Bucky Walters
Encyclopedia
William Henry "Bucky" Walters (April 19, 1909–April 20, 1991) was an American
Major League Baseball
All-Star
pitcher
. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, Walters played for the Boston Braves
(1931–32, 1950), Boston Red Sox
(1933–1934), Philadelphia Phillies
(1934–1938) and Cincinnati Reds
(1938–1948). He batted and threw right-handed.
s and a 3.30 ERA
in 3104.2 innings
.
Walters started his career as a third baseman
for the Boston Braves in 1931. After two seasons, he failed with the Braves but hit .376 in the Pacific Coast League
to earn a shot with the Boston Red Sox in 1933.
It wasn't until Walters was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Red Sox in the 1934 midseason that he reverted to pitching. Walters developed as a sinker-ball
specialist, and after winning 14 games and led the National League
with 34 starts
in 1937, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in the 1938 midseason.
From 1939-40, Walters helped the Reds to win two straight pennants, leading in each season the NL pitchers in wins, ERA, complete game
s and innings pitched. His most productive season came in 1939, when he won the Triple Crown
with 27 victories, a 2.29 ERA, and 137 strikeouts (tied with Claude Passeau
). For his performance, Walters garnered Most Valuable Player
honors, the second of three straight Cincinnati players to win the award (Ernie Lombardi
and Frank McCormick
were the others). In 1940, Walters won 22 games and posted a 2.48 ERA.
When the Yankees
swept the Reds in four games In the 1939 World Series
, Walters started and lost Game Two and was the loser in relief
of the final game. Nevertheless, in the 1940 WS
, facing Detroit
, Walters gave the National League its first Series game victory in three years with a three-hitter in Game Two. Four days later, he evened the Series for the Reds in Game Six with a five-hit shutout
. He also became the first pitcher in 14 years to hit a home run
in the Series. In Game Seven, the Reds won their second WS championship.
In 1944, Walters posted a league-high 23 wins while losing only 8, and compiled a 2.40 ERA. He was named interim manager
during the 1948 season, his last playing in Cincinnati, and was relieved late in 1949. As a manager, he had an 81-123 record. He returned to pitching in 1950, and made a four-inning relief appearance with the Braves.
Following his retirement as a player, Walters coached for the Braves and Giants
through 1957. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1958.
Bucky Walters died in Abington, Pennsylvania
, just one day after of his 82nd birthday.
In August 2008, he was named as one of the ten former players that began their careers before 1943 to be considered by the Veterans Committee for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Walters played for the Boston Braves
Atlanta 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....
(1931–32, 1950), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1933–1934), Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1934–1938) and Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1938–1948). He batted and threw right-handed.
Career
In a 16-season career, Walters posted a 198-160 record with 1107 strikeoutStrikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and a 3.30 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 3104.2 innings
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
.
Walters started his career as a third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
for the Boston Braves in 1931. After two seasons, he failed with the Braves but hit .376 in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
to earn a shot with the Boston Red Sox in 1933.
It wasn't until Walters was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Red Sox in the 1934 midseason that he reverted to pitching. Walters developed as a sinker-ball
Pitch (baseball)
In baseball, a pitch is the act of throwing a baseball toward home plate to start a play. The term comes from the Knickerbocker Rules. Originally, the ball had to be literally "pitched" underhand, as with pitching horseshoes. Overhand throwing was not allowed until 1884.The biomechanics of...
specialist, and after winning 14 games and led the 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...
with 34 starts
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
in 1937, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in the 1938 midseason.
From 1939-40, Walters helped the Reds to win two straight pennants, leading in each season the NL pitchers in wins, ERA, complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
s and innings pitched. His most productive season came in 1939, when he won the Triple Crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
with 27 victories, a 2.29 ERA, and 137 strikeouts (tied with Claude Passeau
Claude Passeau
Claude William Passeau was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From through , Passeau played with the Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs . He batted and threw right-handed...
). For his performance, Walters garnered Most Valuable Player
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
honors, the second of three straight Cincinnati players to win the award (Ernie Lombardi
Ernie Lombardi
Ernesto Natali "Ernie" Lombardi , was a Major League Baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Braves and the New York Giants during a Hall of Fame career that spanned 17 years, from 1931 to 1947. He had several nicknames, including "Schnozz", "Lumbago", "Bocci",...
and Frank McCormick
Frank McCormick
Frank Andrew McCormick was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds , Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves . McCormick batted and threw right-handed...
were the others). In 1940, Walters won 22 games and posted a 2.48 ERA.
When the 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...
swept the Reds in four games In the 1939 World Series
1939 World Series
The 1939 World Series featured the three-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds, who were making their first Series appearance since the scandal-tainted 1919 World Series. The Yankees swept the Series in four games for the second time in a row, winning their record...
, Walters started and lost Game Two and was the loser in relief
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
of the final game. Nevertheless, in the 1940 WS
1940 World Series
The 1940 World Series matched the Cincinnati Reds against the Detroit Tigers, with the Reds winning the Series in seven games for their second championship, their first since the scandal-tainted victory in...
, facing Detroit
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, Walters gave the National League its first Series game victory in three years with a three-hitter in Game Two. Four days later, he evened the Series for the Reds in Game Six with a five-hit shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
. He also became the first pitcher in 14 years to hit a 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...
in the Series. In Game Seven, the Reds won their second WS championship.
In 1944, Walters posted a league-high 23 wins while losing only 8, and compiled a 2.40 ERA. He was named interim 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...
during the 1948 season, his last playing in Cincinnati, and was relieved late in 1949. As a manager, he had an 81-123 record. He returned to pitching in 1950, and made a four-inning relief appearance with the Braves.
Following his retirement as a player, Walters coached for the Braves and Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
through 1957. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1958.
Bucky Walters died in Abington, Pennsylvania
Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Abington Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 55,310 in as of the 2010 census.Abington Township is one of Montgomery County's oldest communities dating back to before 1700 and being incorporated in 1704. It is home to some of the county's...
, just one day after of his 82nd birthday.
In August 2008, he was named as one of the ten former players that began their careers before 1943 to be considered by the Veterans Committee for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Highlights
- 6-time All-Star (1937, 1939–42, 1944)
- National League MVP (1939)
- Twice Top-5 NL MVP (1940, 1944)
- NL Triple Crown (1939)
- 3-time led NL in wins (1939–40, 1944)
- 3-time led NL in complete games (1939–41)
- Twice led NL in games started (1937, 1939)
- Twice led NL in ERA (1939–40)
- Led NL in strikeouts (1939)
- His 42 career shutouts ranks him 38th in the All-Time list
Fact
- Like Wes FerrellWes FerrellWesley Cheek Ferrell was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1927 through 1941. Primarily a starting pitcher, Ferrell played for the Cleveland Indians , Boston Red Sox , Washington Senators , New York Yankees , Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves...
, Walters was one of the first pitchers occasionally used as a pinch hitterPinch hitterIn baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
during the 1940s.
See also
- Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2009Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2009Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2009 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...
- Triple Crown
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
External links
- Bucky Walters at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...
Sources
- Red Sox all-time player list
Accomplishments