Harding Peterson
| Hardy Peterson | |
|---|---|
| Catcher | |
| Born: October 17, 1929 Perth Amboy, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| Died: April 16, 2019 (aged 89) Palm Harbor, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 5, 1955, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 8, 1959, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .273 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 21 |
| Teams | |
| |
Harding William "Pete" Peterson (October 17, 1929 – April 16, 2019) was an American professional baseball player and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1955 to 1959. During his playing days, he was more commonly known as Hardy Peterson.
Biography
A graduate of
Playing career
A right-handed batter and thrower, he appeared in 65 major league games over four seasons (1955; 1957–59) and
Managing and executive career
Later in 1959 he began his managing career at the Class B level and reached Class AAA in 1967 as skipper of the Pirates' top farm club, the Columbus Jets of the International League.
From 1968 through 1976, he directed Pittsburgh's highly productive farm system and, when longtime general manager
The Pirates faded from contention in the early 1980s and by 1985 the team—rocked by a drug scandal among its players—was put up for sale. After a series of missteps which included the acquisitions of veterans Amos Otis, Gene Tenace and George Hendrick, Peterson was fired on May 23, 1985 and replaced by his predecessor Brown.[1] He eventually joined the New York Yankees, where he worked in their front office and served one season (1990) as the club's general manager. His firing was the last official act of George Steinbrenner before Steinbrenner's suspension from baseball as a result of the "Dave Winfield scandal."
Peterson spent the remainder of his career as a consultant/major league scout for both the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays organizations, and fully retired from baseball in 1995. He was inducted in the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, as well as the Rutgers University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. He was the father of Milwaukee Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson.
Death
Peterson died on April 16, 2019.[2]
References
- ^ "Pirates Fire Their General Manager," The Washington Post, Friday, May 24, 1985. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ Harding Peterson obituary
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet