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Don Zimmer
From BR Bullpen
Donald William Zimmer
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 9", Weight 177 lb.
- High School Western Hills High School (Cincinnati)
- Debut July 2, 1954
- Final Game October 2, 1965
- Born January 17, 1931 in Cincinnati, OH USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Don Zimmer, best known as a heavy-set manager and coach, was originally a scrappy middle infielder, playing roughly equal amounts of games at third base, shortstop, and second base.
He attended Western Hills High School in Cincinnati, OH, the same high school that Pete Rose would attend ten years later. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949 and in 1951, he married Jean Soot at home plate before a home game at Elmira. He was seriously beaned in the minor leagues in 1953 and again in 1956, when he had to have a metal plate inserted into his skull to prevent further damage.
Zimmer reached the Major Leagues with the Dodgers in 1954. As was the case with Charlie Neal, another middle infielder signed at about the same time, it was very difficult for Zimmer to break into a Dodger infield that often had Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and Jim Gilliam playing at second, short, and third. Along with Neal and Zimmer, Don Hoak was another infielder trying to keep a job with the Dodgers at that time.
In 1955, Zimmer had 280 at-bats, hitting only .239 but getting a notable 15 home runs. He appeared in four games in the 1955 World Series which the Dodgers won, usually batting eighth in the lineup.
His best year with the Dodgers was 1958, when he hit 17 home runs. While it is hard to think of the portly Zimmer of today as a base stealer, in 1958 he stole 14 bases and was only caught twice. In 1959 he hit only .165 in 97 games. The Dodgers again won the World Series, and Zimmer appeared in one game as a pinch-runner and late-inning replacement at shortstop.
Traded to the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Ron Perranoski and others, Zimmer found himself playing in more games per season with the Cubs than he had done with the Dodgers. He was named to the All Star game in 1961. The next year - 1962, at age 31, he was an original Met, and indeed started the team's first-ever game at third base, where he committed an error on the first play of the game, starting a tradition of Met ineptness at that position that would last for two decades. He was traded early in the season to Cincinnati, his home town. The year after that he was briefly back with the Dodgers before being purchased by the Washington Senators in mid-season. In 1963 and 1965, he showed decent power there. In 1965, his last year, he hit .199.
Both Charlie Neal and Billy Martin, his contemporaries, are on the list of the ten most similar players.
Zimmer played in Japan in 1966, as recounted in his book "Zim: A Baseball Life". The other American on his Toei Flyers team was Norm Larker, who had been a teammate on the Dodgers also. He hit just .182/.213/.325 as the least-effective foreign player that year, but his 9 home runs still ranked third on Toei behind Isao Harimoto (24) and Shuzo Aono (10).
Don Zimmer stayed involved with baseball, and became a major league manager for the first time in 1972 with the San Diego Padres after spending a few years as a minor league manager and coach. He was one of the winningest managers in Boston Red Sox history, managing the 1978 team that lost to the Yankees in a one game playoff. In spite of his success, he was blamed for the team's historical collapse and earned unflattering nicknames from some of his players, most notoriously The Gerbil, as he was called by pitcher Bill Lee, with whom he had a running feud. He was NL Manager of the Year in 1989, when the Cubs of Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Rick Sutcliffe, Rookie of the Year Jerome Walton, and a young Greg Maddux won the division. He later became a bench coach for the New York Yankees and Joe Torre from 1996 through the 2004 season. In that role, he was on the losing end of a fight with Pedro Martinez in a brawl during the 2003 ALCS. In 1999, he managed the Yankees on an interim basis for the first 36 games of the season, compiling a record of 21-15, while Torre was recovering from an operation.
But for his run-in with Martinez and his long career as manager and coach, Zimmer might be best remembered as the answer to this trivia question: Who was the main Dodger shortstop between Pee Wee Reese and Maury Wills?
Having spent 57 seasons in baseball, Zimmer is currently a special adviser for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. His brother, Hal Zimmer, was a minor league 3B/OF/P, and his son, Tom Zimmer was a St. Louis Cardinals coach in 1976 and minor league manager.
He has written two books about himself.
[edit] Career Stops
As player:
- 1949, Cambridge Dodgers (Eastern Shore League)
- 1950, Hornell Dodgers (PONY League)
- 1951, Elmira Pioneers, (Eastern League)
- 1952, Mobile Bears, (Southern Association)
- 1953-1954, St. Paul Saints, (American Association)
- 1954-1959, Brooklyn-Los Angeles Dodgers, National League
- 1960-1961, Chicago Cubs, National League
- 1962, New York Mets, National League
- 1962, Cincinnati Reds, National League
- 1963, Los Angeles Dodgers, National League
- 1964-1965, Washington Senators, American League
- 1966, Toei Flyers, Pacific League
As minor league manager:
- 1967, Knoxville Smokies, Southern League
- 1967, Buffalo Bisons, International League
- 1968, Indianapolis Indians, Pacific Coast League
- 1969, Key West Padres, Florida State League
- 1970, Salt Lake City Bees, Pacific Coast League
As coach:
- 1971, Montreal Expos, National League
- 1972, San Diego Padres, National League
- 1974-1976, Boston Red Sox, American League
- 1983, New York Yankees, American League
- 1984-1986, Chicago Cubs, National League
- 1987, San Francisco Giants, National League
- 1992, Boston Red Sox, American League
- 1993-1995, Colorado Rockies, National League
- 1996-2003, New York Yankees, American League
As manager:
- 1972-1973, San Diego Padres, National League
- 1976-1980, Boston Red Sox, American League
- 1981-1982, Texas Rangers, American League
- 1988-1991, Chicago Cubs, National League
As executive: Senior Advisor
- 2004-present, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, American League
[edit] Notable Achievements
- NL All-Star (1961)
- Won two World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1955) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1959)
- NL Manager of the Year Award (1989)
- Division Titles: 1 (1989)
| Preceded by Preston Gomez |
San Diego Padres Manager 1972-1973 |
Succeeded by John McNamara |
| Preceded by Darrell Johnson |
Boston Red Sox Manager 1976-1980 |
Succeeded by Ralph Houk |
| Preceded by Pat Corrales |
Texas Rangers Manager 1981-1982 |
Succeeded by Darrell Johnson |
| Preceded by Frank Lucchesi |
Chicago Cubs Manager 1988-1991 |
Succeeded by Jim Essian |
