George Stallings
George Stallings | |
---|---|
Catcher / Manager | |
Born: Augusta, Georgia, U.S. | November 17, 1867|
Died: May 13, 1929 Haddock, Georgia, U.S. | (aged 61)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 22, 1890, for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms | |
Last MLB appearance | |
August 28, 1898, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .100 |
Home runs | 0 |
Runs batted in | 0 |
Games managed | 1,813 |
Managerial record | 879–898 |
Winning % | .495 |
Teams | |
As player
As manager
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
George Tweedy Stallings (November 17, 1867 – May 13, 1929) was an American
Stallings led the 1914 Boston Braves from last place in mid-July to the National League championship and a World Series sweep of the powerful Philadelphia Athletics – resulted in a nickname he would bear for the rest of his life: "The Miracle Man."[1]
Playing career
Stallings was born on November 17, 1867, in
Managerial career
As a manager, he had a mixed major league resume prior to 1914: a poor record with the Phillies (1897–98), then mild successes in the
Named manager of the last-place Braves after the 1912 season, Stallings raised Boston to fifth place in the NL in his first season, 1913, but the Braves were sunk at the bottom of the eight-team league and 11+1⁄2 games from the frontrunning
Stallings is credited with being the first manager to use platooning to good effect.[7] It was not strictly left/right hand platooning (there were then relatively few southpaw pitchers), but he did change his lineup significantly when the Braves played a team starting a left-handed pitcher. Bill James credits him with being the first major league manager to use platooning as a weapon, rather than to cover a hitter's weaknesses.
The 1914 championship was the only World Series title earned by the Braves during their tenure in Boston, which lasted through March 1953. It also was Stallings’ first and only big league championship. He managed the Braves through 1920, but posted no winning season after 1916. His career major league managing record was 879 wins, 898 losses (.495) over 13 years.
Stallings was responsible for bringing professional baseball back to the city of
Stallings was famous for his superstitions, and for his nervousness on the bench. He has been described as both "distinguished" and salty-tongued. He died in
Managerial record
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
PHI | 1897
|
134 | 57 | 77 | .425 | 10th in NL | – | – | – | – |
PHI | 1898
|
46 | 19 | 27 | .413 | fired | – | – | – | – |
PHI total | 178 | 74 | 104 | .416 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
DET | 1901 | 135 | 74 | 61 | .548 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
DET total | 135 | 74 | 61 | .548 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
NYH | 1909 | 151 | 74 | 77 | .490 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
NYH | 1910 | 137 | 78 | 59 | .569 | fired | – | – | – | – |
NYH total | 288 | 152 | 136 | .528 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
BOB | 1913 | 151 | 69 | 82 | .457 | 5th in NL | – | – | – | – |
BOB | 1914 | 153 | 94 | 59 | .614 | 1st in NL | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | Won World Series (PHA) |
BOB | 1915 | 152 | 83 | 69 | .546 | 2nd in NL | – | – | – | – |
BOB | 1916 | 152 | 89 | 63 | .586 | 3rd in NL | – | – | – | – |
BOB | 1917 | 153 | 72 | 81 | .471 | 6th in NL | – | – | – | – |
BOB | 1918 | 124 | 53 | 71 | .427 | 7th in NL | – | – | – | – |
BOB | 1919 | 139 | 57 | 82 | .410 | 6th in NL | – | – | – | – |
BOB | 1920 | 152 | 62 | 90 | .408 | 7th in NL | – | – | – | – |
BOB total | 1176 | 579 | 597 | .492 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | |||
Total | 1777 | 879 | 898 | .495 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |
See also
- List of Major League Baseball player–managers
References
- ^ "The "Miracle Man" of baseball". The Independent. October 26, 1914. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
- ^ Traughber, Bill. "Looking Back: Seraphs Win 1895 Championship." Nashville Sounds. May 10, 2004. March 22, 2008.
- ISSN 0005-609X
- ^ The 1914 Boston Braves at www.thisgreatgame.com Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 1914 World Series at Baseball Reference
- ISSN 0005-609X
- ^ a b Kohout, Martin. "George Stallings". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- George Stallings managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
- George Stallings at Find a Grave