Ernie Whitt

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Ernie Whitt
Runs batted in
534
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction2009

Leo Ernest Whitt (born June 13, 1952) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), including twelve for the Toronto Blue Jays, and was the last player from the franchise's inaugural season of 1977 to remain through 1989. Whitt was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Whitt made his MLB debut for the

home runs and 100 hits in each of five consecutive seasons from 1985 to 1989. He was selected as an All-Star
in 1985.

As manager for the Canada national baseball team since 2004, his competitions include the 2004 Summer Olympics, four World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournaments, and the Pan Am Games, where they won two gold medals in 2011 and 2015.

Playing career

Boston Red Sox (1976)

Whitt was selected in the 15th round of the

Hall-of-Famer Fisk, he was left unprotected during the expansion draft held after the 1976 season and selected by the Blue Jays.[5]

Toronto Blue Jays (1977–89)

Whitt saw very little playing time with the Blue Jays in 1977. Appearing in 23 games, he hit .171 with no home runs and 6 RBI.

Syracuse Chiefs, the Blue Jays AAA affiliate in the International League. Whitt speculated in his autobiography that Blue Jays manager Roy Hartsfield had a low opinion of his potential, as most of the catching duties went to Alan Ashby and Rick Cerone. With Hartsfield's departure prior to the 1980 season, new manager Bobby Mattick
expanded Whitt's role as a player, and Whitt remained with the club for the next ten years.

In 1980, Whitt became the Blue Jays starting catcher, as he appeared in 106 games, hitting .237 with six home runs and 34 RBI.

Cleveland Indian outfielder Rick Manning for the final out of Len Barker's perfect game.[7]

Whitt broke out offensively in 1982. Throughout 105 games, he hit .261 with 11 home runs and 42 RBI for the Blue Jays.[4] His 11 home runs ranked third on the team.[8]

In 1985, Whitt was named to the

1985 ALCS against the Kansas City Royals, Whitt appeared in all seven games, hitting .190 with 2 RBI as the Blue Jays lost the series.[4]

On September 14, 1987, Whitt hit three home runs in a game against the Baltimore Orioles, helping the Blue Jays hit a major league record ten home runs in the game. Toronto defeated the Orioles 18–3.[10] Whitt would have the best season of his career in 1987, as he hit .269 with 19 home runs and 75 RBI in 135 games.[4]

In 1989, Whitt played in 129 games, hitting .262 with 11 home runs, his lowest total in a season since 1982, and his 53 RBI were the lowest total since 1984.

1989 ALCS, batting .125 with a home run and 3 RBI, as the Blue Jays lost the series.[4]

To make room for young catchers Pat Borders and Greg Myers on the major league roster, on December 17, 1989, the Blue Jays traded Whitt and Kevin Batiste to the Atlanta Braves for Ricky Trlicek. Whitt was the last player from the expansion 1977 team to play for the Blue Jays.[11]

Whitt's autobiography, Catch: A Major League Life, covered the 1988 season and his early days in the minors, and caused a stir due to Whitt's labeling of umpire Joe Brinkman as "incompetent".

Atlanta Braves (1990)

Whitt joined the Atlanta Braves for the 1990 season, and had a disappointing season, as he hit .172 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 67 games.[4] On October 15, the Braves released Whitt.[4]

Baltimore Orioles (1991)

On April 7, 1991, Whitt returned to the American League, signing with the Baltimore Orioles.[4] In 35 games, Whitt hit .242 with 3 RBI, and he was released by the Orioles on July 5.[4]

Whitt appeared in 1,328 games over his career, 1,218 of them with the Blue Jays. In his career, he recorded 938 hits, and had a batting average of .249 with 134 home runs and 534 RBI.[4] In 12 career playoff games, Whitt hit .162 with one home run and 5 RBI.[4]

Business activities

Whitt invested in and was part owner of the

Mother's Pizza chain in southern Ontario in 1983. He would frequently appear at the restaurants and sign autographs for fans. Mother's Pizza featured an "Ernie Whitt Special" pizza on the menu. The chain went bankrupt in 1992.[12]

Post-playing career

Honors

Whitt was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.[13]

On June 20, 2009, it was announced that Whitt, along with former major league right fielder Larry Walker, were inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.[14]

Managerial and coaching career

Whitt remained active as an ambassador of Canadian baseball following his major league career. In the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, he guided the Canadian team to a fourth-place finish in the baseball tournament. Whitt also managed the Canada national baseball team to a third-place finish in Pool B at the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Whitt also served as both the Blue Jays'

first base coach starting in 2005, and was rumoured to be a potential replacement for then-incumbent manager John Gibbons until Gibbons and several coaches were fired midway through the 2008 season. He was the manager of the Clearwater Threshers
in the Philadelphia Phillies' minor league system. Whitt continues to be a roaming instructor in the Phillies' organization.

Whitt has managed Team Canada in following World Baseball Classics, World Baseball Cup, and the Pan Am Games. In the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Canada won that tournament's gold medal.[15][16] and a bronze medal in the IBAF World Baseball Cup.

References

  1. ^ "15th Round of the 1972 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  2. ^ "Cleveland Indians at Boston Red Sox Box Score, September 12, 1976". Baseball-Reference.com. September 12, 1976. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  3. ^ "Milwaukee Brewers at Boston Red Sox Box Score, September 21, 1976". Baseball-Reference.com. September 21, 1976. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Ernie Whitt Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  5. ^ "1976 MLB Expansion Drafts". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "Ernie Whitt Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Newman, Bruce (May 25, 1981). "Perfect in every way: Len Barker makes history". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  8. ^ "1982 Toronto Blue Jays Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "1985 All-Star Game Box Score, July 16". Baseball-Reference.com. July 16, 1985. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  10. ^ "Box Score of Game played on Monday, September 14, 1987 at Exhibition Stadium". Baseball Almanac. September 14, 1987.
  11. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  12. ISBN 9781629374123
    .
  13. ^ "Ernie Whitt". oshof.ca. Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 19, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  14. ^ "Walker, Whitt inducted into Canadian Baseball Hall". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. June 20, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  15. ^ Doolittle, Robyn (October 26, 2011). "Canada's baseball win over U.S. at Pan Ams doesn't surprise Ernie Whitt". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  16. ^ Ravjiana, Alykhan (July 12, 2015). "Canada tops Dominican Republic in men's baseball at Pan Ams". National Post. Retrieved June 18, 2017.

External links

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