Hoag was born in
Davis, California. He played in the major leagues from April 15, 1931, until September 16, 1945. Hoag batted and threw right-handed. He had a lifetime
batting average of .271 with 28
home runs and 401
RBIs. After two seasons with the
Sacramento Senators, Hoag signed with the New York Yankees after the 1930 season. He spent seven seasons with the Yankees over eight years (playing in 1933 with the
Newark Bears). Hoag missed some of the 1936 season due to having a blood clot on the brain, the result of an outfield collision with teammate
Joe DiMaggio. Hoag homered for the Yankees' first run as they won the final game of the
1937 World Series. He had a .320 batting average for his three World Series. In 1939, Hoag made the
American League All-Star team with the
St. Louis Browns after the Yankees traded him there for
Oral Hildebrand and
Buster Mills. That year, he batted .295 with 75 RBIs and 202
total bases. He was fifth in the league in
stolen bases in 1942 with the
Chicago White Sox with 17, nearly double his second-best season (nine in 1939). Hoag ended his career with 854
hits in 3,147
at bats. On June 6, 1934, he collected six hits in one game in a 15–3 rout against the Red Sox, and was the last New York Yankee to accomplish this feat until
Gerald Williams did so against the
Baltimore Orioles on May 1, 1996. ==Personal life==