PAW PAW, MI –– Born on a grape farm in Lawton (nearby Paw Paw), a Southwest Michigan village known for its rich grape industry, Charlie Maxwell’s course was practically already set: the Maxwell agribusiness was calling his name. Except, from an early age, he wasn’t having it. So, along came baseball –– and “Ol’ Paw Paw,” too.
Maxwell adored baseball just as much as his hometown roots, becoming a notable and beloved major league slugger and two-time All-Star while playing for the Detroit Tigers from 1955-62 –– attaining fame by a slew of nicknames. Maxwell died last Friday, Dec. 27 in Paw Paw after a short illness.
He was 97. RELATED: 2 former Tigers pass away, including oldest living alumnus The popular southpaw slugging left fielder was the oldest living former Tiger, as well as the oldest living alumnus of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox. He was also the 7th-oldest living MLB player, according to Baseball Reference.
Best known for his clutch hitting and Sunday smashes in a Tigers uniform, slamming 40 of his 148 career home runs on Sundays, Maxwell earned the nickname “Sunday Charlie” and “The Sabbath Smasher” after hitting home runs in four successive at-bats in a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on May 3, 1959, at Briggs Stadium (later Tiger Stadium) in Detroit. A feat done on –– you guessed it –– a Sunday. “The home runs just seemed to come,” Maxwell told former longtime Kalamazoo Gazette sports editor Jack Moss .
