Billy Southworth
Encyclopedia
William Harrison Southworth (March 9, 1893–November 15, 1969) was an American right fielder
, center fielder
and manager
in Major League Baseball
. Playing in and and from to , he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Southworth managed in and from through . He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008
.
Born in Harvard, Nebraska
, and raised in Columbus, Ohio
, Southworth decided to play baseball despite his father's wishes. He batted .300 three times in his career, not counting shortened seasons.
In a 13-season career, he batted
.297 with 52 home run
s with 561 runs batted in
. He stole
138 bases in his career. He had 1,296 hits
in 4,359 at bat
s.
Southworth's cousin, Bill Southworth
, also played in the majors.
Billy Southworth died in 1969 and is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus.
titles (1942
, 1944
) as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals
. Southworth also won one World Series as a player (1926
, also with the Cards). Southworth was the first to win the World Series as a player and again as a manager. However, his career as a manager was paved with obstacles.
It began in 1928 with the Rochester Red Wings
of the AA International League
, the top club in the Cardinals' leading-edge farm system. After winning the IL championship, Southworth was promoted to St. Louis as manager for , replacing Bill McKechnie
, who had won a National League
pennant in 1928
but lost the World Series
in four straight games to the New York Yankees
.
Southworth, a player-manager who was only one year removed from being a teammate of his charges, attempted to impose discipline on the Cards, banning them from driving their own automobiles. But the Redbirds did not respond to his hard line and won only 43 of their first 88 games. Southworth was sent back to Rochester and McKechnie was rehired. Although Southworth immediately resumed his successful minor league managerial career, the firing and personal tragedy — the death of his first wife, Lida Southworth, at age 42 — began a downward spiral. Beset by struggles with alcoholism
, he even left baseball for two seasons. Finally, after a recovery, he rejoined the Cardinals' minor league system in 1935 and by 1939 he was again enjoying success as Rochester's manager.
fired manager Ray Blades
and promoted Southworth from Rochester. This time, the Cards flourished under him. With talented players such as Enos Slaughter
, Marty Marion
, Stan Musial
, Walker Cooper
, Mort Cooper
, Whitey Kurowski
and Johnny Beazley
being harvested each spring from the club's farm system, the Cardinals entered a Golden Age in their history. Upon Southworth's appointment, they won 69 of 109 games and jumped from seventh to third place in 1940. The following season they won 97 games and finished second. Then, from 1942–44, the Cardinals won 106, 105 and 105 games, three pennants and two World Series titles. Southworth had presided over one of the most dominant three-year stretches in National League
history.
But another personal tragedy awaited Southworth. On February 15, 1945, his son, Major
William Brooks Southworth
, USAAF — also a professional baseball player — died in a plane crash in Flushing Bay, New York, during military flight training. Still, the Cards' skipper began managing at the beginning of the season; the Redbirds won 95 games but finished second, three games behind the Chicago Cubs
.
in , signing a then-lucrative managing contract for a reported $50,000 per season, and immediately led the Braves into the first division
. In , spearheaded by the National League's best one-two pitching combination, left-hander Warren Spahn
and right-hander Johnny Sain
, the Braves won their second NL pennant of the 20th century but were defeated in six games by the Cleveland Indians
in the 1948 World Series
.
The following season saw Boston struggle on the field and in chaos off the diamond. Southworth was rumored to be drinking heavily and near nervous collapse, and some players resented his rules and regulations and the amount of credit he had received for the 1948 pennant. With Boston at 55-54 in August, Southworth turned the Braves over to coach
Johnny Cooney
for the remainder of . After some of the rebellious players (including starting shortstop
Alvin Dark
and second baseman
Eddie Stanky
) had been traded, Southworth returned to his post in and led the Braves back into the first division, but an aging team and declining attendance bode poorly for both Southworth's career and the Braves' future in New England
. In , Southworth's club was only 28-31 on June 19 when he was fired and replaced by his former standout right fielder
, Tommy Holmes. While he remained with the Braves as a scout, Southworth never managed again in the major leagues and the Braves abandoned Boston for Milwaukee
in March .
in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio
, at the age of 76, and was buried in Green Lawn Cemetery. On the occasion of Southworth's election to the Hall of Fame, one of his former players on the 1948 Braves, Clint Conatser
, paid tribute to his old manager. "He just had a gut feeling about the right thing to do in a situation," Conatser recalled. "The moves he would make would work for him — all the time, not occasionally. Leo Durocher
was the same way. It's like some guys can pick horses out of nowhere. Southworth was a genius like that on the diamond."
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
, center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Playing in and and from to , he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Southworth managed in and from through . He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2008
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2008 proceeded according to revised rules enacted in 2001 and further revamped in 2007. The Baseball Writers Association of America held an election to select from among recent players...
.
Born in Harvard, Nebraska
Harvard, Nebraska
Harvard is a city in Clay County, Nebraska, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 998. It is part of the Hastings, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Harvard is located at ....
, and raised in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, Southworth decided to play baseball despite his father's wishes. He batted .300 three times in his career, not counting shortened seasons.
In a 13-season career, he batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.297 with 52 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s with 561 runs batted in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. He stole
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
138 bases in his career. He had 1,296 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in 4,359 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s.
Southworth's cousin, Bill Southworth
Bill Southworth
William Frederick Southworth is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. Southworth played for the Milwaukee Braves in the season. In 3 career games, he had two hits in seven at-bats...
, also played in the majors.
Billy Southworth died in 1969 and is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus.
Early career as a manager
As a manager, he was very successful; his .597 winning percentage is second all-time to Joe McCarthy's .615. Southworth's major league managerial won-loss record was 1,044–704 with four first-place finishes, and he won two World SeriesWorld Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
titles (1942
1942 World Series
The 1942 World Series featured the defending champion New York Yankees against the St. Louis Cardinals, with the Cardinals winning the Series in five games for their first championship since and their fourth overall....
, 1944
1944 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 4, 1944 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, MissouriGeorge McQuinn hit the Brown's only home run of the series to put his team ahead in the fourth inning, while Denny Galehouse outpitched World Series veteran Mort Cooper to hold on for the win.-Game 2:Thursday, October 5,...
) as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. Southworth also won one World Series as a player (1926
1926 World Series
The 1926 World Series was the championship series of the 1926 Major League Baseball season, featuring the St. Louis Cardinals against the New York Yankees...
, also with the Cards). Southworth was the first to win the World Series as a player and again as a manager. However, his career as a manager was paved with obstacles.
It began in 1928 with the Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
of the AA International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
, the top club in the Cardinals' leading-edge farm system. After winning the IL championship, Southworth was promoted to St. Louis as manager for , replacing Bill McKechnie
Bill McKechnie
William Boyd McKechnie was an American third baseman, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. He was the first manager to win World Series titles with two different teams , and remains one of only two managers to win pennants with three teams, also capturing the National League title in 1928...
, who had won a National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennant in 1928
1928 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: New York Yankees over St Louis Cardinals -Awards and honors:*League Award** Mickey Cochrane, Philadelphia Athletics, C** Jim Bottomley, St. Louis Cardinals, 1B-Statistical leaders:-American League final standings:...
but lost the World Series
1928 World Series
In the 1928 World Series, the New York Yankees swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games. Along with , this was the first time a team had swept consecutive Series....
in four straight games to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
.
Southworth, a player-manager who was only one year removed from being a teammate of his charges, attempted to impose discipline on the Cards, banning them from driving their own automobiles. But the Redbirds did not respond to his hard line and won only 43 of their first 88 games. Southworth was sent back to Rochester and McKechnie was rehired. Although Southworth immediately resumed his successful minor league managerial career, the firing and personal tragedy — the death of his first wife, Lida Southworth, at age 42 — began a downward spiral. Beset by struggles with alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, he even left baseball for two seasons. Finally, after a recovery, he rejoined the Cardinals' minor league system in 1935 and by 1939 he was again enjoying success as Rochester's manager.
A second chance with the Cardinals
In June , he received a second chance with the struggling Cardinals when owner Sam BreadonSam Breadon
Samuel Breadon was an American executive who served as the president and majority owner of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball from 1920 through 1947...
fired manager Ray Blades
Ray Blades
Francis Raymond Blades was an American left fielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball.A native of McLeansboro, Illinois, Blades was first scouted as a baseball player as a teenager in 1913. Branch Rickey, then the manager of the St. Louis Browns, spotted Blades during a sandlot...
and promoted Southworth from Rochester. This time, the Cards flourished under him. With talented players such as Enos Slaughter
Enos Slaughter
Enos Bradsher Slaughter , nicknamed "Country", was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 19-year baseball career, he played from 1938–1942 and 1946-1959 for four different teams, but is noted primarily for his time with the St...
, Marty Marion
Marty Marion
Martin Whiteford Marion was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball from to . Marion played with the St. Louis Cardinals for the majority of his career before ending with the St. Louis Browns as a player-manager...
, Stan Musial
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...
, Walker Cooper
Walker Cooper
William Walker Cooper was an American professional baseball player. He was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played for six National League teams from 1940 to 1957...
, Mort Cooper
Mort Cooper
Morton Cecil Cooper was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals...
, Whitey Kurowski
Whitey Kurowski
George John Kurowski was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals . Kurowski batted and threw right-handed. He debuted on September 23, 1941, and played his final game on October 1, 1949...
and Johnny Beazley
Johnny Beazley
John Andrew Beazley was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves...
being harvested each spring from the club's farm system, the Cardinals entered a Golden Age in their history. Upon Southworth's appointment, they won 69 of 109 games and jumped from seventh to third place in 1940. The following season they won 97 games and finished second. Then, from 1942–44, the Cardinals won 106, 105 and 105 games, three pennants and two World Series titles. Southworth had presided over one of the most dominant three-year stretches in National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
history.
But another personal tragedy awaited Southworth. On February 15, 1945, his son, Major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
William Brooks Southworth
Billy Southworth (baseball, born 1917)
William Brooks Southworth , known also as Billy Southworth, Jr., was an American professional baseball player who became a decorated bomber pilot in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II...
, USAAF — also a professional baseball player — died in a plane crash in Flushing Bay, New York, during military flight training. Still, the Cards' skipper began managing at the beginning of the season; the Redbirds won 95 games but finished second, three games behind the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
.
One final NL pennant for Boston
Southworth then moved to the Boston BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in , signing a then-lucrative managing contract for a reported $50,000 per season, and immediately led the Braves into the first division
First division (baseball)
First division is a term that has had various meanings, at various times, in the sport of baseball, but originally referred to the rankings within a league...
. In , spearheaded by the National League's best one-two pitching combination, left-hander Warren Spahn
Warren Spahn
Warren Edward Spahn was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in the National League. He won 20 games each in 13 seasons, including a 23-7 record when he was age 42...
and right-hander Johnny Sain
Johnny Sain
John Franklin Sain was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who was best known for teaming with left-hander Warren Spahn on the Boston Braves teams from 1946 to 1951...
, the Braves won their second NL pennant of the 20th century but were defeated in six games by the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in the 1948 World Series
1948 World Series
The 1948 World Series matched the Cleveland Indians against the Boston Braves. The Braves had won the National League pennant for the first time since the "Miracle Braves" team of . The Indians spoiled a chance for the only all-Boston World Series by winning a one-game playoff against the Boston...
.
The following season saw Boston struggle on the field and in chaos off the diamond. Southworth was rumored to be drinking heavily and near nervous collapse, and some players resented his rules and regulations and the amount of credit he had received for the 1948 pennant. With Boston at 55-54 in August, Southworth turned the Braves over to coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
Johnny Cooney
Johnny Cooney
John Walter Cooney was a pitcher, outfielder and first baseman, then a longtime coach, in American Major League Baseball. Listed at 5' 10" and 165 pounds , Cooney batted right-handed but threw left-handed...
for the remainder of . After some of the rebellious players (including starting shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
Alvin Dark
Alvin Dark
Alvin Ralph Dark , nicknamed "Blackie" and "The Swamp Fox", is a former shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball who played for five National League teams from 1946 to 1960. Named the major leagues' Rookie of the Year with the Boston Braves when he batted .322...
and second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Eddie Stanky
Eddie Stanky
Edward Raymond Stanky , nicknamed "The Brat", was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago Cubs , Brooklyn Dodgers , Boston Braves , New York Giants , and St. Louis Cardinals...
) had been traded, Southworth returned to his post in and led the Braves back into the first division, but an aging team and declining attendance bode poorly for both Southworth's career and the Braves' future in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. In , Southworth's club was only 28-31 on June 19 when he was fired and replaced by his former standout right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
, Tommy Holmes. While he remained with the Braves as a scout, Southworth never managed again in the major leagues and the Braves abandoned Boston for Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
in March .
'A genius on the diamond'
Billy Southworth died of emphysemaEmphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, at the age of 76, and was buried in Green Lawn Cemetery. On the occasion of Southworth's election to the Hall of Fame, one of his former players on the 1948 Braves, Clint Conatser
Clint Conatser
Clinton Astor Conatser is a retired American professional baseball player. An outfielder, Conatser played 1½ seasons for the Boston Braves of Major League Baseball and was a member of the 1948 Braves, the last Boston-based team to win a National League pennant.Born in Los Angeles, California,...
, paid tribute to his old manager. "He just had a gut feeling about the right thing to do in a situation," Conatser recalled. "The moves he would make would work for him — all the time, not occasionally. Leo Durocher
Leo Durocher
Leo Ernest Durocher , nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,009 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks tenth in career wins by...
was the same way. It's like some guys can pick horses out of nowhere. Southworth was a genius like that on the diamond."
External links
- Southworth family tribute website
- Baseball Hall of Fame - 2008 inductee profile
- Southworth's Cardinals were dominant
- St. Louis skipper Southworth enshrined in Hall
- Baseball Evolution Hall of Fame - Player Profile
- The Deadball Era
| Managerial jobs |
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