Hoot Evers

From BR Bullpen

Walter Arthur Evers

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.
School University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Debut September 16, 1941
Final Game September 30, 1956
Born February 8, 1921 in St. Louis, MO USA
Died January 25, 1991 in Houston, TX USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Hoot Evers had a 12-year career in the major leagues, even though World War II robbed him of several years of his career. He was a star at the University of Illinois, on the team with Joe Astroth, two years after Lou Boudreau had been there. He came up originally at age 20 in 1941, but, after playing just one game, didn't manage to return to the majors until 1946, when the war was over, and then missed more than half of the season because of a broken ankle.

From 1948 to 1950, he hit over .300 each year, and twice had an on-base percentage over .400. He was an All Star in both 1948 and in 1950.

Outfielder Evers had his finest season in 1950 with the Detroit Tigers, hitting .323 with 103 RBIs and leading the American League with 11 triples. At one point he had a 19-game hitting streak. On June 23, 1950, 11 home runs were hit in a game between the Tigers and Yankees, with the homers driving in all 20 runs of the game; Evers had two home runs that day, including one inside the park.

He played on the Detroit Tigers with Hank Greenberg, the Boston Red Sox with Dom DiMaggio (mostly while Ted Williams was away at war), the New York Giants with Willie Mays, and the Cleveland Indians with Bob Lemon and Early Wynn.

After his playing career ended, he worked in the Cleveland Indians organization for several years and was a member of the team's coaching staff in 1970. The next season, Evers joined the Tigers front office, and he later worked as a scout for the club.