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Pee Wee Reese
Given Name: Harold Henry
Nickname(s): The Little Colonel
1918-1999

SS-3B 1940-42, 47-58 Dodgers
  • All-Star in 1942, 47-54
  • Hall Of Fame in 1984

GamesAverageHRRBI
Career 2166.269126885
World Series 44.272216

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» 1941: That Magificent Streak

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» Tales from the Dodger Dugout by Carl Erskine

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» Reese was no Pee Wee by Harvey Frommer
» The Kentucky Gentleman by Lee Williams

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» Who's Better: Pee Wee Reese or Phil Rizzuto?

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» What was the 1957 Dodgers' lineup?

Corrections
» June 16, 2003 (#198)

Around the Web
» Two Men Who Did the Right Thing from nytimes.com (11/2/05)
» Pee Wee Reese from baseball-reference.com
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Pee Wee Reese got his nickname as a young champion marble shooter; a "pee wee" is a type of marble. A Kentucky native, he earned the monicker The Little Colonel as the star shortstop on the Louisville Colonels (American Association). After his arrival in Brooklyn, he was named captain of the Dodgers, and many called him The Captain. The title was well earned, as he was the leader of Dodger teams that won seven pennants in the 1940s and 1950s. When Jackie Robinson arrived in Brooklyn amid enormous pressures and player resentment, it was Reese who set the example of acceptance, putting his arm around Robinson's shoulder on the field, showing the world he was Robinson's teammate and friend.

After being signed by the Red Sox, the 5'10" 160-lb Reese proved his worth in Louisville. Managing and playing shortstop for Boston at the time was Joe Cronin, who wasn't ready to make room for the talented youngster by moving himself to third base. He was sold to Brooklyn for $75,000, but Reese's rookie 1940 season was marred by a fractured heel. He recovered in 1941 to lead the Dodgers to their first pennant since 1920. From 1941 through 1956, with a three-year absence in the navy during WWII, he averaged 148 games a year.

A smooth fielder, he became the premier shortstop of his era, an All-Star each year from 1947 to 1954. He was also a great leadoff hitter, leading the NL in walks (104) in 1947, in runs scored (132) in 1949, and in stolen bases (30) in 1952. He was also noted for his clutch hitting and excellent bat control. Reese's highest average was .309 in 1954.

Reese was one of the most popular players on an idolized team. For his birthday in 1955, the Dodgers threw a party at Ebbets Field, showering him with $20,000 worth of gifts, and 35,000 fans lit candles and sang "Happy Birthday" to him as the lights went dark in the fifth inning. When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, Reese went along. He played 59 games in 1958 and became a coach. But he soon retired and went to work for the Louisville Slugger bat company. His leadership on the Dodgers' pennant-winning teams gained him election by the Veterans Committee to the Hall of Fame in 1984. (EW)


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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
» May 18, 1940: The Cards collect just seven hits off Hot Potato Luke Hamlin, but all are for extra bases to tie an National League record. The Dodgers lose, 6–2. Five of the hits are home runs -- 2 each by Johnny Mize and Terry Moore. Pee Wee Reese steals his 17th base in 26 games; the Cards have just five stolen bases.

» June 1, 1940: Filling in for Leo Durocher, rookie Pee Wee Reese gets beaned by Cubs pitcher Jake Mooty. Chicago edges the Dodgers, 4–3, in 12 innings, as Mooty is the winner over Tot Pressnell.

» August 15, 1940: Dodger SS Pee Wee Reese fractures his heel bone sliding into 2B and is out for the season.

» March 7, 1941: At Havana, the Dodgers roll over the Cleveland Indians 15–0. Pee Wee Reese and Joe Medwick use a batting helmet designed by two Johns Hopkins doctors with the help of Larry MacPhail. The two Dodgers, victims of HBPs last year, pronounce the helmets satisfactory. Brooklyn P Van Lingle Mungo celebrates the win a little too hard and when tomorrow's game is rained out, he continues to party. The result is that manager Leo Durocher sends him a note informing Mungo he's been reassigned to the Dodgers' minor league camp in Macon. Mungo will pitch just two innings for Brooklyn this year.

» May 31, 1942: In Game One of a twinbill sweep at Brooklyn, Dixie Walker of the Dodgers is credited with an inside-the-park grand slam as the Braves aging Paul Waner searches for the ball under the bullpen bench. Walker follows Pee Wee Reese, Pete Reiser, and Arky Vaughan over the plate. The Dodgers win, 10–2. Brooklyn wins the nitecap, 3–1, behind Whit Wyatt's 10th straight win over Boston.

» August 4, 1942: The Giants-Dodgers game ends in a 1–1 tie as Pee Wee Reese's grand slam in the top of the 9th is wiped out. As was the case the day before, the game is called because of the government's 9:14 curfew on lights. It is the last twilight game played at the Polo Grounds. The Dodgers have held the National League lead for 144 days. The margin over the Cardinals is 10 games. Until the season's end, Brooklyn will win 17, lose 18.

» August 4, 1942: A dim out in the 10th inning cancels Pee Wee Reese's grand slam. The score reverts to the 9th inning resulting in a 1–1 tie between Brooklyn and the Giants.

» May 6, 1947: Suspended manager Leo Durocher and his wife Lorraine Day are in the stands as the Dodgers win 7–6 over the Cards on a Pee Wee Reese home run. Robinson has two singles. The Dodgers have now won 10 of 11 while the Cards have lost 10 of 11.

» May 16, 1947: The Dodgers beat the Pirates, 3–1, with Pee Wee Reese's 2-run homer the big blow. Robinson is 2-for-4 with a stolen base.

» May 12, 1948: At Cincinnati, the Reds score three in the 9th but come up short, losing to Brooklyn, 9–7. Reds starter and loser Johnny Vander Meer doubles in the 5th and doesn't advance when Glenn Corbitt bounces a single over Billy Cox's head (as noted by Bill Deane). Pee Wee Reese retrieves the ball and keeps it, pulling off a hidden ball trick on Vandy when he wanders off 2B. Taking no chances, the Reds pinch hit for Vandy in the 6th.

» October 1, 1950: In Robin Roberts' 3rd start in five days, Dick Sisler's dramatic home run off Don Newcombe in the 10th clinches the pennant 4–1 for the Whiz Kids. It is the Phillies' first pennant in 35 years. In the play that sets the stage for Sisler's heroics, CF Richie Ashburn, playing shallow, throws out Dodger runner Cal Abrams at the plate in the bottom of the 9th. Abrams will later say, "I think they should have held me at 3rd," while Dodgers' skipper Burt Shotton, commenting on having Duke Snider hitting away, "I should have bunted. If you don't believe me, look in the newspapers." Brooklyn's only score comes when Pee Wee Reese hits a drive into the screen over the wall in right field. The ball falls on top of the wall and bounces up and down long enough for Reese to leg out an inside-the-park home run.

» July 1, 1951: Philadelphia’s Russ Meyer and Jim Konstanty hold Brooklyn to one hit but lose anyway 2–0. Pee Wee Reese's 2-run triple follows two walks in the third and accounts for all the hits and runs.

» August 9, 1951: With possible baseball commissioner Douglas MacArthur looking on, the Dodgers top the Giants again, 6–5, for their 12th win in 15 games between the two rivals. The two teams combine for a National League record 24 walks. Campanella hits two homers, but sustains an injury the 9th inning when Whitey Lockman crashes into him: "The hardest I've ever been hit in a ball game." Campy will miss four days but the bone chips will hamper him the rest of the season. Clyde King wins his 2nd win in two days and shortstops Pee Wee Reese (19) and Alvin Dark (17) keep their hitting streaks alive. The Dodgers lead by 12 1/2 games.

» August 26, 1951: The Pirates club the Dodgers, 12–11 to win the opener of two with the league leaders. Brooklyn chases Howie Pollet and takes a 9–2 lead but the Bucs roar back with eight runs in the 7th inning. Clyde King, unscored on in his last eight games, is the loser. The Dodgers load the bases in the 9th, and Murry Dickson walks pinch-hitter Cal Abrams to force in a run and make the score 12–11. But Carl Furillo and Pee Wee Reese fail to deliver. Pete Castiglione has two homers for the Pirates. Brooklyn wins the second game, 4–3, when Jackie Robinson homers in the 10th, off Ted Wilks. Andy Pafko homers in the 8th, off Bob Friend, and Preacher Roe (17-2) goes all the way.

» May 21, 1952: After leadoff batter Billy Cox grounds out against Ewell Blackwell, the Whip loses his snap. The Dodgers then score 15 runs in the first inning as a record 19 consecutive batters reach 1B. Captain Pee Wee Reese walks twice in reaching base safely three times. Andy Pafko is thrown out trying to steal 3B, and Duke Snider mercifully strikes out to end the barrage against the Reds. The Dodgers score 15 runs on 15 RBIs in the frame, and coast at home, 19–1. Winning pitcher Chris Van Cuyk has the most hits with four—two in the first inning off Bud Byerly and Frank Smith, while Bobby Morgan has a pair of two-run homers and Snider another two-run homer. The Reds lone run is a homer by reserve catcher Dixie Howell.

» October 3, 1955: No more "wait till next year" as Brooklyn, behind the 2-0 pitching of Johnny Podres, brings its first WS championship to Brooklyn in 8 tries. Sixth-inning replacement Sandy Amoros races over to the wall in LF to one-hand an opposite-field bid for extra bases by Yogi Berra with the tying runs on. Amoros turns and fires to SS Pee Wee Reese who throws a bullet to Gil Hodges at 1B for the DP on Yankee base runner Gil McDougald.

» July 21, 1956: Junior Gilliam of the Brooklyn Dodgers makes 12 assists at 2B to set a modern major-league record. Dodger captain Pee Wee Reese gets his 2,000th major-league hit, one of five active major leaguers to reach the mark. But St. Louis wins 13-6.

» March 4, 1984: Two outstanding defensive players, SS Pee Wee Reese and catcher Rick Ferrell, are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Reese hit .269 in 16 seasons with the Dodgers while Ferrell batted .281 with just 28 home runs in 18 seasons for the Browns, Red Sox, and Senators.

» August 12, 1984: Harmon Killebrew, Rick Ferrell, Don Drysdale, Pee Wee Reese, and Luis Aparicio are inducted into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York.