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Jay Porter
From BR Bullpen
J. W. Porter (Jay)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 180 lb.
- Debut July 30, 1952
- Final Game September 27, 1959
- Born January 17, 1933 in Shawnee, OK USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Orignally signed by the White Sox and heralded as a future star, Jay Porter broke into the majors with the St. Louis Browns at the tender age of 19, but never established himself as a starter during his short career. He missed the 1953-1954 seasons due to military service.
The Browns made the deal for Porter in in July 1952, when Porter was on the road in Lincoln, NE. His 18 year old wife was at their home in Colorado Springs, CO but did not drive, so Browns owner Bill Veeck made arrangements for her father to be flown in from Oakland, CA to drive her to St. Louis. Father and daughter were killed in a head-on collision en route and it fell to Veeck to inform Porter. Veeck and his wife Mary Frances invited Porter to move in with them (they were living at Sportsman's Park at the time).
After his playing career, Porter served as a minor league manager, including with the GCL Expos in 1969 and the West Palm Beach Expos in 1970, for whom he had a combined winning percentage of .604 (110-72). Porter also managed the Montreal Expos' entry in the 1969 Florida Instructional League. Porter's hitting coach in West Palm Beach was Larry Doby. They became possibly the first interracial roommates in baseball and spent some nights talking about Bill Veeck, with whom they both became good friends.
J.W. still attends the annual Browns alumni/fan club festivities in St. Louis on a regular basis, along with former Tigers and Brownies teammate Ned Garver.. Once a Brownie, always a Brownie!
