Jim Piersall
From SoSH
| Born: | November 14, 1929 |
| Birthplace: | Waterbury, Connecticut |
| Hometown: | |
| Height: | 6' 0" |
| Weight: | 175 lbs |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Drafted: | 1948: Amateur Free Agent by the Boston Red Sox |
| College: | None |
| High School: | Leavenworth HS (CT) |
| Other Teams: | Cleveland Indians 1959-61 Washington Senators 1962-63 New York Mets 1963 California Angels 1963-1967 |
| Years with Boston: | 1950 - 1958 |
Contents |
Overall Career
James Anthony Piersall (born November 14, 1929 in Waterbury, CT), was 20 years old when he broke into the majors on September 7, 1950 with the Boston Red Sox. He began his career as an outfielder.
Against Piersall's wishes, Red Sox manager Lou Boudreau switched him to shortstop in 1952. After 9 errors in 30 games, Piersall was moved to right field. During that same year, Jimmy suffered a well publicized nervous breakdown which he later wrote about in his book Fear Strikes Out. The book was later turned into a film of the same name and starred Anthony Perkins as Jimmy Piersall.
Jimmy made his comeback in 1953 and on June 10 of that year, he had a 6 for 6 performance in a Sox win over the Browns. Unfortunately, some fans were not kind to Jimmy and would taunt him about his illness. With his new found sense of self, Jimmy would shrug the jeers off and say "Give 'em their money's worth"
Jimmy retired from baseball as a member of the California Angels on May 1, 1967. On May 27, 1967, Jimmy was honored by the Angels organization with a special night. The organization presented Jimmy and his wife gifts including $1,000 bonds for each of his nine children.
In 1977, Jimmy was hired by the Chicago White Sox as a broadcaster and was teamed with Harry Caray. In a not so surprising move, Piersall was suspended by the White Sox in 1981 for calling baseball wives "horny broads". In 1983, Jimmy was finally fired after being highly critical of White Sox management on the air. Knowing that old age is no time to change horses, Piersall continued his rants on a popular Chicago sports talk radio station for 14 years. He was "let go" in January of this year.
Awards
- 2-time American League All-Star (1954 & 1956)
- 2-time American League Gold Glove - OF (1958 & 1961)
Achievements
- Games Played-1734/BA-.272/HR-104/RBIs-591
- 1956 American League Doubles Leader
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1957)
- 0.990 lifetime fielding percentage ranks among the highest all-time.
Piersall's Moment in the Sun
- Piersall had his finest offensive season in 1956 (.293, 14 homers, career-high 87 RBI and led the majors with 40 doubles) when he made his second All-Star team.
Trivia
- Jimmy became the Red Sox regular centerfielder in 1954, taking over that position from Dom DiMaggio. Through his career, Jimmy was known for playing a very shallow centerfield.
- In June of 1963 as a Met, Jimmy ran the bases backwards (in the correct order) after hitting his 100th career homerun. He was released from the Mets a few days later.
- On May 24, 1952, Jimmy Piersall and Yankees' Billy Martin exchange insults before a game at Fenway. The confrontation escalated into a fist fight in the tunnel under the stands.
- Was one of many guests at the White House ceremony honoring the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox.
- Piersall was a three-sport athlete in high school and led his high school basketball team to 3 New England Championships. In his senior year, Jimmy scored 29 points at the Boston Garden.
- Jimmy Piersall is the only Red Sox player to ever record six hits in a single game. He did it against the St. Louis Browns June 10, 1953. Six Hits in One Game
Transactions
- Before 1948 Season: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent.
- December 2, 1958: Traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Cleveland Indians for Vic Wertz and Gary Geiger.
- October 5, 1961: Traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Washington Senators for Dick Donovan, Gene Green, and Jim Mahoney.
- May 23, 1963: Traded by the Washington Senators to the New York Mets for Gil Hodges.
- July 27, 1963: Released by the New York Mets.
- July 27, 1963: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Angels.
- September 20, 1963: Released by the Los Angeles Angels.
- April 10, 1964: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Angels.
- October 18, 1966: Released by the California Angels.
- April 10, 1967: Signed as a Free Agent with the California Angels.
- May 12, 1967: Released by the California Angels.
External Links
- Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
- Baseball Library.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
