Wes Westrum
Wes Westrum | ||
---|---|---|
Runs batted in | 315 | |
Managerial record | 260–366 | |
Winning % | .415 | |
Teams | ||
As player
As manager | ||
Career highlights and awards | ||
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Wesley Noreen Westrum (November 28, 1922 – May 28, 2002) was an American
Major League playing career
A native of
Westrum was a key player for the Giants’ during the remarkable
His 1952 season was plagued by injuries and he only managed to hit for a .220 batting average in 114 games, although he still managed to finish second to Del Rice among catchers in assists.[1][12] Westrum remained the Giants' starting catcher throughout the 1954 season, catching all four games in the 1954 World Series against the Cleveland Indians.[13] Injuries continued to take their toll, and by 1955, Ray Katt had replaced him as the starting catcher.[4] Westrum lasted three more seasons but never played more than 70 games a year.[14] On September 29, manager Bill Rigney started all the Giants who had been on the 1954 World Series team in the ballclub's final game at the Polo Grounds; Westrum caught during the 9–1 loss to Pittsburgh.[15] When the Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958, he was offered a role as a third-string catcher or as a coach.[4] He decided to retire as a player at the age of 34, and accepted the coaching job.[4]
Career statistics
In an eleven-year major league career, Westrum played in 919
Westrum's 1950 fielding percentage of .999 stood as a National League record for catchers, until it was surpassed by
Coach and manager
Westrum served as the Giants' bullpen coach and then became their first base coach through the 1963 season.[2] He joined the Mets as a coach in 1964, working at first base and then in the bullpen, and became pitching coach on July 14, 1965, after the release of pitcher-coach Warren Spahn. But only 11 days later, Westrum was named the Mets' interim manager when Stengel, 75, fractured his left hip getting out of a car on July 25.[16] On that day, the Mets were 31–64, in tenth and last place in the National League.[24] They fared no better under Westrum for the rest of 1965, losing 48 of the 67 games under his leadership.[3] The hip fracture would end Stengel's Hall of Fame managerial career.
Westrum then was appointed the second full-time manager in the history of the perennial last-place club. But his
Westrum then rejoined the Giants as a coach (1968–71) and
Westrum died from cancer at the age of 79 in Clearbrook, Minnesota on May 28, 2002.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Wes Westrum statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ a b c Wes Westrun New York Times Obituary, May 30, 2002
- ^ a b c d Wes Westrum Manager's record at Baseball Reference
- ^ a b c d e f g Peterson, Armand. "The Baseball Biography Project: Wes Westrum". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ^ "1950 National League Fielding Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ a b "1951 New York Giants". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ a b "1951 The Shot Heard 'Round the World". thisgreatgame.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ Hirsch, pp. 123-24
- ^ "1951 National League Fielding Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ "October 3, 1951 Dodgers-Giants box score". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ "1951 World Series". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ "1952 National League Fielding Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ "1954 World Series". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
- ^ Hirsch, p. 238
- ^ Hirsch, p. 265
- ^ ISSN 0005-609X
- ^ Catchers Double Plays at The Encyclopedia of Catchers
- ^ Single-Season Fielding Percentage Leaders at Baseball Reference
- ^ 1952 All-Star Game at Baseball Reference
- ^ 1953 All-Star Game at Baseball Reference
- ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Caught Stealing Percentage". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ^ Most Games Caught for Team at The Encyclopedia of Catchers
- ^ Hirsch, pp. 124-25
- ^ Information at Retrosheet
- ^ Westrum quits Mets
Bibliography
- Hirsch, James S. (2010). Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend. New York: Scribner. ISBN 978-1-4165-4790-7.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Wes Westrum managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
- Turn Back The Clock, Former Catcher Wes Westrum Recalls Career With Giants, by Bob Mayer, Baseball Digest, November 2001
- Wes Westrum at The Baseball Biography Project
- The Deadball Era
- Wes Westrum at Find a Grave