Batting and throwing right-handed, he formed a top double play combination with fellow Yankee infielders Clete Boyer and Tony Kubek.

In 1962, he led the American League (AL) in hits with 209 and snared a line drive off the bat of Willie McCovey to win the 1962 World Series for the Yankees.

Richardson ran for the United States House of Representatives in South Carolina's 5th congressional district as a Republican in 1976 but lost to incumbent Kenneth Holland.

Growing up, he practiced his baseball skills with Harry Stokes, a boy in his neighborhood seven years his senior who would play catch with him.

Ultimately, Richardson decided to forgo college and sign with the Yankees out of high school (though he later earned a degree in accounting).

[1] Richardson spent most of spring training with the Yankees in 1955 but was sent to the Class AAA Denver Bears of the American Association to start the year.

[4] When Gil McDougald found himself on the receiving end of a line drive during batting practice in August 1955, the Yankees called up Richardson.

[10] With the Bears, he ranked among the American Association leaders in batting average (.328, third), runs scored (102, sixth), hits (175, fourth), doubles (30, ninth), and triples (12, tied with Willie Kirkland for second behind Larry Raines's 14).

The Yankees' volatile infielder had injured himself in a deliberate golf cart collision with Mickey Mantle in spring training, then caused further trouble by getting into a highly publicized brawl at the Copacabana Club in May before getting traded to the Kansas City Athletics in June.

"[1] His fielding was better; Louis Effrat of The New York Times wrote June 25, "He has thrilled the fans with his great stops and catches ... no one gets rid of the ball quicker [on double plays].

[16] Even so, Stengel waited until the last minute to decide whether Coleman or Richardson would start at second base in the 1957 World Series against the Milwaukee Braves.

[17] Ultimately, Stengel chose Coleman, who started all seven games for the Yankees as Richardson was limited to two appearances as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.

[1] On June 15, he had three hits and four RBI, including a three-run home run against Johnny Antonelli as the Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 11–5.

[22] On June 9, 1962, against the Orioles, Richardson had four hits, including a two-run home run against Steve Barber that tied the game at two in the seventh; the Yankees went on to win 7–3.

[14] With the Yankees trailing the Minnesota Twins 7–4 in the ninth inning on August 16, 1962, at Metropolitan Stadium, Richardson came up to the plate with the bases loaded.

"[1] Richardson hit a home run to left field against Dick Stigman, the only grand slam of his career besides his one in the 1960 World Series.

[47] Len Pasculi of the Society for American Baseball Research called 1962 his most productive year, as he batted .302 with eight home runs, 59 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 161 games.

"[1] Sporting News ranked the catch the 13th most memorable moment in baseball history in 1999,[1] and Charles Schulz famously referenced it in a Peanuts comic strip, where Charlie Brown yells, "Why couldn't McCovey have hit the ball just three feet higher?

[14] On September 5, he singled against Steve Ridzik, stole second base, and scored on a Roger Maris hit due to an error by shortstop Ed Brinkman to tie a game with the Senators at 2 in the sixth inning.

[59] He picked up his 1,000th hit on June 12 with a line drive to left field against Frank Baumann in a 6–1 victory over the White Sox in the first game of a doubleheader.

The hit had proved difficult to come by for Richardson, who had put the ball in play seven times in his last two games without reaching base safely.

[14] In the first game of a doubleheader on July 26, he had three hits, including a two-RBI single against Mickey Lolich and a solo home run against Terry Fox in an 11–6 victory over the Tigers.

[71] He hit a three-run double against Tommy John on June 2 to turn a 3–2 deficit into a 5–3 lead for the Yankees, who defeated the White Sox.

"[85] Under Richardson, Larry Keith of Sports Illustrated wrote, "South Carolina rarely bunts, often hits-and-runs and is always looking for the big inning.

"[85] Richardson led the Gamecocks to their first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament appearance in 1974, which set the stage for what would happen a year later in 1975 when South Carolina posted a 51–6–1 record and made the College World Series for the first time ever.

Conference tournament champion In 1974, Nixon tried to convince Richardson to run as a Republican for the United States House of Representatives in South Carolina's 5th congressional district.

[85] Two years later, President Gerald Ford convinced Richardson to resign from his coaching position at the University of South Carolina to run for the seat.

[29] They lived in Sumter during the offseason, where Richardson was a general secretary for the local Young Men's Christian Association and host for a radio sports show.

[29] He and teammate Bobby Shantz went gun shopping together in Kansas City in 1959,[29] and fellow major-leaguer Billy O'Dell used to hunt with him in the offseason.

[95] Excerpts from the film's audio track were available on an LP record titled: The Bobby Richardson Story: The Exciting First-Person Account of His Own Life, By the Yankees' Famous Second Baseman.