Joe Cronin
Joe Cronin | |
---|---|
Shortstop / Manager | |
Born: San Francisco, California, U.S. | October 12, 1906|
Died: September 7, 1984 Osterville, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 77)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 29, 1926, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
Last MLB appearance | |
April 19, 1945, for the Boston Red Sox | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .301 |
Hits | 2,285 |
Home runs | 170 |
Runs batted in | 1,424 |
Managerial record | 1,236–1,055 |
Winning % | .540 |
Teams | |
As player
As manager
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
Member of the National | |
Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Induction | 1956 |
Vote | 78.8% (tenth ballot) |
Joseph Edward Cronin (October 12, 1906 – September 7, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop, most notably as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Cronin spent over 48 years in baseball, culminating with 14 years as president of the American League (AL).
During his 20-year playing career (1926–1945), Cronin played for the
Early life
Cronin was born in the Excelsior District of
Major league career
As a player
Cronin began his major league baseball career playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1926 and 1927. [4]
Baseball promoter Joe Engel, who scouted for the Washington Senators and managed the Chattanooga Lookouts at Engel Stadium, signed Cronin to the Senators in 1928, after spotting Cronin play in Kansas City. [5]
In
As a player-manager and manager
Cronin was named player-manager of the Senators in 1933, a post he would hold for two years. In his first year, he led the Senators to what would be their last pennant in Washington.
While Cronin was on his honeymoon with Mildred in his hometown of San Francisco, he received a telegram from Griffith informing him that the Boston Red Sox had offered the Senators their starting shortstop, Lyn Lary, in return for Cronin and $250,000. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey also offered Cronin a five-year contract as player-manager. Well aware of the Senators' perennial financial problems (Griffith had no income apart from the Senators), Cronin accepted the trade.[11] Cronin remained as player-manager of the Red Sox until 1945, then continued solely as manager until 1947.
As early as
Even when World War II saw many young players either enlist or drafted in the armed services, Cronin limited his playing appearances to cameo roles as a utility infielder and pinch-hitter. [11] On June 17, 1943, Cronin sent himself to pinch hit in both games of a doubleheader and hit a home run each time.
In April 1945, he broke his leg in a game against the Yankees. He sat out the remainder of the season and retired as a player at the end of the year. [11]
Over his career, Cronin batted .300 or higher eight times, as well as driving in 100 runs or more eight times. He retired with a career .301 average, 170 home runs, and 1,424 RBIs.
As a manager, he compiled a 1,236–1,055 record and won two
As a general manager
At the end of the 1947 season, Cronin succeeded Eddie Collins as general manager of the Red Sox and held the post for over 11 years, through mid-January 1959. With Cronin as general manager, the Red Sox competed for the AL pennant in 1948 and 1949, finishing second by a single game each season, thanks to Cronin's aggressive trades. [4]
In his first off-season, he acquired shortstop
With the exception of
By the end of Cronin's eleven-year term as general manager, the Red Sox were the only major-league team that had not fielded a black player.
During the 1950s, Cronin's farm system signed pitcher
As AL president
In January 1959, Cronin was elected president of the American League, the first former player to be so elected and the fourth full-time chief executive in the league's history. When he replaced the retiring Will Harridge, who became board chairman, Cronin moved the league's headquarters from Chicago to Boston. Cronin served as AL president until December 31, 1973, when he was succeeded by Lee MacPhail.
During Cronin's 15 years in office, the Junior Circuit expanded from eight to 12 teams, adding the Los Angeles Angels and expansion Washington Senators in 1961[22] and the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots in 1969.
The league also underwent four franchise shifts: the relocation of the original Senators club (now owned by Cronin's brother-in-law and sister-in-law,
In addition, the AL found itself at a competitive disadvantage compared with the National League during Cronin's term. With strong teams in larger markets and a host of new stadiums, the NL outdrew the AL for 33 consecutive years (1956–1988).
In 1966, while National League president, Cronin hired the first black major league umpire, Emmett Ashford. In an interview with Larry Gerlach, Ashford stated, “Jackie Robinson had his Branch Rickey, I had my Joe Cronin.” [24][25]
After the
Hall of Fame
Joe Cronin was inducted into the
Career statistics
G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI |
BB | AVG | OBP | SLG | FLD% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2,124 | 7,579 | 1,233 | 2,285 | 515 | 118 | 170 | 1,424 | 1,059 | .301 | .390 | .468 | .953 |
Managerial record
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
WAS | 1933 | 152 | 99 | 53 | .651 | 1st in AL | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost World Series (NYG) |
WAS | 1934 | 152 | 66 | 86 | .434 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WAS total | 304 | 165 | 139 | .543 | 1 | 4 | .200 | |||
BOS | 1935 | 153 | 78 | 75 | .510 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1936 | 154 | 74 | 80 | .481 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1937 | 152 | 80 | 72 | .526 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1938 | 149 | 88 | 61 | .591 | 2nd in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1939 | 151 | 89 | 62 | .589 | 2nd in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1940 | 154 | 82 | 72 | .532 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1941 | 154 | 84 | 70 | .545 | 2nd in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1942 | 152 | 93 | 59 | .612 | 2nd in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1943 | 152 | 68 | 84 | .447 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1944 | 154 | 77 | 77 | .500 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1945 | 154 | 71 | 83 | .461 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1946 | 154 | 104 | 50 | .675 | 1st in AL | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost World Series (STL) |
BOS | 1947 | 154 | 83 | 71 | .539 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS total | 1987 | 1071 | 916 | .539 | 3 | 4 | .429 | |||
Total | 2291 | 1236 | 1055 | .540 | 4 | 8 | .333 |
Death
In the last months of his life, Cronin struggled with cancer that had invaded his prostate and bones; he suffered a great deal of bone pain as a result.[28] Cronin came to Fenway Park for one of his last public appearances when his jersey number 4 was retired by the Red Sox on May 29, 1984. He died at the age of 77 on September 7, 1984, at his home in Osterville, Massachusetts.[29] He is buried in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery in nearby Centerville.
Legacy
At the number retirement ceremony shortly before Cronin's death, teammate Ted Williams commented on how much he respected Cronin as a father and a man. Cronin was also remembered as a clutch hitter. Manager Connie Mack once commented, "With a man on third and one out, I'd rather have Cronin hitting for me than anybody I've ever seen, and that includes Cobb, Simmons and the rest of them."[30]
In 1999, he was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.[31]
The Joe Cronin Award was established in 1973 to reward American League players for significant achievement.[32][33]
See also
- Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
- Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
- List of Major League Baseball player-managers
- List of Major League Baseball managers by wins
Notes
- ISBN 978-0786444168.
- ^ Armour, Mark. "Joe Cronin". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ Armour, pp. 9-10.
- ^ a b c "Cronin, Joe | Baseball Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ admin. "Joe Engel – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ "MLB Baseball Career Batting Leaders - Major League Baseball - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ "MLB Baseball Career Batting Leaders - Major League Baseball - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ "MLB Baseball Career Batting Leaders - Major League Baseball - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ "Joe Cronin Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8032-2996-9.
- ^ a b c Mark Armour (2015). "Joe Cronin". Society for American Baseball Research.
- ISBN 0-7432-8491-7.
- ^ Edes, Gordon, George Digby and Willie Mays: The One Who Got Away. ESPN Boston, May 3, 2014
- ^ James, Bill (2001). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. The Free Press. p. 205.
- ISBN 0-396-06807-3.
- ^ "The Boston Globe 15 Aug 1949, page 11". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ "The Times-Tribune 16 May 1950, page 29". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ "Great Falls Tribune 02 Apr 1957, page Page 11". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ admin. "Pumpsie Green – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ admin. "Earl Wilson – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ McCue, Andy, and Thompson, Eric (2011), "Mismanagement 101: The American League's Expansion of 1961." The National Pastime 2011, Archived 2019-07-06 at the Wayback Machine Society for American Baseball Research
- ISBN 9781411617179.
- ^ Armour, Mark (2007). "Emmett Ashford". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ admin. "Joe Cronin – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ Armour, Mark (2009). "A Tale of Two Umpires: When Al Salerno and Bill Valentine Were Thrown Out of the Game". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ "Joe Cronin career batting and managerial statistics from retrosheet.org". retrosheet.org. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
- ^ Armour, p. 330.
- ^ "Joe Cronin, baseball legend, American League president". The Morning Call. September 8, 1984. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
- ^ "Joe Cronin, an ex-executive and star player in baseball". The New York Times. September 8, 1984. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
- ^ "The All-Century Team". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ "Joe Cronin Award". www.baseball-almanac.com.
- ^ "Yount, Brett share Joe Cronin Award". www.upi.com.
References
- Armour, Mark (2010). Joe Cronin: A Life in Baseball. ISBN 0803229968.
External links
- Joe Cronin at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Retrosheet
- Joe Cronin managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
- Joe Cronin at Find a Grave
- Joe Cronin at the SABR Baseball Biography Project