MAX-IMUM OVERDRIVE! Former Major League Third Baseman Max Alvis Was A Steady Force At The Hot Corner For Indians By Todd Newville

It should come as no surprise that former major league third baseman Max Alvis is now president of his hometown bank in Jasper, Texas. After all, his steady play at the hot corner for the Cleveland Indians in the 1960s was like money in the bank for Tribe fans.

You could count on it.

Alvis has been working for the First National Bank of Jasper for 29 years - the last four as president. As such, Alvis is trusted to handle the accounts of hundreds of customers who have secured their savings under his watchful eye. During his eight years with Cleveland, Alvis provided that same trustworthiness for the Indians. He gave the club a sense of security with his all-star caliber bat and glove. Alvis posted solid numbers at the plate and guarded third base like he does his bank’s vault now. The hard-nosed Texan was certainly a tough one to crack. “My work ethic was what enabled me to become a major leaguer,” Alvis said. “I always believed that I had marginal talent. But, I worked hard and I tried to improve my ability as a third baseman and my accuracy as a thrower. My work ethic started young in my career and I just worked hard at it and tried to improve.” Alvis didn't take anything for granted when he was playing for the Tribe. The former University of Texas standout felt privileged to be able to play in the majors. He never grew complacent about his performance.

Max Alvis was a steady force at third base for the Cleveland Indians during the 1960s and was a two-time All-Star.

“That’s one thing I don’t think any big league player would be satisfied with is his record or the things he had actually done, accomplished, or fell short of while he was there in the majors,” Alvis said. “I felt honored to play in the major leagues.”

Alvis (a 5-foot-11, 187-pounder during his major league days) was a two-sport star athlete at Texas. He lettered one year in football at halfback for legendary head coach Darrell Royal. Alvis helped the Longhorns (6-4-1) to a No. 11 national ranking in 1957 before Texas lost to Mississippi 39-7 in the 1958 Sugar Bowl.

The 1959 Selma Cloverleafs featured future Cleveland third baseman Max Alvis (middle row, second from left.)

In baseball, Alvis earned all-Southwest Conference honors with UT in 1958. Coached by Longhorn icon Bibb Falk, the Longhorns won the SWC championship that year with a 21-8 record and barely missed going to the College World Series - losing to Arizona in the district playoffs. From there, Alvis broke into professional baseball in 1959 with the Selma (Ala.) Cloverleafs in the Class D Alabama-Florida League. He had a solid pro debut, hitting .297 with six home runs, 70 runs batted in, 79 runs scored, and 129 hits in 117 games. In 1960 with the Minot (N.D.) Mallards of the Class C Northern League, Alvis hit a robust .343 and led the circuit in hits with 147 in just 115 games. He moved up to the Salt Lake City Bees of the Pacific Coast League in 1961, where he hit .272 with 13 homers and 64 RBI. In ‘62, Alvis hit .319 for the Bees with 25 homers, 91 RBI, and a league-leading 189 hits - prompting a late-season promotion to Cleveland in September. Alvis hit .216 in a dozen games with the Tribe.

In 1963, Alvis hit a solid .274 for the Tribe during a stellar rookie major league season. He led Cleveland in just about every offensive category. His 22 homers, 81 runs scored, 165 hits, 32 doubles, 602 at-bats, seven triples and 67 RBI were all team highs. He also played in 158 games that year which ranked fourth in the American League.

Only Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson (161), Detroit’s Rocky Colavito (160), and Minnesota’s Zoilo Versailles (159) played more games in the AL in ‘63 than Alvis. He also ranked third in the Junior Circuit in doubles, fifth in at-bats and extra-base hits, seventh in triples, and eighth in hits. Alvis led the league in being hit by pitches with 10 and was sixth in total bases with 277. His fielding percentage at third base that year was .942 with 170 putouts and 285 assists. Alvis committed 28 errors but helped turn 32 double plays. He was voted the Indians’ Man of the Year. Overall, Alvis had a great rookie season. And, he would get only better in the field with experience in the coming seasons. “You have to have quick reactions,” Alvis said of playing third base. “You don’t have to have tremendous speed but you have to be able to react quickly. I think a good strong accurate arm is a requirement at third.”

Max Alvis with Selma in '59.

In ‘64, Alvis hit .252 with 18 homers and 53 RBI in just 107 games. He missed about six weeks of the season after contracting spinal meningitis on a June road trip.

Max Alvis as a Minot Mallard in 1960.

Following a series in Minnesota, the Indians boarded an airplane to Boston. Alvis developed a bad headache during the flight but didn’t think much of it. He went straight to his room once the team got to their hotel headquarters. “About three in the morning, I called our trainer Wally Bach,” Alvis remembered. “I told him that I felt like (comedian) Jerry Clower. Somebody got to have some relief up here! Shoot up here amongst us! He called the Boston team physician and I guess Wally had seen spinal meningitis before. “From all indications, the way I was holding my body and the way my neck was drawing to one side made them rush me to the hospital. They diagnosed it pretty quickly. They gave me a combination of three really powerful drugs intravenously. That was it.”

On June 25 at Minnesota, Alvis helped Cleveland beat the Twins 8-1 by hitting a two-run homer off Jim “Mudcat” Grant in the fourth inning. He also scored three runs that day. But, Alvis didn’t play again until Aug. 5 against Washington.

“Back then, I probably came back and shouldn’t have,” Alvis said. “But, I wanted to bounce back and be able to play. I probably would have been better off laying off about a year and getting my strength back in my system. I didn’t feel like I was quite as strong as I was after I came back. I don’t know if I would have been a better ballplayer after that. It’s hard to judge that kind of thing.” His performance on the field didn’t seem to suffer, though. In ‘65, Alvis bounced back and made the American League All-Star team by hitting .247 with 21 homers, 61 RBI, and 88 runs scored. He struck out 121 times which was second behind Versailles (the league’s MVP) among American League hitters. But, his 604 at-bats ranked fourth in the league. He also ranked seventh in the AL in runs scored and tied Kansas City‘s Bert Campaneris for the league lead in being hit by pitches with nine. Amazingly, Alvis also played in 159 games which ranked seventh in the Junior Circuit. If Alvis felt his bout with meningitis had an effect on his play, it sure didn’t seem to slow him down any.

Max Alvis (as he appeared on his 1965 Topps baseball card)

On Aug. 15, 1965, Alvis and teammate Leon Wagner made some history together during a 6-4 win over Minnesota in the second game of a doubleheader. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Alvis pinch-hit for pitcher Bobby Tiefenauer and cracked a two-run homer to tie the game 3-3. In the 11th, Wagner pinch-hit for catcher Duke Sims and won the game with a two-run blast. The two pinch-hit home runs in one game tied a major league record.

Max Alvis overcame a severe bout with spinal meningitis in 1964 to play in an amazing 159 games in '65.

In 1966, Alvis hit .245 with 17 homers, 55 ribbies, and 67 runs scored while playing in 157 games. In ‘67, Alvis made his second American League All-Star team. That year, he hit .256 with 21 homers and a career-high 70 RBI. His 163 hits ranked sixth in the American League and his total of 637 at-bats placed him second behind only Minnesota’s Cesar Tovar (649) in that category. He also had 16 sacrifice hits - second only to Boston’s Mike Andrews who led the league with 18. Alvis led the Tribe in hits, homers, and RBI. Alvis played in a career-high 161 games in ‘67 - tied for third with Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox. Only Tovar (164) and his teammate Harmon Killebrew (163) played in more AL games that season than Alvis, who also ranked sixth in the league in singles with 115 and eighth in total bases with 257.

At third base, Alvis had perhaps his best year in the field. He had a .965 fielding percentage with 169 putouts and 304 assists. He helped turn 20 double plays while committing just 17 errors. He was again voted the Indians’ Man of the Year following that ’67 campaign.

Alvis grounded out pinch-hitting for Yankee pitcher Al Downing during the 10th inning of the ‘67 All-Star Game in Anaheim, Calif. The National League won 2-1 in 15 innings when Tony Perez of the Cincinnati Reds homered over the left field fence off Athletics pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter.

“It was fantastic to be included with that group,” Alvis said of his all-star experience. “People were on the team that I idolized and modeled myself after. I tried to do the things that I tried to accomplish based on what they had done. It was awesome to play in the All-Star Game.” In ‘68, Alvis was on the disabled list for 23 days and hit just .223 in 131 games. In ’69, he spent 59 days on the disabled list and hit .225 in just 66 games. On April 4, 1970, Cleveland traded Alvis (along with outfielder Russ Snyder) to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Roy Foster and second baseman Frank Coggins. After hitting a meager .183 in 62 games for Milwaukee in ‘70, the Brewers released Alvis following the season. He ended his nine-year career with a .247 batting average, 111 homers, 373 RBI, 421 runs scored, and 895 hits in 1,013 games. His career fielding percentage was .956. Alvis ranks 16th in Cleveland history with 108 home runs in an Indians uniform. Among all-time Cleveland third baseman, only Al Rosen (192), Ken Keltner (163), and Brook Jacoby (120) hit more round-trippers for the Tribe than Alvis did. “I was disappointed that I didn’t hit better for average,” Alvis said of his career during an era when pitchers thrived more than hitters. “I was pleased at the time with my power numbers. I felt I was a better hitter than what I actually hit for. It was a tough era for hitters and baseball has changed since then. But, it’s hard to compare baseball today and baseball then.”

Max Alvis (as he appeared on his 1966 Topps baseball card)

Besides Alvis, there was a plethora of outstanding major league third basemen during the 1960s. Brooks Robinson (a Hall of Famer with 16 Gold Gloves to his credit) led the way.

“I remember Brooks Robinson didn’t run any better than I did,” Alvis said. “But, he had quicker reflexes than I did. He was just a fantastic third baseman.”

Ken Boyer of the St. Louis Cardinals, Rich Rollins with the Twins, Pete Ward of the Chicago White Sox, and Clete Boyer with the Yankees were some of the others who stood out at the hot corner, according to Alvis. He also ranks Graig Nettles among the best he saw during his career.

Max Alvis (as he appeared on his 1967 Topps baseball card)

“I saw Graig Nettles later in my career and early in his,” Alvis stated. “He was fantastic at third base. Ken Boyer was a good one. Rich Rollins with the Twins was a good third baseman. Pete Ward played in Chicago and did a good job at third. “Clete Boyer with the Yankees was a great third baseman. He didn’t have to hit a whole lot - although he did hit well. But, he just needed to play third base with that lineup they had in New York for a while.” Mel Stottlemyre of the Yanks and Steve Barber with the Orioles were a challenge for Alvis, who hit .270 against Barber (10-for-37) and .213 against Stottlemyre (10-for-47) during his career. “I never hit Mel Stottlemyre very well,” Alvis said. “I never felt like I hit a lefthander with Baltimore named Steve Barber very well, either. There were a lot of guys who threw well. Any given day, you might have a good outing against someone. I was always proud that I didn’t have to bat against our pitchers.”

During Alvis’ tenure in Cleveland, the Indians featured several outstanding young hurlers like Sam McDowell, Steve Hargan, Luis Tiant, and Sonny Siebert. McDowell led the American League five times in strikeouts and twice topped 300 in a season for the Indians.

Hargan pitched six shutouts in 1967 to tie for the AL lead. Tiant went 21-9 for the Tribe in ‘68 with 264 strikeouts and a miniscule league-leading 1.60 ERA. Siebert won 16 games in both 1965 and ‘66. “Those guys threw hard and had good breaking stuff,” Alvis said. “It was an outstanding staff.”

Alvis played against some of the game’s all-time greats such as Yastrzemski, Mickey Mantle, and Al Kaline. Yaz won the last Triple Crown in 1967 with a .326 average, 44 homers, and 121 ribbies as he led the Bosox to the AL pennant. Mantle also won a Triple Crown in ‘56 (.353, 52, 130) and helped the Yankees to 12 pennants and seven World Series titles. Kaline (who helped Detroit win the World Series in ‘68) was the youngest batting champion ever - hitting .340 in 1955 for the Tigers at the age of 20. Yaz, Mantle and Kaline are all Hall of Famers. “Yastrzemski and Kaline were just phenomenal players,” Alvis said. “Of course, Mickey Mantle was great. I came up in ’62 and he still was producing pretty well then and the few years thereafter.” Tony Oliva and Rod Carew of the Twins, Norm Cash of the Tigers, and Boog Powell of the Orioles also elicit strong memories for Alvis.

Max Alvis and Leon Wagner tied a major league record in 1965 when each hit a pinch-hit home run in the same game during a victory over Minnesota.

“Dadgum! They were good,” Alvis said. “I keep saying names and I don’t want to leave anyone out. But, it was a good era and there were tremendous ballplayers anywhere you went.”

Joe Pepitone of the Yanks “acted like he knew everything we would throw at him,” Alvis added. “He’d kill us.”

Max Alvis makes a play at third base in 1963.

The Indians never played in the World Series during Alvis’ stay in Cleveland. But, they made every chase for the American League pennant exciting with the likes of Colavito, Wagner and others in the lineup. Teammates like those made a strong impression on Alvis during his career - including Vic Davalillo from Venezuela. A rookie like Alvis in ‘63, Davalillo hit .279 while playing for six teams during his 16-year career. He won World Series championship rings in 1971 with Pittsburgh and ‘73 with Oakland. Davalillo won a Gold Glove in the outfield in 1964 and was an all-star with the Indians in ‘65 when he hit .301. He is probably best remembered, though, for being one of the all-time great pinch-hitters.

In 1970 with the Cards, Davalillo collected 24 pinch-hits - fourth most ever in one season behind only John Vander Wal (28 in 1995), Lenny Harris (26 in ‘99), and Jose Morales (25 in ‘76). Davalillo also had 95 total pinch-hits for his career - ranking him among the top 25 all-time leaders in that department.

“I played with a good one in Rocky Colavito,” Alvis said. “Leon Wagner was a pretty good ballplayer. Vic Davalillo and I were rookies together in Cleveland. I never thought that he would have had the kind of career that he had as far as being a good pinch-hitter. He was up there with Smoky Burgess and other guys in terms of pinch-hitting records. He was a good ballplayer.”

Alvis roomed with catcher Johnny Romano while with Cleveland. Both were named among the top 100 greatest Indians in history - an honor bestowed upon them when the club celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2001. Alvis enjoyed his time in Cleveland and still visits that city frequently. “I roomed with Johnny Romano,” said Alvis, now 68. “I haven’t seen him since our 100th year reunion with Cleveland, but he was great. It’s awesome to see the group that you’re included in. But, it’s also humbling when you realize some of the players who didn’t make it. It’s a real honor to be one of the top Indians in history. Cleveland was my base of operations for many years and I was happy to be there. “Having never played in any other city except for road trips, I didn’t have anything to judge it by. I certainly wasn’t going to knock it. Cleveland has done a good job revitalizing downtown. They’ve got a new ballpark, a new arena, and a new football field, plus the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cleveland has come a long ways.”

Max Alvis ended his nine-year big league career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970.

Alvis’ hometown is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Rita, which hit the southeast coast of Texas very hard in September 2005. It made landfall as a Category 3 storm but (at one point) was the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. It caused at least $10 billion damage to the Piney Woods region of Texas (where Alvis lives) and southwest Louisiana.

Max Alvis hit 111 lifetime homers and on three occasions hit more than 20 homers in a season.

“Rita sat on top of us for eight hours,” Alvis said. “We got the direct hit. The only thing we didn’t get was the storm surge. We had an awful lot of damage - trees everywhere. I was without electricity in my house for 17 days.” Jasper sits 75 miles to the north of Beaumont and is just 30 miles from the Louisiana border. Thankfully, everyone in the Alvis family came through the storm safe. Alvis and his wife Honey have been married for 48 years. They have two sons (Max, Jr., 46 and David, 42) and five grandchildren. Max, Jr., and his wife Sally have two daughters named Anna Catherine and Elisabeth. David and wife Rachel have a daughter named Jessica and two sons named Sam and William, who’ll play college baseball next year at Sam Houston State.

“I don’t have any regrets,” Alvis said of his life and baseball career. “Lots of people during our era realized that baseball was a short experience. You needed to make the most of it and enjoy it and go onto your next career. “I’ve qualified for (baseball’s) retirement plan and I enjoy those benefits. I just came home after my baseball career, went to work and I have no regrets. Baseball was good to me and my family.” And, Max Alvis was certainly good for baseball and the Cleveland Indians.

Max Alvis had a .956 lifetime fielding percentage.