Clint Courtney
Encyclopedia
Clinton Dawdson Courtney (March 16, 1927 – June 16, 1975) was an American
catcher
in Major League Baseball
who played for the New York Yankees
, St. Louis Browns
(-), Baltimore Orioles
, Chicago White Sox
, Washington Senators
(-) and Kansas City Athletics
. Courtney batted left-handed
and threw right-handed. He was born in Hall Summit
, a village
in tiny Red River Parish, Louisiana
.
Listed at 5' 8" and 180 pounds, Courtney was an American League
catcher whose pugnacity and timely base hits made headlines in the 1950s. Fiercely combative, he played his position under unusual handicaps. A natural left-hander, he taught himself to use his right arm, and he also was myopic
, being widely considered as the first Major League catcher to wear eyeglasses
.
Courtney appeared in one game for the New York Yankees in before being traded to the St. Louis Browns at the end of the season. He was obtained by the Browns at the request of manager
Rogers Hornsby
, who had managed him at Beaumont
of the Texas League
. In , he won the TSN American League Rookie of the Year
award after hitting .286 with five home run
s and 50 runs batted in from 116 games
.
Nicknamed "Scrap Iron", Courtney was frequently embroiled in fights. Two of his more celebrated brawls involved the Yankees. The first came in , when he spiked Billy Martin
and then slugged him when Martin hit Courtney between the eyes. A year later, he touched off a free-for-all by spiking Phil Rizzuto
in trying to stretch a single
into a double
. Then Martin jumped on Courtney in a wild melee that produced a then American League record $850 in fines. The episode cost Courtney $250. Off the field, his temperament was reportedly more genial and affable.
On July 16, 1953, Courtney entered the record books when the Browns tied, by then, a Major League mark with three successive home runs during the first inning of a 8–6 victory over the Yankees. Courtney started the feat, followed by solo shots of Dick Kryhoski
and Jim Dyck
. In , Courtney remained with the team, which had moved to Baltimore and was in its first season as the Orioles. On Opening Day, he hit the first home run in Memorial Stadium
history. He finished with a .270 average in 397 at bat
s, and struck out
a league-low seven times, the lowest since Joe Sewell
in .
Courtney split the 1955 season between the White Sox and the Washington Senators, batting a combined .309 in 94 games. In he hit .300 for the Senators and was back in Baltimore in . That season, he became the first catcher to wear an oversize mitt
to handle the knuckleball
s of Hoyt Wilhelm
. The mitt, designed by Baltimore manager Paul Richards
to combat the passed-ball
problem while catching Wilhelm, was half again as large as the standard glove and 40 ounces heavier.
Courtney appeared briefly with the Kansas City Athletics in and returned for a third stint with the Orioles for the rest of the year, his last Major League season as a player.
In an 11-season career, Courtney was a .268 hitter with 38 home runs and 313 RBI in 946 games. As a catcher, he recorded 3,556 putout
s with 379 assists
and only 50 errors
in 3,985 chances
for a .987 fielding percentage
.
In , Courtney worked as the bullpen coach
for the Houston Astros
. He later managed the Atlanta Braves
' Triple-A Richmond
affiliate between and . In , he was prominently mentioned as a possible successor to Eddie Mathews
to manage the Braves, but the job instead went to Clyde King
and Courtney continued to manage Richmond. On June 16, 1975, he was playing ping pong with one of his players during a road trip in Rochester, New York
, when he was stricken with a fatal heart attack
at the age of 48.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
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...
who played for 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...
, St. Louis Browns
Baltimore 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...
(-), Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore 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...
, Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, Washington Senators
Minnesota 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 Kansas City 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....
. Courtney batted left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
and threw right-handed. He was born in Hall Summit
Hall Summit, Louisiana
Hall Summit is a village in Red River Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 264 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hall Summit is located at ....
, a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in tiny Red River Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
Listed at 5' 8" and 180 pounds, Courtney was an 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...
catcher whose pugnacity and timely base hits made headlines in the 1950s. Fiercely combative, he played his position under unusual handicaps. A natural left-hander, he taught himself to use his right arm, and he also was myopic
Myopia
Myopia , "shortsightedness" ) is a refractive defect of the eye in which collimated light produces image focus in front of the retina under conditions of accommodation. In simpler terms, myopia is a condition of the eye where the light that comes in does not directly focus on the retina but in...
, being widely considered as the first Major League catcher to wear eyeglasses
Glasses
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses , spectacles or simply specs , are frames bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes. They are normally used for vision correction or eye protection. Safety glasses are a kind of eye protection against flying debris or against visible and near visible light or...
.
Courtney appeared in one game for the New York Yankees in before being traded to the St. Louis Browns at the end of the season. He was obtained by the Browns at the request of 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...
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. , nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball . He played for the St. Louis Cardinals , New York Giants , Boston Braves , Chicago Cubs , and St. Louis Browns...
, who had managed him at Beaumont
Beaumont Exporters
The Beaumont Exporters were a franchise in American minor league baseball that played in the Texas League from 1920-49 and 1953-55. The city of Beaumont, Texas, was also represented in the Texas League from 1912-17 and 1919 as the Oilers, from 1950-52 as the Roughnecks, and from 1983-86 as the...
of the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. In , he won the TSN American League Rookie of the Year
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award was established in 1946 by The Sporting News .*In 1947-48, and again in 1950, a single award was given for all of Major League Baseball....
award after hitting .286 with five 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 and 50 runs batted in from 116 games
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
.
Nicknamed "Scrap Iron", Courtney was frequently embroiled in fights. Two of his more celebrated brawls involved the Yankees. The first came in , when he spiked 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...
and then slugged him when Martin hit Courtney between the eyes. A year later, he touched off a free-for-all by spiking Phil Rizzuto
Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
in trying to stretch a single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
into a double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. Then Martin jumped on Courtney in a wild melee that produced a then American League record $850 in fines. The episode cost Courtney $250. Off the field, his temperament was reportedly more genial and affable.
On July 16, 1953, Courtney entered the record books when the Browns tied, by then, a Major League mark with three successive home runs during the first inning of a 8–6 victory over the Yankees. Courtney started the feat, followed by solo shots of Dick Kryhoski
Dick Kryhoski
Richard David Kryhoski was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between 1949 and 1955. Listed at 6' 2", 200 lb., Kryhoski batted and threw left-handed. He was born and raised in Leonia, New Jersey.Kryhoski attended at Upsala College in East Orange, New...
and Jim Dyck
Jim Dyck
James Robert Dyck was a third baseman and left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for four different teams between 1951 and 1956. Listed at 6' 2", 200 lb., Dyck batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska...
. In , Courtney remained with the team, which had moved to Baltimore and was in its first season as the Orioles. On Opening Day, he hit the first home run in Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (Baltimore)
Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road...
history. He finished with a .270 average in 397 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, and struck out
Strikeout
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....
a league-low seven times, the lowest since Joe Sewell
Joe Sewell
Joseph Wheeler Sewell was a Major League Baseball infielder for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees...
in .
Courtney split the 1955 season between the White Sox and the Washington Senators, batting a combined .309 in 94 games. In he hit .300 for the Senators and was back in Baltimore in . That season, he became the first catcher to wear an oversize mitt
Baseball glove
A baseball glove or mitt is a large leather glove that baseball players on the defending team are allowed to wear to assist them in catching and fielding balls hit by a batter, or thrown by a teammate.-History:...
to handle the knuckleball
Knuckleball
A knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
s of Hoyt Wilhelm
Hoyt Wilhelm
James Hoyt Wilhelm was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985....
. The mitt, designed by Baltimore manager Paul Richards
Paul Richards (baseball)
Paul Rapier Richards was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and executive in Major League Baseball. During his playing career, he was a catcher and right-handed batter with the Brooklyn Dodgers , New York Giants , Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers...
to combat the passed-ball
Passed ball
In baseball, a catcher is charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that, with ordinary effort, should have been maintained under his control. When, as a result of this loss of control, the batter or a runner on base advances, the catcher is thereby charged...
problem while catching Wilhelm, was half again as large as the standard glove and 40 ounces heavier.
Courtney appeared briefly with the Kansas City Athletics in and returned for a third stint with the Orioles for the rest of the year, his last Major League season as a player.
In an 11-season career, Courtney was a .268 hitter with 38 home runs and 313 RBI in 946 games. As a catcher, he recorded 3,556 putout
Putout
In baseball statistics, a putout is given to a defensive player who records an out by one of the following methods:* Tagging a runner with the ball when he is not touching a base...
s with 379 assists
Assist (baseball)
In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...
and only 50 errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
in 3,985 chances
Total chances
In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...
for a .987 fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
.
In , Courtney worked as the bullpen 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...
for the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
. He later managed the Atlanta 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....
' Triple-A Richmond
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
affiliate between and . In , he was prominently mentioned as a possible successor to Eddie Mathews
Eddie Mathews
Edwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game.-Early life:...
to manage the Braves, but the job instead went to Clyde King
Clyde King
Clyde Edward King was an American pitcher, coach, manager, general manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball. King, whose career in baseball spanned over 60 years, was perhaps best known for his longtime role as a special baseball advisor to George Steinbrenner, late owner of the...
and Courtney continued to manage Richmond. On June 16, 1975, he was playing ping pong with one of his players during a road trip in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, when he was stricken with a fatal heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at the age of 48.