Red Schoendienst
Encyclopedia
Albert Fred "Red" Schoendienst (icon; born February 2, 1923) is an American Major League Baseball
coach, former player and manager, and 10-time All-star
. After a 19-year playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals
(1945–56, 1961–63), New York Giants
(1956–57) and Milwaukee Braves
(1957–60), Schoendienst managed the Cardinals from 1965 through 1976, the second-longest managerial tenure in the team's history (behind Tony La Russa
's). Under his direction St. Louis won the 1967 and 1968 National League
pennants
and the 1967 World Series
, and Schoendienst was named National League Manager of the Year in both '67 and '68. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
in 1989 by the Veterans Committee. Schoendienst remains with the Cardinals as Special Assistant Coach; as of 2011 he has worn a Major League uniform as a player, coach or manager for 66 consecutive seasons.
. He signed with the Cardinals organization as an amateur free agent in 1942, and was named the Triple-A International League
's Most Valuable Player
in 1943 before enlisting in the Army
later that year. In 1944 he received a medical discharge due to a severe injury to his left eye. The injury significantly hampered his visual acuity while batting right-handed against right-handed pitching; he trained himself as a switch hitter
, and eventually became one of the best in the game.
Schoendienst joined the Cardinals in 1945 as a left fielder
and finished the season batting
.278 with a league-high 26 stolen base
s. In 1946 he moved to second base, helping the Cardinals to their third World Series
title in five years. With sure hands and quick reflexes, he led the league's second basemen for seven seasons and handled 320 consecutive chances without an error in 1950. His 1956 league record fielding average
of .9934 stood for 30 years until broken by Ryne Sandberg
. During the 1946 off-season he won the televised Home Run Derby Contest.
In 1956 the Cardinals traded him to the New York Giants, who dealt him the following season to the Milwaukee Braves, where he promptly led the team to its first pennant in nine years, batting .309 and finishing third in the NL MVP
vote. In the World Series
the Braves defeated the New York Yankees
to win their only world championship in Milwaukee, and the franchise's first since 1914. Milwaukee repeated as NL champions in 1958 but lost to the Yankees in their World Series rematch
; Schoendienst flew out to Mickey Mantle
for the Series' final out.
During the 1958-59 off-season Schoendienst was diagnosed with tuberculosis
and underwent a partial pneumonectomy
in February 1959. He returned to the Braves in 1960 but was released at the end of the season. In 1961 he rejoined the Cardinals, first as a pinch hitter, then as a coach when Johnny Keane
replaced Solly Hemus
as the Red Birds' manager. Keane resigned the day following the Cardinals' 1964 World Series
victory over the Yankees, and Schoendienst was named as his replacement. His managerial record over 12 full-time seasons (1965–76) and two subsequent stints as interim manager (1980 and 1990) was 1,041 victories and 955 defeats (.522). After two years as a coach for the 1977-78 Oakland Athletics
, Schoendienst returned to the Cardinals as coach and special assistant to the general manager. He remains an employee of the Cardinals organization with the title of Special Assistant Coach.
In his playing career Schoendienst compiled a .289 batting average with 84 home runs, 773 runs batted in, 1223 runs, 2449 hits, 427 doubles, 78 triples and 89 stolen bases in 2216 games played. His defensive stats as a second baseman include 4616 putout
s, 5243 assists
, 1368 double play
s, and only 170 errors in 10029 total chances
for a .983 fielding average.
Schoendienst was a member of five winning World Series teams, all of which won in seven games: as a player with the Cardinals and Braves in 1946
and 1957
respectively; as the Cardinals manager in 1967
; and as a Cardinals coach in 1964
and 1982
. He was also a member of three teams that lost the Series after leading three games to one: the 1958 Milwaukee Braves (to the Yankees), the 1968 Cardinals (to the Detroit Tigers
), and the 1985 Cardinals (to the Kansas City Royals
).
Red Schoendienst was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 by the Veterans Committee, and the Cardinals retired his number (2) in 1990. In 1998 he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame
.
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...
coach, former player and manager, and 10-time All-star
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
. After a 19-year playing career with 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...
(1945–56, 1961–63), New York 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....
(1956–57) and Milwaukee 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....
(1957–60), Schoendienst managed the Cardinals from 1965 through 1976, the second-longest managerial tenure in the team's history (behind Tony La Russa
Tony La Russa
Anthony "Tony" La Russa, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball manager and infielder, best known for his tenures as manager of the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals...
's). Under his direction St. Louis won the 1967 and 1968 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...
pennants
National League pennant winners 1901-68
Each season in Major League Baseball, the National League team with the best performance wins the league's pennant, signifying that they are its champion and winning the right to play in the World Series. In addition to the pennant, the team that wins the National League playoffs receives the...
and the 1967 World Series
World 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...
, and Schoendienst was named National League Manager of the Year in both '67 and '68. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
in 1989 by the Veterans Committee. Schoendienst remains with the Cardinals as Special Assistant Coach; as of 2011 he has worn a Major League uniform as a player, coach or manager for 66 consecutive seasons.
Biography
Schoendienst was born in Germantown, IllinoisGermantown, Illinois
Germantown is a village in Clinton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,118 at the 2000 census.-History:The village of Germantown was established in 1833. Formerly known as Hanover, Germantown is said to be one of the first true German settlements in Illinois...
. He signed with the Cardinals organization as an amateur free agent in 1942, and was named the Triple-A 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...
's Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
in 1943 before enlisting in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
later that year. In 1944 he received a medical discharge due to a severe injury to his left eye. The injury significantly hampered his visual acuity while batting right-handed against right-handed pitching; he trained himself as a switch hitter
Switch hitter
In baseball, a switch-hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed.-Baseball:Usually, right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice-versa. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher. Such pitches are often...
, and eventually became one of the best in the game.
Schoendienst joined the Cardinals in 1945 as a left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
and finished the season batting
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 :...
.278 with a league-high 26 stolen base
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...
s. In 1946 he moved to second base, helping the Cardinals to their third World Series
World 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...
title in five years. With sure hands and quick reflexes, he led the league's second basemen for seven seasons and handled 320 consecutive chances without an error in 1950. His 1956 league record fielding average
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
of .9934 stood for 30 years until broken by Ryne Sandberg
Ryne Sandberg
Ryne Dee Sandberg , nicknamed "Ryno" is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. During a 16-year baseball career, he played from 1981–1994 and 1996–97, spending nearly his entire career with the Chicago Cubs. He was named after relief pitcher Ryne Duren, and is recognized as one of the best...
. During the 1946 off-season he won the televised Home Run Derby Contest.
In 1956 the Cardinals traded him to the New York Giants, who dealt him the following season to the Milwaukee Braves, where he promptly led the team to its first pennant in nine years, batting .309 and finishing third in the NL MVP
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...
vote. In the World Series
1957 World Series
The 1957 World Series featured the defending champions, the New York Yankees , playing against the Milwaukee Braves . After finishing just one game behind the N.L. Champion Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956, the Braves came back in 1957 to win their first pennant since moving from Boston in 1953...
the Braves defeated 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...
to win their only world championship in Milwaukee, and the franchise's first since 1914. Milwaukee repeated as NL champions in 1958 but lost to the Yankees in their World Series rematch
1958 World Series
The 1958 World Series was a rematch of the 1957 Series, with the New York Yankees beating the defending champion Milwaukee Braves in seven games for their eighteenth title, and their seventh in ten years...
; Schoendienst flew out to Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
for the Series' final out.
During the 1958-59 off-season Schoendienst was diagnosed with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and underwent a partial pneumonectomy
Pneumonectomy
A pneumonectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a lung. Removal of just one lobe of the lung is specifically referred to as a lobectomy, and that of a segment of the lung as a wedge resection .-Indications:...
in February 1959. He returned to the Braves in 1960 but was released at the end of the season. In 1961 he rejoined the Cardinals, first as a pinch hitter, then as a coach when Johnny Keane
Johnny Keane
John Joseph Keane was an American manager in Major League Baseball. Born in St. Louis, Missouri and known as a patient manager of young players, Keane participated in one of the strangest turns of events in baseball history in , his final season at the helm of the St...
replaced Solly Hemus
Solly Hemus
Solomon Joseph Hemus is a retired infielder, manager and coach in American Major League Baseball.As a player with the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, Hemus was primarily a shortstop, although he also saw significant time as a second baseman. He compiled a lifetime batting average...
as the Red Birds' manager. Keane resigned the day following the Cardinals' 1964 World Series
1964 World Series
The 1964 World Series pitted the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals against the American League champion New York Yankees, with the Cardinals prevailing in seven games. St...
victory over the Yankees, and Schoendienst was named as his replacement. His managerial record over 12 full-time seasons (1965–76) and two subsequent stints as interim manager (1980 and 1990) was 1,041 victories and 955 defeats (.522). After two years as a coach for the 1977-78 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....
, Schoendienst returned to the Cardinals as coach and special assistant to the general manager. He remains an employee of the Cardinals organization with the title of Special Assistant Coach.
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, 5243 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...
, 1368 double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
s, and only 170 errors in 10029 total 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 .983 fielding average.
Schoendienst was a member of five winning World Series teams, all of which won in seven games: as a player with the Cardinals and Braves in 1946
1946 World Series
-Game 1:Sunday, October 6, 1946 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, MissouriThe Red Sox won Game 1 when Rudy York hit a home run into the left field bleachers.-Game 2:Monday, October 7, 1946 at Sportsman's Park in St...
and 1957
1957 World Series
The 1957 World Series featured the defending champions, the New York Yankees , playing against the Milwaukee Braves . After finishing just one game behind the N.L. Champion Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956, the Braves came back in 1957 to win their first pennant since moving from Boston in 1953...
respectively; as the Cardinals manager in 1967
1967 World Series
The 1967 World Series matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Boston Red Sox in a rematch of the 1946 World Series, with the Cardinals winning in seven games for their second championship in four years and their eighth overall...
; and as a Cardinals coach in 1964
1964 World Series
The 1964 World Series pitted the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals against the American League champion New York Yankees, with the Cardinals prevailing in seven games. St...
and 1982
1982 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 12, 1982 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MissouriThe Brewers' left-hander Mike Caldwell pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits. The Brewers' offense was led by Paul Molitor, who had a World Series-record five hits and two RBIs...
. He was also a member of three teams that lost the Series after leading three games to one: the 1958 Milwaukee Braves (to the Yankees), the 1968 Cardinals (to 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...
), and the 1985 Cardinals (to the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
).
Red Schoendienst was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 by the Veterans Committee, and the Cardinals retired his number (2) in 1990. In 1998 he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame
St. Louis Walk of Fame
The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years there...
.
Personal life
In 1951 Schoendienst married the former Mary Eileen O'Reilly, who died in 1999. Their 48-year marriage produced three daughters (Colleen, Cathleen, and Eileen) and one son (Kevin).Quotations
- "The greatest pair of hands I've ever seen." – teammate Stan MusialStan MusialStanley 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...
- "He was just a tremendous ballplayer. He and I dressed side-by-side and I'll never forget how much he taught me about the game. He was a terrific leader." – teammate Hank Aaron
See also
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of Major League Baseball doubles champions