Harry Walker
Harry Walker | |
---|---|
![]() Walker in 1966 | |
Center fielder/Manager | |
Born: Pascagoula, Mississippi,U.S. | October 22, 1918|
Died:August 8, 1999 Birmingham, Alabama,U.S. | (aged 80)|
Batted:Left Threw:Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 25, 1940, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
Last MLB appearance | |
August 19, 1955, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .296 |
Home runs | 10 |
Runs batted in | 214 |
Managerial record | 630–604 |
Winning % | .511 |
Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Harry William Walker(October 22, 1918 – August 8, 1999) was an American professionalbaseballplayer,coachandmanager.Known by the nickname "Harry the Hat", he played as acenter fielderinMajor League Baseballbetween 1940 and 1955, most notably as a member of theSt. Louis Cardinalswith whom he won two world championships and was the 1947National League batting champion.
A two-time All-Star player, Walker also played for thePhiladelphia Phillies,Chicago Cubsand theCincinnati Reds.After his playing career, he served as manager for three major league teams between 1955 and 1972.
Walker served in the65th Infantry Divisionin 1944 and 1945, earning aBronze Starfor valor and thePurple Heart.[1]
Early life and family
[edit]Born inPascagoula, Mississippi,Walker was a member of a baseball family. He was the son of formerWashington SenatorspitcherEwart "Dixie" Walkerand the brother ofFred "Dixie" Walker,also anoutfielderandNational Leaguebatting champion.He was also the nephew of fellow major league outfielderErnie Walker.[2]Walker batted left-handed and threw right-handed; he stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).[3]
World Series star, NL batting champ
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Harry_Walker.jpg/160px-Harry_Walker.jpg)
"Harry the Hat" got his nickname from his habit during at-bats of continually adjusting his cap between pitches[2]—there were no batting helmets in his day. His batting title came in 1947, when hehit.363 in a season during which he was traded from his original team, theSt. Louis Cardinals,to thePhiladelphia Phillies.[3][2]The previous year he played for the Cardinals’1946 World Serieschampionship team. In the decisive seventh game against theBoston Red Sox,withEnos Slaughteron first base, Walker doubled to left center and Slaughter, running on the pitch and taking advantage of a slow relay from the Red Sox'Johnny Pesky,scored from first base in a "mad dash"with the winning run.[2]He knocked in six runs during that Series, and batted.412.[3]
Walker lacked his brother Dixie's power—he hit only 10home runsin 807games playedover all or parts of 11 seasons in the National League—but he compiled a.296 lifetime batting average and 786hitswith the Cardinals, Phillies,Chicago CubsandCincinnati Reds.[3]Harry and Dixie Walker are the only brothers in MLB history to win batting titles, Dixie having captured the National League batting title with a.357 average in1944while playing for theBrooklyn Dodgers.[4][2]
After prepping as a skipper in the Cardinals’ minor league system beginning in 1951, Walker was called up fromRochesterin theTriple-AInternational Leagueon May 28, 1955, to replaceEddie Stankyas Cardinals’ manager.[5]Walker, then 36, was still a playing manager; he hit.357 (5-for-14) in 11 games—10 of which were as apinch hitter—during July and August.[6]However, the change backfired: the Cardinals fell two places in the standings under Walker, losing 67 of 118 games for a.432winning percentage.[3]Walker was replaced byFred Hutchinsonat the end of the 1955 season, and it would be another decade before he would again manage in the majors.
Manager in Pittsburgh and Houston
[edit]During that exile, he returned to the Cardinal farm system to manage (1956–58; 1963–64), and served four years (1959–62) as a St. Louis coach. After piloting theJacksonville Sunsto the 1964 International League pennant, Walker was hired[7]by thePittsburgh Piratesas manager, replacingDanny Murtaugh,who stepped down for health reasons. The Pirates battled for the pennant until the closing days of the1965and1966seasons—each year finishing third behind the championLos Angeles Dodgersand the runner-upSan Francisco Giants.But when the1967Pirates—further strengthened by an off-season trade for standoutshortstopMaury Wills—stumbled to a disappointing.500 mark in mid-season, Walker was let go on July 18 in favor of his predecessor, Murtaugh.[8]Less than a week later, Walker was hired to be the organizational batting coach for theHouston Astros.[9]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Harry_Walker_1965.jpg/180px-Harry_Walker_1965.jpg)
Eleven months later, on June 18,1968,the Astros replaced skipperGrady Hatton[10]with "Harry the Hat". The last-place1968Astros were only 23–38 under Hatton, but, featuring players likeJoe Morgan,Jimmy Wynn,andDon Wilson,their record under Walker improved to 49–52. In1969,they contended for theNational League West Divisiontitle before fading to finish 12 games behind theAtlanta Braves.After back-to-back 79–83 marks in1970and1971,Walker was sacked August 26,1972,in favor ofLeo Durocher;with the Astros at 67–54 and in third place at the time of the firing, it was Walker's best season in Houston. Over his managing career, he won 630 games, losing 604 (.511). After his firing, Walker returned to the Cardinals as a hitting instructor.[11]
College head baseball coach
[edit]Walker served as the head coach for theUAB Blazers baseballteam at theUniversity of Alabama at Birminghamfrom 1979 to 1986, as the program's first coach.[12]In eight seasons, he compiled a record of 211–171, a.552 winning percentage.[12]In 1980, the Blazers finished first in theSun Belt Conference's North Division in the program's second season, and repeated as division champions in 1981 and 1982.[12]He led them to the NCAA Tournament in 1983, the first time the program reached it in history.
Legacy and death
[edit]Walker was profiled inJim Bouton's memoir of the 1969 season,Ball Four.Bouton mentioned that other players warned him about Walker as a guy who was going to scream at him and that he can adjust to him just like they had. Upon meeting him, Bouton felt that he would get along with Walker, and he credited him as the reason the team was doing as well as it was, one who managed to "keep everybody agitated and playing better baseball."[13]
Walker's uniform number 32 has beenretiredby the UAB baseball program, and he was inducted to theAlabama Sports Hall of Famein 1978.[12]
Walker died inBirmingham, Alabama,in 1999 at the age of 80.[14]His interment was at Cedar Grove Cemetery inLeeds, Alabama.[3]He was survived by his wife, Dot, and three daughters.[2]
See also
[edit]- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball player-managers
- List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
References
[edit]- ^"Harry Walker".Baseball in Wartime.2010.RetrievedDecember 17,2020.
- ^abcdefGoldstein, Richard (August 10, 1999)."Harry Walker, 80, Is Dead; A Fidgeter With a Purpose".The New York Times.p. C-20.RetrievedDecember 17,2020– via nytimes.
- ^abcdef"Harry Walker".Retrosheet.RetrievedDecember 17,2020.
- ^Amman, Larry; Davids, L. Robert."Baseball Brothers".SABR.RetrievedDecember 17,2020.
- ^Cards fire Stanky; hire Harry Walker
- ^"Harry Walker 1955 Batting Game Logs".Baseball-Reference.RetrievedDecember 17,2020.
- ^Harry Walker named Manager at Pittsburgh
- ^Murtaugh back as Pirates Manager- Harry Walker axed
- ^Walker Astro Batting Coach
- ^Astros fire Hatton, hire Harry Walker
- ^Walker Cards hitting aide[permanent dead link]
- ^abcd"2020 UAB Baseball Media Guide"(PDF).UAB Baseball. p. 73.RetrievedDecember 17,2020– via uabsports.
- ^Bouton, Jim (2000).Ball Four: The Final Pitch.Sports Publishing. pp. 334, 354.ISBN1-58261-310-9.
- ^Harry Walker dies
Further reading
[edit]- Harry Walkerat theSABR Baseball Biography Project
- Biographyat thebaseballpage
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information fromMLB,orBaseball Reference,orBaseball Reference (Minors),orRetrosheet
- Harry Walker managerial career statisticsatBaseball-Reference
- Harry WalkeratFind a Grave
- UAB Baseball RecordsArchived2012-11-12 at theWayback Machine
- 1918 births
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- United States Army personnel of World War II
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