Legendary Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo died last night at the age of 70. Santo played for the Cubs for 14 seasons, from 1960 to 1973. During that span he played 219 games against the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, his fifth-highest total against any team and one short of the Cincinnati Reds, the only National League West team he faced more than the Braves.
↵On Aug. 28, 1971, the Braves beat the Cubs on Ron Santo Day. In 1967 he hit a home run at Atlanta-Fulton County, part of a five-homer inning that tied the record for most home runs by two teams. And in May 1966 he hit game-winning homers against the Braves in back-to-back games. All that via Baseball Library.
↵In 815 at-bats against the Braves Santo produced 197 hits, 32 home runs, a .242 batting average, and a .317 on-base percentage. I tried to find something he did against the Braves more than against any other team, and here it is: he grounded into double plays against the Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates 32 times each.
↵Santo remains an object of Hall of Fame discussion and one of the most popular personalities in Cubs history.