Whitey Lockman
Encyclopedia
Carroll Walter "Whitey" Lockman (July 25, 1926 — March 17, 2009) was a player, coach
, manager
and front office executive in American
Major League Baseball
.
On October 3, 1951
, Lockman scored the tying run, just ahead of Bobby Thomson
, on Thomson's home run
that gave the New York Giants
the National League
championship - baseball's "Shot Heard 'Round the World
." Lockman's one-out double against the Brooklyn Dodgers had scored Alvin Dark
with the Giants' first run of the inning, and made the score 4-2, Brooklyn. His hit knocked Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe
out of the game, and, on the play, Giant baserunner Don Mueller
injured his ankle sliding into third base.
While Mueller was being carried off the field to be replaced by a pinch runner
, Dodger manager Chuck Dressen
called on relief pitcher Ralph Branca
, whose second pitch was hit by Thomson into the Polo Grounds
' lower left field stands for a game-winning, three-run homer.
, Lockman was a first baseman
and outfielder
who batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He signed with the Giants as a 17-year-old during World War II
and came to New York from the minor leagues in the midseason of 1945, just past his 19th birthday. He batted
.341 in limited duty that season, but would hit over .300 only once more during a 15-year major league playing career. He was a regular in the Giant lineup from 1948 through June 1956, when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals
. His exile was brief, however, as the Redbirds sent him back to the Giants after the end of the 1956 season. He was a member of the Giants' last New York team, and their first San Francisco outfit, when the club moved West in 1958
. He finished his career in 1959-60 with the Baltimore Orioles
and Cincinnati Reds
.
Appearing in 1,666 games, Lockman had a .279 career batting average with 114 home runs. In the 1951 World Series
, won in six games by the New York Yankees
, Lockman hit .240 with a home run. Three years later, he batted only .111 in the 1954 Fall Classic
, but the Giants swept the Cleveland Indians
to win the world championship.
. In 1961, when his old teammate Dark became manager of the Giants, Lockman became his third base coach, serving through 1964. Lockman then joined the Chicago Cubs
as a minor league manager, coach, and, then, Director of Player Development.
In July 1972, he succeeded his old mentor, Leo Durocher
, as Cubs' manager and the revitalized Cubbies won 39 of 65 games to improve two places in the standings. But losing marks in 1973 and into 1974 cost Lockman his job; he was relieved of his duties July 24, 1974 and moved back into the Chicago front office, serving as General Manager from late 1973 to late 1975. Lockman later was a player development official and special assignment scout for the Montreal Expos
and Florida Marlins
.
Lockman finished with a career major league managing record of 157-162 (.492).
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...
, 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...
and front office executive in American
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...
.
Role in miraculous 1951 comeback
Lockman played a supporting role in one of the most famous ninth-inning comebacks in baseball history.On October 3, 1951
1951 in sports
1951 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* January 14 – The National Football League has its first Pro Bowl Game ....
, Lockman scored the tying run, just ahead of Bobby Thomson
Bobby Thomson
Robert Brown "Bobby" Thomson was a Scottish-born American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "The Staten Island Scot", he was an outfielder and right-handed batter for the New York Giants , Milwaukee Braves , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles .His season-ending three-run...
, on Thomson's 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...
that gave the 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....
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...
championship - baseball's "Shot Heard 'Round the World
Shot Heard 'Round the World (baseball)
In baseball, the "Shot Heard 'round the World" is the term given to the walk-off home run hit by New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to win the National League pennant at 3:58 p.m...
." Lockman's one-out double against the Brooklyn Dodgers had scored 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...
with the Giants' first run of the inning, and made the score 4-2, Brooklyn. His hit knocked Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe
Don Newcombe
Donald Newcombe , nicknamed "Newk", is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians .Until 2011 when Detroit Tigers Pitcher Justin Verlander did it, Newcombe was the only baseball...
out of the game, and, on the play, Giant baserunner Don Mueller
Don Mueller
Donald Frederick Mueller is a retired outfielder who played 12 seasons in American Major League Baseball . The first ten of those years were spent with the New York Giants, for whom he batted over .300 for three consecutive seasons and led the National League in hits in 1954...
injured his ankle sliding into third base.
While Mueller was being carried off the field to be replaced by a pinch runner
Pinch runner
A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
, Dodger manager Chuck Dressen
Chuck Dressen
Charles Walter Dressen , known as both "Chuck" and "Charlie," was an American third baseman, manager and coach in professional baseball during a career that lasted almost fifty years, and was best known as the manager of the powerful Brooklyn Dodgers of 1951–1953...
called on relief pitcher Ralph Branca
Ralph Branca
Ralph Theodore Joseph Branca is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.From 1944 through 1956, Branca played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Detroit Tigers , and New York Yankees...
, whose second pitch was hit by Thomson into the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
' lower left field stands for a game-winning, three-run homer.
15-year playing career
Born in Lowell, North CarolinaLowell, North Carolina
Lowell is a small city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States and a suburb of both Charlotte and Gastonia. The population was 2,662 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lowell is located at ....
, Lockman was a first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
and outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
who batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He signed with the Giants as a 17-year-old 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...
and came to New York from the minor leagues in the midseason of 1945, just past his 19th birthday. 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 :...
.341 in limited duty that season, but would hit over .300 only once more during a 15-year major league playing career. He was a regular in the Giant lineup from 1948 through June 1956, when he was traded to 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...
. His exile was brief, however, as the Redbirds sent him back to the Giants after the end of the 1956 season. He was a member of the Giants' last New York team, and their first San Francisco outfit, when the club moved West in 1958
1958 in sports
1958 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* NFL Championship – December 28 the Baltimore Colts won 23-17 over the New York Giants in overtime. The game is later called the "Greatest game ever played"....
. He finished his career in 1959-60 with the 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...
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....
.
Appearing in 1,666 games, Lockman had a .279 career batting average with 114 home runs. In the 1951 World Series
1951 World Series
The 1951 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the New York Giants, who had won the National League pennant in a thrilling three-game playoff with the Brooklyn Dodgers on the legendary home run by Bobby Thomson .In the Series, the Yankees showed some power of...
, won in six games by 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...
, Lockman hit .240 with a home run. Three years later, he batted only .111 in the 1954 Fall Classic
1954 World Series
The 1954 World Series matched the National League champion New York Giants against the American League champion Cleveland Indians. The Giants swept the Series in four games to win their first championship since , defeating the heavily favored Indians, who had won an AL-record 111 games in the...
, but the Giants swept 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...
to win the world championship.
Coach, manager, player development director
Lockman's coaching career began immediately after his playing days ended, as he joined the Reds' staff in 1960 under skipper Fred HutchinsonFred Hutchinson
Frederick Charles Hutchinson was an American professional baseball player, a major league pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. He also was a manager for three major league teams...
. In 1961, when his old teammate Dark became manager of the Giants, Lockman became his third base coach, serving through 1964. Lockman then joined 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...
as a minor league manager, coach, and, then, Director of Player Development.
In July 1972, he succeeded his old mentor, 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...
, as Cubs' manager and the revitalized Cubbies won 39 of 65 games to improve two places in the standings. But losing marks in 1973 and into 1974 cost Lockman his job; he was relieved of his duties July 24, 1974 and moved back into the Chicago front office, serving as General Manager from late 1973 to late 1975. Lockman later was a player development official and special assignment scout for the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
and Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
.
Lockman finished with a career major league managing record of 157-162 (.492).
External links
- Whitey Lockman (manager) – baseball-reference.com.
- Goldstein, Richard. "Whitey Lockman Dies at 82; Set Up Epic Homer," The New York Times, Friday, March 20, 2009.
- Furlong, William Barry. "First Place Always Rattles A Cub Fan," Sports Illustrated, May 28, 1973.
- Whitey Lockman 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:...