On This Date in Sports January 26, 1960: Flying Away

Citing a fear of flying and a desire to spend more time with his family, Boston Red Sox star Jackie Jensen announces his retirement at the age of 32. Jensen won the American League MVP award in 1958 and led the league in RBI in the past two seasons. After undergoing therapy, Jensen would return to the Red Sox in 1961 but played just one more season.

After beginning his professional career with the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League, Jackie Jensen and Billy Martin were sold to the New York Yankees. The Yankees had initially planned for Jensen to replace Joe DiMaggio, but the arrival of Mickey Mantle made him expendable as he was traded to the Washington Senators in 1952. Jackie Jensen finally got a chance to play every day with the Senators and shined, making it to the All-Star Game, batting .280 with ten home runs and 80 RBI; after the 1953 season was traded again, this time to the Boston Red Sox.

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Jackie Jensen continued to develop into a star with the Red Sox, batting .276 with 25 home runs and 117 RBI as he led the league with 22 steals. Jensen was again named to the All-Star team in 1955, with 26 home runs and a league-leading 116 RBIs. A year later, he enjoyed his first season, hitting above .300 with a career-high .315 average. Jackie Jensen enjoyed his finest season in 1958, as he was an All-Star for the third time in his career. He hit .286 with a career-best 35 home runs and 122 RBI to lead the American on the way to being named American League MVP. The following year, Jackie Jensen again led the league with 112 RBI and became the star attraction in Fenway, with Ted Williams on the verge of retiring.

At the same time Jackie Jensen was rising into stardom, air travel was becoming more common. This helped spur baseball’s westward expansion. However, Jensen is a West Coast guy who once contemplated a return to the PCL due to his hating being away from his family. Air travel was never easy for Jackie Jensen as he often experienced panic attacks and underwent hours of therapy. However, the more the Red Sox traveled by air, the worse it got, leading Jensen to retire before reporting to Spring Training.

Retiring at the prime of his career, Jackie Jensen had appeared in four episodes of “Home Run Derby,” beating Ernie Banks and Rocky Colavito while losing to Mickey Mantle twice. He would sit out the entire 1960 season, but Jackie Jensen returned to the Red Sox in 1961 after undergoing hypnotherapy. He had a sub-par season and called it quits for good following the season. In an 11-year career, Jackie Jensen hit .279 with 199 home runs and 929 RBI.