Johnny Pesky

From BR Bullpen

John Michael Pesky born John Michael Paveskovich

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 168 lb.
• Debut April 14, 1942
• Final Game September 24, 1954
• Born September 27, 1919 in Portland, OR USA

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[edit] Biographical Information

Iconic Boston infielder Johnny Pesky played a decade in the majors, mostly with the Red Sox, and had a sterling lifetime .307 batting average, coupled an equally superior on-base-percentage of nearly 40 percent. He later managed the Red Sox and was a longtime coach for the club.

Pesky began his big league career in 1942, when he was installed as Boston's regular shortstop. He hit .331 as a rookie, leading the American League with 205 hits, and finished second to teammate Ted Williams in the batting race. He entered the Navy in June of that year, was called to active duty at the end of the season, and served until December 1945.

After World War II, Pesky returned to the Red Sox in 1946 and once again led the AL with 208 hits. He also hit .335 that year, scored 6 runs in a May 8th contest against the Chicago White Sox, and made the only All-Star Team of his career. Boston reached the 1946 World Series that fall, and he is often blamed as the culprit in the team's Game Seven loss. In the eighth inning, he was the relay man on the play where the St. Louis Cardinals' Enos Slaughter scored the winning run from first on a bloop hit to left-center field by Harry Walker. Pesky was blamed for holding the ball too long before throwing home, but in fact, even a perfect throw without any hesitation may not have gunned down the speedy Slaughter.

Pesky bounced back from the October disappointment in 1947, when he again paced the AL with 207 hits, tying the major league record for most consecutive playing years leading his league in that category. He ended the season with a .324 average, third best in the league, and put together a 26-game hitting streak during the year. He was moved from shortstop to third base in 1948, and his batting average fell to .281, but the next year he rebounded to .306 while driving in a career-best 69 runs. In 1951, he moved back to shortstop and hit over .300 for the sixth time in his first seven big league seasons.

Slowed by injuries, Pesky was traded to the Detroit Tigers during the 1952 season and ended his career with the Washington Senators after being dealt there in 1954. He retired with an amazing on-base percentage of .394.

Following his playing days, Pesky was a manager in the Tigers farm system for several years before moving back to the Red Sox organization. He managed the big league club in Boston in 1963 and 1964, but the club finished near the bottom of the standings in both seasons. He then spent three years as a Pittsburgh Pirates coach before managing the Columbus Jets in the International League in 1968.

Pesky rejoined the Red Sox as a broadcaster from 1969 to 1974. He was a member of their coaching staff from 1975 to 1984 and managed the team again for five games in 1980. As a long-time coach, he was known for his fungo ability, hitting thousands of balls off the left-field wall at Fenway Park for Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice and Mike Greenwell and hitting the groundballs that eventually made Wade Boggs a gold glove third baseman. In 1990, a 70 year-old Johnny was the manager of the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox for the second half of the season, taking over for Ed Nottle. His coaching duties were interrupted when Jimy Williams became manager in 1997 as Jimy was also a defensive specialist. Since then his role with the team has been reduced as his on field instruction has been limited. In 2004 he was banned from the Red Sox bench as he was not an official coach but in 2005 he was seen sitting on the bench during most Red Sox home games. He lives in the Boston area.

[edit] Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (1946)
• 2-time AL At Bats Leader (1946 & 1947)
• 3-time AL Hits Leader (1942, 1946 & 1947)
• 3-time AL Singles Leader (1942, 1946 & 1947)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 6 (1942 & 1946-1950)
• 200 Hits Seasons: 3 (1942, 1946 & 1947)

[edit] Year-by-Year Minor League Managerial Record

[edit] Related Sites