Gabby Street

Gabby Street
Gabby Street Baseball Card
Catcher/Manager
Born:(1882-09-30)September 30, 1882 Huntsville, Alabama,U.S.
Died:February 6, 1951(1951-02-06)(aged 68) Joplin, Missouri,U.S.
Batted:Right Threw:Right
MLB debut
September 13, 1904, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
September 20, 1931, for the St. Louis Cardinals
MLB statistics
Batting average	.208
Home runs	2
Runs batted in	105
Managerial record	365–332
Winning %	.524
Teams
As player Cincinnati Reds(1904–1905) Boston Beaneaters(1905) Cincinnati Reds(1905) Washington Senators(1908–1911) New York Highlanders(1912) St. Louis Cardinals(1931) As manager St. Louis Cardinals(1929, 1930–1933) Mission Reds(1934–1935) St. Louis Browns(1938)
Career highlights and awards
World Serieschampion (1931)

Charles Evard"Gabby"Street(September 30, 1882 – February 6, 1951), also nicknamed "the Old Sarge",was an Americancatcher,manager,coach,and radio broadcaster inMajor League Baseballduring the first half of the 20th century. As a catcher, he participated in one of the most publicized baseball stunts of the century's first decade. As a manager, he led theSt. Louis Cardinalsto twoNational Leaguechampionships (1930–31) and one world title (1931). As a broadcaster, he entertainedSt. Louisbaseball fans in the years followingWorld War II.

Biography

Born inHuntsville, Alabama,Street (who batted and threw right-handed) was a weak hitter. Hebattedonly.208 in a seven-year playing career (1904–05; 1908–12) in 502 games with theCincinnati Reds,Boston Beaneaters,Washington Senators,andNew York Highlanders.Apart from 1908 to 1909, when he was the Senators' first-string catcher, he was a part-time player. Street holds the record for the longest gap between Major League games – 19 years (1912–1931).

On August 21, 1908, Street achieved a measure of immortality by catching a baseball dropped from the top of theWashington Monument—a distance of 555 feet (169 m). After muffing the first 12 balls thrown by journalist Preston Gibson, he made a clean reception of number 13. In addition, Street was fabled as an early catcher and mentor of theAmerican League's nonpareil right-handed pitcher,Walter Johnson.

After Street's playing career ended, he managed in theminor leaguesbefore joining the Cardinals' major league coaching staff in 1929. It was a year of turmoil for thedefending NL champs.They replaced 1928 skipperBill McKechniebefore the season withBilly Southworth;then, when Southworth couldn't get results, they brought back McKechnie on July 24. In between, Street served as acting manager for one game on July 23: an 8–2 triumph over thePhiladelphia Phillies.At the close of the 1929 season, McKechnie left to manage the Boston Braves and Street became the Redbirds' full-fledged manager.

Street (seated right) circa 1930s

The Old Sarge promptly led the Cardinals to consecutive National League pennants. In 1930, they won 92 games and finished two games in front of theChicago Cubs.But in the1930 World Series,they faced the defending world championPhiladelphia Athleticsand lost in six games. In 1931, Street's Cardinals won 101 games and bested theNew York Giantsby 13 games. Then, in the1931 Seriesagainst those same A's, pitchersWild Bill HallahanandBurleigh Grimesdominated andPepper Martinhad 12hits,batted.500,drove infive runs andstolefive bases to lead the underdog Redbirds to a seven-game world championship against the lastConnie Mackdynasty.

The Cardinals faltered in 1932, winning only 72 games and finishing tied for sixth, 18 games out, and had improved only to fifth in July 1933. Street was dumped on July 23 and replaced by hissecond baseman,Frankie Frisch.The next two seasons, he managed theMission Reds,but in 1935 he was suspended from thePacific Coast Leagueindefinitely for assaulting anumpire.After that, he managed theSt. Paul Saintsof theAmerican Associationin 1936 and 1937, before returning to the Mound City as skipper of the 1938St. Louis Browns.The habitually bottom-feeding Brownies finished seventh in an eight-team American League, winning only 53 games. The '38 season put a cap on Street's major league managerial career. In all or parts of six years, he won 365 and lost 332 (.524).

Street would return to St. Louis and the major leagues, however, as acolor commentatorfor Cardinals and Browns radio broadcasts after the Second World War, working with young colleagueHarry Caray.After battling cancer successfully in 1949, Street fell victim to heart failure in his adopted hometown ofJoplin, Missouri,in February 1951. He died at 68 years of age.

Street's likeness made a brief cameo appearance ontheSimpsonsepisode: "Homer at the Bat"(1992) as one of the would-be ringers forMr. Burns' softball team. Mr. Burns has planned to have Street play catcher until his assistantSmithershas to point out that all of the players Mr. Burns had selected had long since retired and died.

In the bookCatching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dreamby Crystal Hubbard, Gabby Street runs a baseball camp. The main character is denied based on the fact she is a girl. When she proves herself, he allows her to attend with the caveat to bring a glove and cleats. When she is unable to afford cleats, he buys a pair for her. This is based on a true story aboutToni Stoneand how she got her first pair of cleats.

Managerial record

Team	Year	Regular season					Postseason
		Games	Won	Lost	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
STL	1929	1	1	0	1.000	interim	–	–	–	–
STL	1930	154	92	62	.597	1st in NL	2	4	.333	LostWorld Series(PHA)
STL	1931	154	101	53	.656	1st in NL	4	3	.462	WonWorld Series(PHA)
STL	1932	154	72	82	.468	6th in NL	–	–	–	–
STL	1933	91	46	45	.505	fired	–	–	–	–
STL total		554	312	242	.563		6	7	.462
SLB	1938	143	53	90	.371	fired	–	–	–	–
SLB total		143	53	90	.371		0	0	–
Total		697	365	332	.524		6	7	.462

See also

• List of Major League Baseball player–managers

External links

• Career statistics and player information fromBaseball Reference,orBaseball Reference (Minors)
• Baseball-Reference– career managing record
• Gabby StreetatFind a Grave