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BaseballLibrary.com
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Jimmy Piersall
Born: 1929

OF-SS 1950, 52-67 Red Sox , Indians, Senators, Mets, Angels

Jimmy Piersall's Teammates

  • All-Star in 1954, 56
  • Gold Glove in 1958, 61

GamesAverageHRRBI
Career 1734.272104591

Books and articles about Jimmy Piersall

Piersall broke in as a centerfielder but switched to shortstop at the major league level in 1952 after posting .346 and .339 averages for Boston's minor league affiliate at Birmingham. His season was curtailed by a nervous breakdown, recounted in Piersall's book, Fear Strikes Out, which was later made into a movie.
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» 1960: Piersall's "Williams Shift"

Book Excerpts
» "Piersall went from Fenway to a mental institution, but in 1957 he was idolized by the kids inside the Wall": Dan Shaughnessy
» Ted Williams on Piersall

Around the Web
» Piersall out at home--again from chicagosports.com
» Piersall out at home--again from chicagosports.com
» Jim Piersall from baseball-reference.com
» Red Sox Broadcasters from redsoxdiehard.com

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Piersall's comeback with Boston in 1953 was marked by a 6-for-6 performance on June 10, 1953 and a new philosophy for dealing with fans who taunted him about his well-publicized illness: "Give 'em their money's worth." His career was characterized by numerous zany stunts, including hiding behind the monuments at Yankee Stadium while with the Indians and running backward around the bases after hitting his 100th career homer as a Met in 1963.

Piersall became the Red Sox' regular centerfielder in 1954, taking over for Dom DiMaggio. Playing the shallowest centerfield in the majors, he won two Gold Gloves. Piersall's best years at the plate included a league-leading 40 doubles, 91 runs, 87 RBI, and .293 average for the 1956 Red Sox; 19 HR and 103 runs for the Red Sox in 1957; 18 HR, 66 RBI, and a .282 average for Cleveland in 1960, with a career-high 18 steals, fifth in the league; and a .322 average, fourth in the league, for the 1961 Indians.

Piersall joined Cleveland in exchange for Vic Wertz and Gary Geiger after the 1958 season, and the Senators gave up three players to get him two years later. Waived to the Mets in 1963, Piersall averaged .194, irked manager Casey Stengel, and was released. He hit .314 for the Angels in 1964 as a part-timer before retiring in 1967. He became an outspoken and controversial broadcaster with the White Sox and was ultimately fired for criticizing their management. (MC/CR)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
» May 24, 1952: Jimmy Piersall and New York's Billy Martin first exchange insults before a game in Boston, then exchange punches in the tunnel under the stands. It takes coaches Bill Dickey and Oscar Melillo, along with starter Ellis Kinder, to break the fight up. Piersall goes to the clubhouse to change his bloody shirt and gets into another brawl with teammate Maury McDermott. He sits as Ellis Kinder stops the Yanks, 5–2.

» May 9, 1953: At Boston, the first place Yanks beat the Red Sox, 6–4. Mickey Mantle hits one homer off Bill Werle and is robbed of another when Jimmy Piersall makes a sensational catch at the Sox bullpen in right-center field.

» May 10, 1953: Vic Raschi makes his 1st relief appearance in two years, limiting the Red Sox to three hits in four innings, as the Yankees win, 7–4. Billy Goodman sustains a freak rib accident, which will keep him out of action for three weeks, when Jim Piersall picks him up and lugs him from the field to break up Goody's argument with umpire Jim Duffy. Del Wilber hits his 2nd consecutive pinch homer in the 8th; his first came on May 6th.

» June 10, 1953: RF Jimmy Piersall of the Red Sox goes 6-for-6 in a 11-2 win over the Browns in the first game of a doubleheader. Piersall is hitless in game two as the Sox win 3-2.

» May 31, 1954: In Game One against the A's, the Red Sox pound out 18 hits to win, 20–10. Jim Piersall and Milt Bolling each collect 4. Bill Henry completes the sweep with a 9–0 shutout in game 2. Harry Agganis drives in four runs with a home run and 2B.

» August 16, 1954: In a throwing contest between Jimmy Piersall and Willie Mays before a Red Sox-Giants charity game in Boston, Piersall hurts his arm. He starts the game but leaves midway. He wakes up the following morning with a sore arm that stays with him a year, and he will never throw quite as well again.

» December 2, 1958: The Red Sox box up Jimmy Piersall to Cleveland for 1B Vic Wertz and OF Gary Geiger.

» April 19, 1960: Opening Day in Cleveland takes on added drama as Rocky Colavito makes his debut with the Tigers. He is hitless in six ABs and strikes out four times. Detroit's Frank Lary and Cleveland's Gary Bell each pitch 10 shutout innings. The Tigers score twice in the 11th, but Jim Piersall's 2-run single off Jim Bunning ties the game. In the 15th, as the major-league record for the longest Opening Day game is tied, Al Kaline's 2-run single gives Detroit a 4–2 win.

» July 22, 1960: At Fenway the Red Sox down the Indians 6–4. Vic Wertz has a 3-run homer and four RBIs. Ted Williams also homers and, in the 7th inning, steals 2B. Williams sets a major-league record as the only player to steal bases in four consecutive decades: he'll be match by Rickey Henderson in 2000. Jimmy Piersall homers twice, both off winner Ike Delock.

» July 23, 1960: In an effort to distract Ted Williams during his at bats in the 6th and 8th innings, the Indians CF Jimmy Piersall goes into a war dance. Piersall gets tossed for his efforts and manager Joe Gordon is also ejected for arguing Jimmy's case. It is Piersall's 6th ejection of the season. Gordon had previously announced that any more ejections would cost Piersall $500 each, but he thinks today's thumbing is unwarranted and waives the fine. American League president Joe Cronin is less forgiving and fines Piersall $100. The Indians win, 4–2, behind Jim Perry's pitching and the first ML home run of Mike de la Hoz.

» September 4, 1960: Woodie Held hits two homers and a double and drives in six runs to pace the Indians to a 10-2 win over the A's. Jimmy Piersall also homers.

» May 29, 1961: The Indians sweep a pair from the Twins, winning, 4–3 and 7–5. They end Lenny Green's 24 game hit streak in the opener. Cleveland scores the winning run in the opener on a bunt by Jim Piersall, who reaches 2B on a wild throw by 1B Don Mincher. On a foul out, Piersall dashes for 3B, then scores on a sac fly.

» September 10, 1961: The Yankees sweep the Indians, 7–6 and 9–3 , their 12th win in a row at home and the Indians 20th loss in a row at Yankee Stadium. Mickey Mantle gets number 53 in the nitecap, while Roger Maris, homerless, stays at 56. The official scorecard credits Mantle with two runs scored: it will be discovered in 1995 that one of the runs should go to Bill Skowron. In the 2nd game, Clete Boyer sends a Jim Perry pitch into the LF corner that hits the lower deck of the grand stand and bounces back into play. While home plate ump Joe Linsalata calls it a home run, the other two umps agree with Tribe CF Jimmy Piersall who contends the ball is in play. Boyer's home run trot is interrupted at 3B with a tag out. Piersall's contribution in Game One is fighting with a fan who climbed onto the field.

» October 5, 1961: The Indians trade CF Jim Piersall to Washington for P Dick Donovan, OF Gene Green, and IF Jim Mahoney. Donovan will respond will 20 wins and lead the American League in shutouts with 5.

» September 13, 1962: Washington OF Jim Piersall is arrested for going into the stands after a heckling fan prior to a game against Baltimore. He is charged with disorderly conduct, but later cleared. Hicks replaces Jimmy in the 7–1 loss to the Orioles. O's winning pitcher Chuck Estrada clouts one of the three Birds homers.

» September 14, 1962: Jim Piersall is knocked unconscious by a revolving door in his hotel in Baltimore, shortly after the hearing on his arrest.

» May 22, 1963: The all-time shortest managerial career ends after one game—a loss—when Eddie Yost, who replaced Mickey Vernon (14-26) as the Senators pilot, is replaced by Gil Hodges. Hodges was acquired today from the Mets, who receive veteran Jimmy Piersall.

» June 23, 1963: Jimmy Piersall of the New York Mets hits the 100th home run of his ML career—and his only one in the National League—and celebrates by running around the bases backwards. Dallas Green of the Phillies, who gave up the home run, is not amused. Neither is Commissioner Ford Frick, who is in the stands. Nor are the Mets who will hand Jimmy his walking papers in a few days.

» July 27, 1963: The Mets hand Jimmy Piersall his release and the veteran outfielder will sign with the Angels. New York then loses to Houston, 1–0, as Bob Bruce shuts them out. Mets 1B Frank Thomas pulls a hidden ball trick on Jimmy Wynn.

» May 27, 1967: The Angles honor Jimmy Piersall with a special night, presenting him and his family with gifts, including a $1000 bond for each of his nine children.