Books and articles about Del Baker

Image provided by Matthew Fulling

SHOPPING » Look for Del Baker books at BN.com » Look for Del Baker books at Amazon.com Your purchases keep BaseballLibrary.com online. Thank you!

RELATED LINKS Book Excerpts » "I liked to play for him. He was all baseball, morning, noon, and night": Charlie Gehringer » "I've got a picture of Del Baker, the Detroit manager, kissing me on the forehead": Ted Williams Around the Web » Del Baker from baseball-reference.com Jump directly to Library content from any website!

A catcher during his 22-year playing career, which included only three ML seasons with the Tigers, Baker became a minor league manager in 1927. A Tiger coach, he replaced Mickey Cochrane as Detroit manager in 1938. An expert sign stealer, he took the Tigers to the 1940 pennant but lost the WS to the Reds in seven games. At the time of his death he was a coach at Trinity College in San Antonio. (NLM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » July 15, 1936: After an absence of several weeks, manager Mickey Cochrane rejoins the Tigers in New York, as they split a doubleheader with the Yankees. The Tigers take the opener, 5–1, then lose 7–4, as New York maintains its 9-game lead. Cochrane will suffer a relapse and coach Del Baker will take over on the 21st. » July 21, 1936: Mickey Cochrane has a relapse, and Del Baker again takes charge of the Tigers. Detroit takes a pair from the visiting A's, winning 8–0 behind Tommy Bridges, and 9–8, as Schoolboy Rowe wins in relief. The Tigers score a pair in the 8th inning when, with the bases loaded, Mickey Owen hits into a double play. Goslin scores the tying run and Walker, who reaches 3rd on the play, scores when 1B Chubby Dean is caught napping. » May 25, 1937: After hitting a solo home run against the Yankees in his third-inning at-bat off Bump Hadley to break a 1–1 tie, player-manager Mickey Cochrane is hit by a 3–1 pitch from Hadley in the 5th inning and suffers a skull fracture in three places. Coach Del Baker will run the team for the hospitalized Detroit leader, who will never return to active play. Cochrane's homer is his last at bat. In the hospital, Cochrane will exonerate Hadley saying, "I lost the ball." The Yanks win the game, 4–3, beating Schoolboy Rowe, who makes his first appearance of the season following a suspension for lack of conditioning. » February 15, 1940: The Tiger roster lists Hank Greenberg as an OF. The willingness of the team's leading power hitter to switch, at a contract boost, from 1B allows manager Del Baker to find a position for Rudy York. Also on the list are Dick Bartell, picked up from the Cubs for Billy Rogell, and Pinky Higgins, who had been shopped around. The four, along with Barney McCosky and Charlie Gehringer, produce the stuff that will move the Tigers from fifth to first, although its .588 mark will be as low as that of any pennant-winner yet. » September 27, 1940: Besides Bobo Newsom (21-5), Schoolboy Rowe (16-3), and Tommy Bridges (12-9), the Tigers pitching staff combines for a losing record. Needing one victory to gain the title, manager Del Baker decides to withhold Newsom and Rowe and picks Floyd Giebell, an obscure rookie just called in from Buffalo. Giebell shuts out the Indians 2-0 to beat Bob Feller, who gives up just 3 hits. Not eligible for the WS, Giebell never wins another game in the ML. During the game, unruly Cleveland fans shower the field with fruit and vegetables. At one point, a basket of green tomatoes is dropped onto Tigers C Birdie Tebbetts' head while he sits in the bullpen. » June 10, 1960: The Red Sox fire manager Billy Jurges, who left the team on June eight reportedly because of illness. Del Baker will be the interim manager. Tomorrow, the Sox will hire Pinky Higgins as the regular manager. It'll be Pinky's second tour of duty as Sox skipper.