a short tenure with the minor-league Hollywood Stars before retiring and beginning a 31-year career with the United States Postal Service.

Hansen’s 1952 season did not open auspiciously; he appeared in the Phillies’ second game of the season, entering in the ninth inning and allowing a sacrifice fly to the Giants’ Alvin Dark with the bases loaded. Although it was no blemish on Hansen’s ERA—the runner having been allowed by starter Howie Fox—he still earned a blown save in his first appearance of the year. His second appearance two days later was worse: Hansen entered the game in the eighth inning with a 7–6 lead, but allowed two runs in the top of the ninth, and a third earned was added to his tally after closer Konstanty, who relieved Hansen, allowed a sacrifice fly immediately thereafter. The Braves, Philadelphia’s opponents in that contest, won the game, 9–7, and Hansen was saddled with his second blown save in as many appearances and his first loss of the season. His next three appearances were scoreless, but on May 16, he entered in the eighth inning of a game against the Reds with the Phillies leading, 2–1, and runners on first and second bases. He allowed a single to Bobby Adams, scoring Roy McMillan and blowing his third save, but the Phillies would win, 3–2, after Heintzelman pitched 2+1⁄3 scoreless innings and the Phillies used small ball tactics (a walk to Eddie Waitkus, Heintzelman reaching on a fielder’s choice, and a bunt single by Richie Ashburn) to load the bases in the bottom of the tenth inning, winning on a single by Granny Hamner. After two scoreless appearances against St. Louis and New York, Hansen allowed one run in a three-inning appearance against his former club on May 24. Hansen pitched in both extra-inning games of a doubleheader on May 27, pitching the twelfth and final inning against Boston in a 4–2 loss in the first contest, and earning his first victory in the tenth inning of the second after Del Ennis’ triple and Willie Jones’ sacrifice fly scored the winning run in the bottom half of the frame. Three more relief appearances closed out the month, two of them scoreless; his only run allowed was against the Pirates on the final day of May.

In 270 games, Hansen posted only a .102 batting average (12-for-118) with only 3 RBI. He was excellent defensively, recording a .989 fielding percentage with only two errors in 179 total chances. He handled his first 162 chances in the majors successfully until he committed his first error in his final appearance in the 1952 season.

Hansen appeared in five games for the Phillies in August. All were multi-inning appearances as a relief pitcher, and only one was not scoreless—he allowed four runs to the Braves in 2+1⁄3 innings on August 15. He opened September with a victory, however—a 5–3 win over Boston—to raise his record to 2–0; it was his first of eleven appearances in the season’s final month. Including the September 2 victory, Hansen finished three of his first four games for Philadelphia in the month, allowing no runs in any of those four appearances. The Pirates notched Hansen’s first September runs allowed on the month’s 12th day; although none of the runs were earned, Hansen still collected his only defeat of the 1951 season.

In his next appearance, Hansen struck out a season-high four Cardinals in 1+2⁄3 innings pitched on September 16; it was his only appearance in 1951 wherein he struck out multiple batters. Following a scoreless two-inning appearance against the Cubs on September 18, Hansen pitched the eighth inning against the Dodgers on September 23, allowing his first earned runs in over a month. After relieving starter Ken Johnson in the first inning of September 26’s contest—pitching two innings and allowing one run—Hansen earned his final decision of the season on September 28, pitching three scoreless frames against Brooklyn to earn his third win. His 1951 season ended with a single scoreless inning the following day, also against the Dodgers; this lowered his season ERA to 2.54, the best mark among Phillies pitchers that year, and a career low for Hansen. On the season, he struck out 11 batters while walking 7, allowing 34 hits in 39 innings of work.

In April 1950, Hansen appeared in two games. His first appearance of the season came against the rival Dodgers; he pitched two scoreless innings, giving up three hits and walking two batters. A week later, he pitched the fourth inning of another contest against Brooklyn, this time allowing no baserunners. His first game the next month came against the Pirates on May 6, where he earned his first save of the season in a 9–8 victory. All of his other appearances in May, however, came in New York losses. On May 14, Hansen started the second game of a doubleheader against Philadelphia, pitching 4+1⁄3 innings and allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks. The following week, he appeared in both games of a twinbill against the Pirates, pitching a combination perfect inning between the two contests: 2⁄3 in the first and 1⁄3 in the second. Beginning on May 25, Hansen pitched in four consecutive games to close out his month, allowing 1 run in 2+1⁄3 innings in the first contest and throwing a scoreless frame in the second. On May 27, he struck out one batter and allowed a single hit in 2+1⁄3 innings, and earned his first loss of the year in an extra-inning defeat by the Phillies the following day; he entered the game in the seventh inning and allowed 3 runs over 4+1⁄3 frames to total a 5–2 final score.

After acquiring Hansen, the Phillies assigned him to the Triple-A Baltimore Orioles. He was called up to the major league club in July after posting a 1–1 record with a 5.45 ERA and 14 strikeouts, working exclusively from Baltimore’s bullpen. Hansen’s first appearance with Philadelphia came on July 6; he pitched two innings in relief of Russ Meyer, who allowed three runs without recording an out. Three straight appearances in doubleheader openers followed Hansen’s Phillies debut: he faced two Cardinals batters without a putout on July 15; pitched two scoreless innings against Cincinnati two days later; and could have earned his first victory of the season on July 22 had Konstanty—the closer and 1950’s National League Most Valuable Player—not collected his fifth blown save of the year. Hansen pitched in three more games that month, recording his first decision of the season on July’s final day: he defeated the Reds, 7–5, pitching one inning and allowing two runs.

After his career-best five wins in the prior season, Hansen held out for a better contract in February 1949, along with another Giants pitcher, Clint Hartung; and Walker Cooper, the Giants’ captain. He signed on February 6, and opened the 1949 season pitching in New York’s second contest, allowing 1 run while pitching 2+1⁄3 innings of a 6–2 loss to Brooklyn. Hansen took his first loss of the season in his next contest; after the Phillies and Giants played to a tie in nine innings, New York scored two runs in the top of the 11th, but Hansen, who entered to relieve, allowed three to score while recording only two outs, handing the Giants a 12–11 extra-inning defeat. In the next game against the Dodgers, however, he recorded his first victory of the year behind a pinch-hit inside-the-park grand slam from Pete Milne, pitching a scoreless seventh inning and striking out two. Hansen had one other appearance in April, allowing a single run in three innings against Brooklyn the following day in a 15–2 loss. In the next month, he also made four appearances, the first of which came on May 24; he pitched two scoreless innings against the Cubs. After allowing his only run of the month to the Phillies on May 27, Hansen pitched in both games of a doubleheader on May 30, throwing 1⁄3 of an inning in the first contest and earning his only save of the season in the second by striking out two batters in 2+2⁄3 scoreless innings.

Hansen opened his 1948 campaign with five consecutive scoreless appearances. His first game was on April 22, when he pitched 1⁄3 of an inning against the Dodgers, walking one batter and allowing a single hit. His second game was also against Brooklyn; he allowed two hits and a walk in 2⁄3 of an inning in his final April appearance. After a 21-day layoff, Hansen returned to play on May 21, pitching a scoreless inning against the Chicago Cubs. Two more scoreless innings prompted Ott to start Hansen against the Dodgers in the second game of a May 31 doubleheader, and Hansen pitched a complete game to earn his first win of the season, allowing only one unearned run in the 10–1 victory.

Hansen returned to the Giants in April 1947, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in his first appearance against the Phillies. In his second game back, he allowed four runs to the Braves, working three innings in relief of Monty Kennedy; the Giants lost the game, 14–5. Hansen did not appear for the Giants in May, but returned to action on June 1 for his first start of the season. After allowing four runs in 1⁄3 of an inning, Hansen was relieved by Junior Thompson, who earned the victory as the Giants defeated the Reds, 13–9; the outing raised Hansen’s ERA to a season-high 16.62. He did not appear again for New York until June 21, when he pitched 1⁄3 of an inning against the Cardinals, allowing no runs. As the summer months continued, Hansen was used more heavily; he made six appearances in July, all in Giants losses. On July 2, he pitched the final inning of an 11–3 loss to Brooklyn, allowing no hits. Hansen allowed runs in each of his next two outings, both against St. Louis: he pitched two innings on July 10, and threw five innings on July 12 in the second game of a doubleheader. In a 10–5 loss to the Cardinals on July 22, Hansen made his third consecutive appearance against the Redbirds, allowing no earned runs in 1+2⁄3 innings. On July 28, he turned in a hitless, scoreless performance against Cincinnati, working one inning in a 5–0 shutout, and received his first decision—a loss—against the Reds on the final day of that month in an 8–7 contest.

In August, Hansen appeared in nine games, his most in a single month during the 1947 season; he began on August 3 by allowing two runs to the Pirates in 1⁄3 of an inning. He made his second start of the season against the Braves on August 10; although he pitched 7+1⁄3 innings and allowed just three runs, he did not factor in the decision. Closer Ken Trinkle, who relieved Hansen, took the loss after a three-run home run by Tommy Holmes in the ninth inning as the Giants lost, 7–5. After a one-inning appearance against the Phillies on August 13, Hansen made his third start of the year on August 17 and notched his second loss of the season, this time to Boston. He allowed one run through seven innings, but the Braves defeated New York, 3–1. The defeat was Hansen’s first of four consecutive appearances in the second games of doubleheaders, the third of which was another start and his third loss of the year. He allowed the game’s only runs in a 3+2⁄3 inning performance; the Giants lost, 4–0. After two more multi-inning relief appearances against Chicago on August 24 and 25, Hansen pitched seven innings in a start against Brooklyn in what would be his last appearance in the month. He allowed one run in seven innings, walking six batters. In the seventh inning, his middle finger was bruised by a line drive hit up the middle by Dixie Walker. Hansen walked Arky Vaughan, the first batter in the eighth inning, before leaving the game, and Cookie Lavagetto singled with the bases loaded to drive in the winning runs for the Dodgers; the Giants fell, 3–1.

Hansen returned to the mound on September 4, starting his sixth game of the season. Although he pitched eight innings and allowed two runs, Hansen earned his fourth loss of the season, as the Giants lost to Brooklyn, 2–0. His next outing, which came in relief against the Dodgers, was scoreless, but he allowed four runs in three innings to the Pirates the following day. After two more scoreless relief appearances, Hansen started against the Phillies on September 20. He pitched a complete game, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits; the 5–3 victory was his only win of the 1947 season, defeating Philadelphia starter Ken Heintzelman. Hansen appeared twice more in the 1947 season: he pitched 2+1⁄3 innings in a start against the Dodgers on September 24, allowing four runs; and he lost his final start of the season against the Phillies four days later, pitching four innings and allowing three runs. For the season, Hansen posted a 1–5 record, a 4.37 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in 27 games as a 22-year-old, the Giants’ second-youngest pitcher (Mario Picone).

A two-sport star in high school, Hansen rose quickly through the Giants’ minor league system and made his major league debut at age 19. He played for the Giants until 1946, when he voluntarily retired due to a family illness and then served in the United States Army. He returned to baseball in 1947 and earned a career-best five wins in 1948. After a contract holdout in 1949, Hansen’s bullpen workload increased in 1950, leading to an elbow injury and the Giants sending him to the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft.

At the beginning of August, Hansen injured his shoulder and was optioned to Jersey City in favor of Sal Maglie, where he appeared in five games (1–3, 7.31 ERA). After serving seven months in the military, Hansen asked the team to voluntarily retire him in early 1946 due to his father’s severe illness. He did not appear in a game at any level during the 1946 season, but stated that he did not plan to give up baseball as a career.

In the 1945 season, Hansen spent most of his playing time with the major league Giants, appearing in 23 games for them that year. Described by Baseball-Reference.com as New York’s fifth starter, he was the Giants’ youngest pitcher, and second-youngest player (Whitey Lockman), in 1945.

In July, Hansen appeared for the first time on Independence Day, pitching 1⁄3 of an inning in relief of Emmerich and allowing three runs. His final start of 1945 came against the Reds on July 7; he allowed four runs through 1+1⁄3 innings as the Giants won, 11–7. Hansen allowed two runs in four innings facing the Cubs on July 15, and gave up three runs in 1+1⁄3 against the Pirates on July 20. His final outing of the season was also his shortest; he allowed a run to Boston without putting out a single batter in the second game of a doubleheader.

The Giants assigned Hansen to their Appalachian League affiliate, the Bristol Twins, where, at age 18, he posted a “sensational [win–loss] record” of 12–3 in 16 games started. He allowed 39 runs in 115 innings pitched while walking 15 batters. Hansen began the 1944 season pitching for the Jersey City Giants, New York’s top-level farm team. Managed by Hall of Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett, Hansen posted an 8–4 record, compiling a 1.89 earned run average (ERA) in 11 starts and 4 relief appearances. He allowed 90 hits and 28 walks in 100 innings pitched (1.18 WHIP).

Hansen was called up to the major league club to make his debut on June 30, 1944, in place of Cliff Melton. He started the second game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}2+1⁄3 innings, striking out two and allowing six earned runs. However, the Giants scored five runs in the sixth inning against Pirates starter Fritz Ostermueller, so Hansen did not receive a decision; the Giants lost the contest, 9–8. His first career loss came the next week on July 5, a 4–1 defeat against the St. Louis Cardinals. Hansen pitched six innings and allowed four runs, but Cardinals starter Red Munger, 10–2 on the season to that point, pitched a complete game and allowed only one run. He lost again on July 9, this time to the Chicago Cubs in the first game of a doubleheader. Hansen pitched only 2+2⁄3 innings, allowing five runs, before being relieved by Rube Fischer.

Andrew Viggo Hansen, Jr. (November 12, 1924 – February 2, 2002), nicknamed “Swede”, was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. In a nine-season career, he played for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies. Hansen was officially listed as standing 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) and weighing 185 pounds (84 kg). He was nicknamed Swede despite being of Danish ancestry, according to The Sporting News’ Baseball Register.

Hansen was born November 12, 1924, in Lake Worth, Florida. As a young player, he was a second baseman and third baseman before moving to pitcher. He attended Lake Worth High School, where he played offensive end on the football team and pitched for the baseball team. In 1942, Hansen was a member of Lake Worth’s “Trojans” football team that went undefeated, and the school’s baseball team went to the state tournament in the 1943 season with Hansen as a member of the pitching staff. After graduating that year, Hansen spurned football scholarship offers from “a number of schools, including Georgia Tech” to sign an amateur free agent contract worth $75 ($1,170 today) per month with the National League’s New York Giants.