Barney Dreyfuss ushered in the second glory era of the Pittsburgh Pirates when he
purchased Pie Traynor from Portsmouth (Virginia League) in 1920. The classy, intelligent
Massachusetts native had been ignored by both Boston clubs. He came up as a shortstop
but was moved to third base by Pittsburgh manager Bill McKechnie in 1922 - the first
of 12 straight seasons in which he played 130 or more games.
Traynor topped the
.300 mark ten times, and from 1925 through 1930 batted .342. Yet, playing on teams
that featured the Waner brothers, he led the Pirates in
hitting just once, with a
.356 mark in 1929. When he hit .366 in 1930, teammate Paul Waner hit .368. Traynor
usually made contact, striking out only 278 times in his career. He fanned only seven
times in 540 at-bats in 1930.
At third base Traynor had a great arm and was outstanding
on bunts and slow choppers. Teamed with defensive whiz Glenn Wright at shortstop,
and in a lineup with hitting stars Max Carey and Kiki Cuyler, in 1925 Traynor helped
Pittsburgh to its first pennant since 1909. He hit .346 in their seven-game World
Series victory over Washington, and homered off Walter Johnson in the opener. He
handled 24 chances without an error.
Traynor hit .342 in 1927, led NL third basemen
in double plays for the fourth straight year, and had three hits on October 1 when
Pittsburgh clinched another pennant. In Game Three of the WS, he broke up Herb Pennock's
perfect game with an eighth-inning single, but the Pirates were swept by the Yankees.
Playing
in spacious Forbes Field, Traynor hit few home runs, but consistently reached double
figures in doubles and triples. He tied teammate Carey for the NL lead with 19 three-base
hits in 1923. He remains among the Pirates' all-time leaders in every offensive category
but home runs.
While posting a record-tying seventh season as the NL putout leader
at third base despite a sore throwing arm, Traynor replaced George Gibson as Pirate
manager in June 1934. He played occasionally in 1935 and 1937, finishing with a NL
record 2,288 putouts at 3B. He managed for six seasons, leaving in 1939 with what
was then the second-most wins in Pirate history (457). He came close to a pennant
in 1938, but Chicago's Gabby Hartnett's "Homer in the Gloamin'" snatched it away.
Traynor scouted for the Pirates until his death.
Widely regarded for years as baseball's
greatest third baseman, Traynor was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1948, and was
honored as a member of the all-time team selected in 1969 for baseball's centennial.
He was one of Pittsburgh's most popular players, eagerly adopted by the community
though he never lost his New England accent. The Giants' John McGraw, himself a third
baseman, called Traynor the greatest team player in the game. Though there are several
stories about his nickname, it seems to have come from Traynor's childhood taste
for pies.
(ME)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»October 7, 1925:
Walter Johnson (20-7) opens the World Series in Pittsburgh. A 5th-inning home run by Pie Traynor is the only damaging blow, as Johnson fans 10 of the heavy-hitting Bucs for a 4–1 win over Lee Meadows (19-10). Sam Rice, Joe Harris, and Ossie Bluege, with two hits each, drive in the Senators' runs.
»August 30, 1929: At Pittsburgh Pie Traynor is 5-for-5 to lead a 21-hit Corsair attack that sinks the Cubs, 15–0. It is the Pirates 4th win over the Cubs in three days. Heine Meine applies the whitewash.
»July 23, 1930:
Pie Traynor of the Pirates is responsible for two victories over the Phillies. His HR in the ninth seals the first game 2-1, and he comes through with a 3-run HR in the 13th of the nightcap to win 16-15.
»June 20, 1934:
New manager Pie Traynor paces the Pirates to a 6–5 win over the Braves, stopping a losing skein of five games. Traynor laces three doubles and single and counted the winning run in the 9th inning. Arky Vaughn is 4-for-4 for the winners to raise his average to .363, two points off the leaders (Leslie: /365; Medwick: .365; Terry: .363) Wally Berger keeps the Braves in the game with a two-run homer in the first and a game tying homer in the 9th. Leon Chagnon, in relieve of Red Lucas, is the winner.
»August 15, 1935:
Phillies 3B Johnny Vergez starts four DPs to equal the major-league record set by Pie Traynor.
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