Back, back, back ... Jimmy Piersall goes coast-to-coast with his 100th career HR

Jimmy Piersall was described as "colorful," "eccentric," "daffy," "clownish," and "zany" as a productive Red Sox rookie in 1952 before his antics that annoyed opponents and teammates became too much for manager Lou Boudreau.

Piersall was demoted to Birmingham of the Southern Association, where his odd, juvenile behavior — like mimicking opposing players and running off the field with his arms spread as if he were an airplane — only got worse. He was ejected four times in two weeks, finally suspended for three games and fined $50 by the league president after squirting water on home plate with a squirt gun after being called out on strikes.

As it turned out, the Piersall issue was worse than anyone thought. After the suspension, he was diagnosed with "mental exhaustion" and spent seven weeks in a mental institution for a nervous breakdown. That changed the tone of the criticism of Piersall. Yankees second baseman Billy Martin, who earlier that season had fought Piersall under the stands at Fenway Park, said he regretted the incident. "I didn't know the fellow was sick," Martin said.

Piersall responded to treatment, including Lithium, and returned in 1953 and established himself as a regular in the Red Sox lineup and one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball. He ended up playing in 17 seasons in the big leagues — 10 years as a full-time player — hitting .272 with 1,604 hits, winning two Gold Gloves and making the American League All-Star team in 1954 and 1956. His life story was the subject of the 1955 book, "Fear Strikes Out: The Jim Piersall Story" that became a motion picture, "Fear Strikes Out," starring Anthony Perkins as Piersall in 1957.

Jimmy Piersall missed the rest of the 1963 season after he undergoing treatment for a mental breakdown for seven weeks that season.

But while he toned down his act, he was still Jimmy Piersall — outspoken, combative, eccentric, still prone to going against convention — and often entertaining. He accepted, if not embraced his battle with mental-health issues — later described as bipolar disorder — and later in his career acknowledged that he continued some of his screwball antics because fans expected it from him.

Duke Snider's 400th career home run was the story and made headlines in New York in 1963 ...

But Jimmy Piersall's 100th career home run nine days later garnered much more attention. (For the record, Snider's milestone homer was hit in a night game; Piersall's was in the first game of a daytime doubleheader.)

On June 23, 1963 — 62 years ago Monday — Piersall pulled off the most memorable of those stunts. Playing for the New York Mets and manager Casey Stengel, Piersall hit his 100th career home run against Phillies pitcher (and future Cubs general manager) Dallas Green — and ran backwards around the bases.

The backstory is pure Piersall. After Mets teammate Duke Snider received only mild attention in the New York papers for hitting his 400th career home run against the Reds on June 14, 1963 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Piersall, who had 99 career home runs at the time, told Snider he would "go coast-to-coast" when he hit his 100th. Nine days later, he homered off Green and true to his word — as he often was — he ran backwards around the bases at the Polo Grounds. An event that otherwise would have been ignored became noteworthy, if not an illustrated story, in newspapers coast to coast.

Jimmy Piersall's 100th HR (Wichita, Kan.)

Duke Snider's 400th HR (Wichita, Kan.)

Jimmy Piersall's 100th HR (Scranton, Pa.)

Duke Snider's 100th HR (Scranton, Pa.)

Jimmy Piersall's 100th HR (Rochester, N.Y.)

Duke Snider's 400th HR (Rochester, N.Y.)

Stengel, who as Yankees manager once called Piersall the best defensive outfielder he had ever seen, was not amused. Piersall, who was hitting .194, was released by the Mets on July 22. He signed with the Angels and hit .308 the remainder of the 1963 season and .314 in 1964 as a part-time player. He spent most of the 1967 season as an unofficial coach and retired the following spring.

Though he never played with the Cubs or White Sox, Piersall become a Chicago celebrity in retirement. He had a memorable run as an outspoken analyst with Harry Caray on White Sox games in 1977-81 — arguably the best broadcast combination in Chicago baseball history.

In 1953, Yankees manager Casey Stengel called Jimmy Piersall the best right fielder he has ever seen. "That boy can do everything."

Piersall was fired as a White Sox pre- and post-game analyst one game into the 1983 season (after ripping manager Tony La Russa on Opening Day). But Dallas Green — the pitcher who served up Piersall's memorable 100th career homer — hired Piersall as an outfield coach to work with players with the Cubs and in the minor leagues. He lost that gig when he was too critical of players as a baseball analyst for 670 The Score. He ended up spending 14 seasons with the Score before he was let go after the 2006 season at 76.

Piersall stayed in the Chicago area, with a residence in Wheaton. He died 2017 at 87 leaving a legacy as an unforgettable figure in baseball, and Chicago.

This is a kinescope of Jimmy Piersall's appearance on The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder in 1980, where Piersall explains why he ran backwards around the bases to celebrate his 100th career home run.