George Scott (first baseman)
George Scott | ||
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Runs batted in | 1,051 | |
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George Charles Scott Jr. (March 23, 1944 – July 28, 2013), nicknamed "Boomer", was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1966 to 1979, most prominently for the Boston Red Sox where he was a member of the 1967 American League pennant winning team and, with the Milwaukee Brewers where he was the 1975 American League home run and RBI champion.
A three-time All-Star player, Scott was one of the most accomplished defensive first basemen of his era, winning eight Gold Glove Awards between 1967 and 1976.[1][2] During his major league career, he also played for the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees.
After his Major League career, Scott became a
Early years
Scott was born March 23, 1944, in Greenville, Mississippi, as the youngest of three children.[2] His father, a cotton farm laborer, died when George Jr. was two years old, and young George was picking cotton by age nine.[2] "That's all we knew", he said. "The reason you did that, all of that money was turned over to your parents to make ends meet. Nothing can be worse than getting up at four in the morning waiting for a truck to pick you up to go pick and chop cotton from six or seven in the morning until five or six in the afternoon."
Scott played
Major league scout
Career
He became a Red Sox major-league rookie in 1966 as a third baseman, was switched to first base one week into the season, and played all 162 games that season, the last Red Sox rookie to do so.[2] On Opening Day (April 12), he batted fifth against the Baltimore Orioles and went 1-for-4 with an RBI (drawing a walk with the bases loaded) while gaining his first hit with a triple off Moe Drabowsky.[6] He hit his first home run of the year one week later off Joe Sparma of the Detroit Tigers.[7] He batted .245 with 147 hits, 27 home runs, and 90 RBIs (finishing in the top ten in RBIs, home runs, and total bases) while garnering an All-Star selection and finished third in the voting for Rookie of the Year. His good start was soon hampered by a slump in which he could not adjust quickly enough to deal with change-ups and curve ball pitches. Manager Billy Herman stated he would bench Scott on July 19, but a rainout occurred on that day before a doubleheader was played, each of which featured Scott starting. At any rate, Scott led all of baseball in strikeouts (152) and times grounded into a double play (25). He spent 158 games at first base (with four at third base), and he led the league in putouts, games, and double plays.
Scott did fine during his sophomore season, which turned out to be the longest season of his career, as the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox won the American League pennant, led by rookie manager Dick Williams. He also benched Scott for a few games, concerned about him being overweight (desiring a weight of 215 pounds).[8] Scott played 159 games while batting .303 (he would bat .300 just one other time in his career). He walked over 60 times again, but he reduced his strikeout total to 119 while hitting 19 home runs and having 171 hits. He received votes for the MVP Award (finishing 10th with 12% of the vote) while being awarded the Gold Glove (he led the league in putouts, games, assists, errors, and double plays). His team went to the 1967 World Series and played the St. Louis Cardinals in a classic seven game series. Scott hit .231 (6-for-26) while having three walks and six strikeouts and scoring three times, and committed the final out of the Series, striking out against Bob Gibson as the Cardinals won Game 7.
Scott was a three-time
In a 14-season career, Scott posted a .268 batting average with 271 home runs (which he called "taters") and 1,051 RBIs in 2,034 games.[9] His nickname was Boomer and he called his glove "Black Beauty". Scott was well-known for having a good sense of humor, and wore a necklace which he once identified to a reporter as being composed of "second baseman's teeth".[10] To complement his unique attire, he also was known for wearing a batting helmet while fielding at first base due to an experience he had with a fan throwing hard objects at him once during a road game.[10]
He was traded three times during his career. The first was a ten-player deal sending him, Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Lahoud and Don Pavletich from the Red Sox to the Milwaukee Brewers for Tommy Harper, Marty Pattin, Lew Krausse and minor-league outfielder Pat Skrable on October 10, 1971.[11] While on the Brewers, Scott won five-consecutive Gold Glove awards.[12] In 1975, he was named an all-star and led major league baseball with 36 home-runs and 109 RBI.[13] On December 6, 1976, Scott was traded back to the Red Sox with Bernie Carbo for Boston’s Cecil Cooper.[14]
Scott saw his second tenure with the Red Sox end when he was traded to the Kansas City Royals for Tom Poquette on June 13, 1979. On August 17, he was released by the team, and he joined the New York Yankees nine days later. He played 105 games that year while batting .254 with 88 hits, 31 walks, and 61 strikeouts (spent mostly on first base, although he did play 17 games as a designated hitter). He finished in the top five in two categories: double play grounded into (24, 2nd) and errors (10, 4th).
After the season, Scott moved to the
Legacy
Scott spent nine of his 14 years with the Red Sox and is Boston's all-time leader at first base with 988 games played, including 944 starts. Scott hit 154 of his 271 career home runs with the Red Sox and is a member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2006.[1] George Scott's 1968 season was noted by ESPN as one of the worst offensive performances ever, especially for a first baseman (he batted a career low .171/.236/.237 in batting average, OBP, and SLG in 124 games in the only season he hit no triples).[16]
Tommy John praised Scott's hitting ability in a 1984 interview. "When Scott first came into the league, no one knew how to pitch to him, and they didn't find out for three years."[17]
Later life and death
After he had left the playing field, he served as a manager for various teams, ranging from the
Scott died July 28, 2013, in his hometown of Greenville. Although a cause of death was not announced at the time, Scott had been impaired by diabetes for several years.[1] "In losing George Scott, we have lost one of the most talented, colorful, and popular players in our history," said Red Sox vice president/emeritus and team historian Dick Bresciani. "He had great power and agility, with a large personality and a large physical stature. He could light up a clubhouse with his smile, his laugh, and his humor – and he was the best defensive first baseman I have ever seen. We will miss him, and we send our condolences to his family."[20]
Family
Scott was the father of three sons: Dion, George III, and Brian.
Scott's grandson Deion Williams, who played shortstop for Redan High School in Georgia, was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 2011 MLB draft.[21] Williams was converted into a pitcher and last pitched professionally for the Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League in 2015.[22]
On June 2, 2023, George III and Scott's 8-year old grandson Dante Hazard, were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in their home in Massachusetts.[23]
See also
- List of Boston Red Sox awards
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
References
- ^ a b c Buteau, Michael (August 1, 2013). "All-star first baseman with Red Sox and Brewers won eight Gold Gloves". The Washington Post. p. B8.
- ^ Society of American Baseball Research. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ^ "Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame". mlb.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ^ "Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor". mlb.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-307-37924-5. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- ^ "Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox Box Score, April 12, 1966". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox Box Score, April 19, 1966". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Shaughnessy, Dan (July 8, 2011). "Can't skip his place in Sox lore". Boston.com.
- ^ "George Scott". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
- ^ a b "Great Scott". Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- ^ "Red Sox, Brewers in 10‐Player Deal," United Press International (UPI), Sunday, October 10, 1971. Retrieved April 13, 2020
- ^ GREAT SCOTT
- ^ George Scott, the Brewers First 35 Home Run Hitter
- ^ George Scott Transactions
- ^ Nack, William (August 17, 1981). "George Scott is alive and well and playing in Mexico City". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
- ^ Baker, Jim (August 22, 2008). "Danny Ainge, Neifi Perez, Reggie Jackson ... step on down". ESPN. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- ^ United Press International (May 7, 1984). "VandeBerg, M's clip Angels". Ellensburg Daily Record. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "2001 Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings Statistics".
- ^ "nlfan.com: Northern League 2002 Standings & Awards". nlfan.com.
- ^ "George Scott obituary". The Boston Globe. July 29, 2013.
- ^ JGHoughtaling (July 18, 2013). "Nationals' Prospect Deion Williams Transitions To The Mound With Auburn Doubledays". federalbaseball.com. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
Williams, the son and grandson of former pro players Dion Williams and George Scott
- ^ "Deion Williams Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ "Son and 8-year old grandson of former Red Sox star George 'Boomer' Scott found dead in apparent murder-suicide". CNN. June 3, 2023.
Further reading
- Anderson, Ron. "George Scott". Society for American Baseball Research. SABR Baseball BioProject.
- Thompson, Khari (May 14, 2021). "'He was definitely a legend': Red Sox star George 'Boomer' Scott's son keeps legacy alive years after his death". Boston.com. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- George Scott MLB at Baseballbiography.com
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet