Cal Ermer
Encyclopedia
Calvin Coolidge Ermer was an American
second baseman
, manager
, coach
and scout in Major League Baseball
. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and served in the United States Marine Corps
during World War II
. As a player, Ermer threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).
and its predecessor franchise (before 1961
), the Washington Senators. His only major league game as a player, on September 26, 1947, came with Washington; he was hitless in three at bats and handled seven fielding chances flawlessly as a second baseman
. Ermer then played and managed in the club's farm system, handling Senators/Twins farm clubs over five different decades: 1947; 1950–57; 1965–67; 1974–76; 1978-85.
During his managing career, he also served as a skipper in the minor league systems of the Pittsburgh Pirates
and New York Yankees
, and in 1958 won The Sporting News
Minor League Manager of the Year award while with the Birmingham Barons
, then a farm team of the Detroit Tigers
.
, to replace Minnesota manager Sam Mele
with the club stalled in sixth place with a 25-25 record. Under Ermer, the Twins caught fire, winning 66 of 112 games and jumping into a four-team American League
pennant race that went down to the season's final weekend. Needing only one win in two games at Boston's Fenway Park
to clinch a tie for the championship, the Twins lost both contests to the Red Sox
, who became improbable league champions.
Ermer was brought back for 1968
, but a big off-season trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers
backfired, Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew
suffered a serious hamstring
injury during the 1968 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
, nearly ending his career, and the Twins tumbled to 79-83 and a seventh place finish. At season's end, Ermer was fired and replaced by his former coach Billy Martin
— the volatile Martin's first major league managing job.
(1962), Milwaukee Brewers
(1970–72) and Oakland Athletics
(1977). He ultimately returned to the Twins to manage their AAA farm club, then the Toledo Mud Hens
, from 1978-85 before spending many years as a Minnesota scout. As a minor league pilot, Ermer won 1,906 games, losing 1,728 (.524) over 26 seasons.
Cal Ermer died at age 85 in Chattanooga, Tennessee
, on August 8, 2009. Almost a year before, on August 30, 2008, the Chattanooga Lookouts
(where he managed from 1952–57 and won the 1952 pennant) dedicated their press box to Ermer. He had met and married Gloria Williams (Miss Chattanooga and Miss Tennessee of 1952) and lived in Chattanooga for 57 years. Ermer was also soccer coach for the University of Baltimore
and managed baseball teams in the winter leagues. He was buried in Chattanooga's National Cemetery
.
After 5 years in minor league baseball the only person that converted me from suspect to a prospect was Cal Ermer. He actually took me from the streets and made a baseball player out of me. No words can express how his faith in me in 1950 carried over out side baseball, into the private sector.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
, 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...
, 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...
and scout 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...
. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and served in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. As a player, Ermer threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg).
Longtime employee of Senators and Twins
Most of Ermer's 60-plus-year career in baseball was spent as an employee of the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
and its predecessor franchise (before 1961
1961 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: New York Yankees over Cincinnati Reds ; Whitey Ford, MVP*All-Star Game , July 11 at Candlestick Park: National League, 5-4 *All-Star Game , July 31 at Fenway Park: 1–1 tie...
), the Washington Senators. His only major league game as a player, on September 26, 1947, came with Washington; he was hitless in three at bats and handled seven fielding chances flawlessly as a 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...
. Ermer then played and managed in the club's farm system, handling Senators/Twins farm clubs over five different decades: 1947; 1950–57; 1965–67; 1974–76; 1978-85.
During his managing career, he also served as a skipper in the minor league systems of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and 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...
, and in 1958 won The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
Minor League Manager of the Year award while with the Birmingham Barons
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club....
, then a farm team of the Detroit Tigers
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...
.
Major League manager
On June 9, 1967, Ermer was promoted from the Twins' AAA affiliate, the Denver Bears of the Pacific Coast LeaguePacific 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 replace Minnesota manager Sam Mele
Sam Mele
Sabath Anthony "Sam" Mele is a former right fielder, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball...
with the club stalled in sixth place with a 25-25 record. Under Ermer, the Twins caught fire, winning 66 of 112 games and jumping into a four-team American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
pennant race that went down to the season's final weekend. Needing only one win in two games at Boston's Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
to clinch a tie for the championship, the Twins lost both contests to the 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"...
, who became improbable league champions.
Ermer was brought back for 1968
1968 in baseball
-The Year of the Pitcher:In Major League Baseball, the trend throughout the 1960s was of increased pitching dominance, caused by enforcing a larger strike zone beginning in 1963...
, but a big off-season trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
backfired, Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Clayton Killebrew , nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball , he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and...
suffered a serious hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury during the 1968 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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...
, nearly ending his career, and the Twins tumbled to 79-83 and a seventh place finish. At season's end, Ermer was fired and replaced by his former coach Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
— the volatile Martin's first major league managing job.
Late career
Ermer never again managed in the major leagues (his final record: 145-129, .529) but — in addition to his extensive minor league managing career — he also built a major league resume as a coach for the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1962), Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1970–72) and Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1977). He ultimately returned to the Twins to manage their AAA farm club, then the Toledo Mud Hens
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...
, from 1978-85 before spending many years as a Minnesota scout. As a minor league pilot, Ermer won 1,906 games, losing 1,728 (.524) over 26 seasons.
Cal Ermer died at age 85 in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, on August 8, 2009. Almost a year before, on August 30, 2008, the Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
(where he managed from 1952–57 and won the 1952 pennant) dedicated their press box to Ermer. He had met and married Gloria Williams (Miss Chattanooga and Miss Tennessee of 1952) and lived in Chattanooga for 57 years. Ermer was also soccer coach for the University of Baltimore
University of Baltimore
The University of Baltimore , located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood at 1420 N. Charles Street, is part of the University System of Maryland. Through the Freshman Initiative or Lower Division Initiative, UB has transformed from an upper division university to a...
and managed baseball teams in the winter leagues. He was buried in Chattanooga's National Cemetery
Chattanooga National Cemetery
Chattanooga National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the center of the city of Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee...
.
External links
After 5 years in minor league baseball the only person that converted me from suspect to a prospect was Cal Ermer. He actually took me from the streets and made a baseball player out of me. No words can express how his faith in me in 1950 carried over out side baseball, into the private sector.