They Lived Here TOMMIE AGEE

With the start of the new baseball season, the New York Mets and their fans have high expectations after their disappointing exit from the playoffs last season.
It is difficult not to reminisce about the inspiring journey of the 1969 “Miracle Mets.” While that team was able to accomplish the improbable, none of it would have been possible without a special contribution from long time Queens resident, Tommie Agee.
Tommie Lee Agee was born on August 9, 1942 in Magnolia, Alabama. As a young boy, Agee possessed unique athletic ability, despite his stocky build. Growing up in Alabama, Agee played various sports with his friends. However, Agee’s interest in sports was clouded by the segregation which dominated the mindset of the South.
At the age of five however, Agee’s interest in baseball was piqued as Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier. Not only did Robinson give Agee hope of one day playing professionally, but Robinson’s indomitable play on the field changed the way black ballplayers were viewed. In the following years, Agee along with the rest of the nation, watched as Robinson shattered stereotypes and singlehandedly changed the way the game was played.
Mesmerized by Robinson’s talent, Agee drew closer to the sport as another black baseball player from Alabama, Willie Mays, began to make headlines. Mays was a superb athlete who excelled in baseball, football and basketball. Since the two players played the same position, centerfield, Agee naturally studied Mays and the way he went about his business in the outfield.
Unlike Mays however, when it was time to attend college, Agee enrolled at Grambling State University, one of the best black colleges in the country. Despite college scholarships to play football and basketball, Mays had ignored the college recruiters and chose to play baseball for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League. Agee nonetheless refined his game at the college level and prepared himself for a professional career in the major leagues.
Standing at five feet, eleven inches, Agee was a star outfielder in college. He drew attention from many major league teams. In 1961 however, Agee agreed to sign with the Cleveland Indians for $60,000.
Making his major league debut on September 14, 1962, Agee was eager to make an impact at the Big League level but he seldom saw the field.
Traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1965, his experience was similar to his time in Cleveland, playing in only ten games and collecting three hits, but he was given the center field job for the 1966 season.
He worked tirelessly that off-season to prepare himself for such a long awaited role, and his labor showed in his numbers. In 1966, Agee played in 160 games, scoring 98 runs, hitting .273 with 22 home runs, 87 RBI and he stole 44 bases. With such outstanding numbers, Agee ran away with Rookie of the Year honors; he also earned a Gold Glove and was selected as an All-Star.
Having proved himself as a significant contributor, Agee played one more year with Chicago, earning another All-Star appearance. Following the end of the 1967 season, Agee was traded to the New York Mets which reunited him with his childhood friend and fellow outfielder, Cleon Jones. Together the two would prove to be intricate parts of the Mets 1969 “Miracle Season.”
Agee’s first season in New York was also a disaster as he was hit by the very first pitch he saw in spring training and started the season going 0 for 34. He finished the season batting .217 and only had 17 RBI. Despite his troubles at the ballpark, Agee fell in love with Queens. He moved into the neighborhood and became a long time resident of Elmhurst. He even operated the Outfielder’s Lounge near Shea after he retired.
The ’69 season however would prove to be much different for Agee and the rest of the team. Cleon Jones had a career year in ’69 as he batted .340, good for third overall in the National League. Agee also put up great numbers as he hit .271 with 26 home runs, 76 RBI and scored 97 runs.
On April 10 that season, Agee hit a monstrous home run halfway up in the left field upper deck at Shea Stadium, which is still today the highest ball ever hit at Shea Stadium. The home run was commemorated by painting a large circle where the ball landed, stating Agee’s name, number, and the date the home run was hit.
Agee however became indelibly etched in the minds of Met fans in the post-season that year. In game 3 of the World Series that year, Agee made two incredible catches that saved five runs, and ultimately the series for the team. After that game, Agee’s number 20 became as popular as the likes of Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. Agee finished his career in 1973, beginning the season with the Houston Astros and finishing with the St. Louis Cardinals. He died of a heart attack in 2001 at the age of 58.