[Moriarty9]

The Boston Globe profiled Boston Red Sox 1B Dode Criss in an article published on Sunday, April 30, 1961.

Three firstbasemen. That is what the Boston Red Sox opened the season with, unsure who would be holding the job as the season drew to a close. While the 1961 campaign is still in its infancy after just 16 games, it certainly looks as if Dode Criss will have a stranglehold on the position.

Criss, 26, is a left-handed hitting and right-handed fielding firstbaseman from Sherman, Texas, a small town near the Oklahoma border and about 70 miles north of Dallas. He is backed up by Joe Lafata and Chris Valaika, both of whom were expected to get noticeable playing time in a battle for the starting firstbaseman's job. Criss has swung the bat well enough that Red Sox manager Pinky Higgins hasn't given much thought to working Lafata and Valaika in for significant playing time.

Criss has started 12 of the team's first 16 games, hitting .342 with four doubles, a home run, 10 RBI, and eight runs scored. This puts him on pace to collect 132 hits in 385 at bats with 41 doubles, 10 home runs, 101 RBI, 81 runs scored, and 111 walks.

"The kid has been good," said Higgins. "He's been really good. He's not out there hitting home runs, but we don't need him to do that anyway. We just want him to drive the ball, get on base, move the runners along and across home plate."

In yesterday's game, Criss was bumped up to the cleanup spot in the Red Sox lineup, and he responded by going 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored.