Books and articles about Jim Turner

In 1937, 33-year-old rookie Jim Turner and 30-year-old rookie Lou Fette each won 20 games for the fifth-place Boston Bees (Braves). Turner's 2.38 ERA and 24 complete games led the NL. At one point he threw 31 consecutive scoreless innings; he and Fette tied for the league lead with five shutouts. Relying on control and a low curveball, he remained in Boston's rotation through 1939, then went 14-7 for the 1940 World Champion Reds. He relieved for the Yankees until he was forty-two, saving a league-high ten games in his final season, 1945. "He knows all there is to know about pitching," said skipper Joe McCarthy. After managing in the minors for three years, he served as a pitching coach for the Yankees (1949-59, 1966-73) and Reds (1961-65). He was credited with developing Vic Raschi into a winner and convincing Ed Lopat that his inability to win in the spring was 100% mental. In all, he spent over a half century in a pro baseball uniform. Milkman Jim worked for his family's dairy in the winters. (NLM)