From Venezuela and the Mets to Royals and Retirement (1963-1970)

Hawk Taylor’s time with the Milwaukee Braves came to an end a at the conclusion of the 1963 season, when he was traded to the New York Mets. Before reporting to the Mets, however, Hawk played winter league baseball in Venezuela for the 1963-1964 season. Despite having spent parts of five seasons on a major league roster, accrued enough service time to be disqualified to play in Venezuela, which was restricted to less-experienced professional players. Poor communications between Venezuela and the United States meant that Hawk couldn’t call home to speak to Marie, pregnant with the Taylors' first son Bruce. She didn’t worry—his calls would come through and ring before disconnecting, and she knew he was safe.

The same could not be said for Hawk’s mother, Mrs. Velma Taylor. The family in Metropolis had received terrible news—an athlete had been kidnapped and held for ransom in Venezuela. With no details available at the time, Mrs. Taylor feared the worst. As it turned out, Hawk was safe. The kidnapped athlete was Alfredo Di Stefano, famed Argentine soccer player for Real Madrid. He was briefly kidnapped for three days by the National Liberation Armed Forces of Venezuela, a rebel group backed by Fidel Castro and led by the Communist Party of Venezuela. Hawk’s letters finally got through, assuring Mrs. Taylor of his safety, and Marie gave birth to Bruce Taylor while Hawk was in Maracaibo.

Hawk played with the Mets from 1964 to 1967, and then had a brief stint with the California Angels in 1967 before finishing his Major League career with the Kansas City Royals from 1969 to 1970. With the Mets, Hawk set personal bests in hits and RBI in 1964. Used often as a pinch hitter, he hit the first pinch-hit grand slam home run in Mets history on August 17, 1966 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his time with Angels, he was managed once again by Fred Haney, his original manager from the 1957 Braves, and batted .308 that season. Hawk was drafted by the expansion Kansas City Royals in December of 1968, and played for them from 1969 to 1970. In 1970, he finished out his career with the Red Sox organization playing as a fan favorite for the Minor League Louisville Colonels, where he had once played alongside his 1957 Braves teammate John Demerit in 1960.