Feb. 13, 1963 - The “sophomore jinx” has long been the bane of a young ballplayer’s existence. Almost every year finds one or more of the rookie wizards of the previous season having a tough time proving it wasn’t all a mistake. This year, however, the Yankees have a sophomore who asserts the jinx holds no terrors for him. He is young Tom Tresh (pictured left with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris), the brilliant switch-hitting infielder-outfielder who astounded with his versatile accomplishments last summer. He wound up with 20 homers and a .286 batting average. In the World Series, he hit a three-run homer that won the fifth game, then made a big catch that helped save the seventh and deciding game. To top it all, he was voted the American League’s rookie of the year. Tresh says he doesn’t believe in the jinx. “I honestly wouldn’t even think of it except that writers keep asking me about it. To me, it’s a superstition that should have no place in the thoughts of a young fellow who wants to make a goal of playing ball. I may have a good year or a lousy one, but that sophomore jinx business won’t have a thing to do with it. It all depends on what I do out there on the field.”
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