Joe Cronin

From SoSH

Joseph Edward Cronin was born in the Excelsior district of San Fransisco on October 12, 1906. He began his baseball career in 1926 as a shortstop for the Pirates and played until he broke his leg in 1945. He also managerd the Red Sox from 1933 to 1947, winnig the AL pennant in 1946, the first year as just a manager. He was was a seven-time All-Star and became aHall of Fame member in 1956.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Awards 3 Moment in the Sun 4 Managerial Record 5 Trivia 6 Transactions 7 External Links

Overall Career

Cronin came up as a slow and clumsy shortstop for Pittsburgh. The Pirates had Arky Vaughan at shortstop, and in 1928 Cronin was dealt to the Washington Senators, where he bloomed. In 1930, his second full season, he had career highs in batting average (.346) and RBI (126), and he was named player of the year. In 1933, Cronin was named player-manager by Washington owner Clark Griffith, and Cronin responded by guiding the Senators to their final World Series appearance. The Giants beat Cronin's club in five games, but Cronin batted .318.

At the end of the 1934 season, Griffith sold Cronin to the Red Sox for $225,000, the highest amount paid for a single player (Boston's sale of Babe Ruth was actually only for $125,000, with the remaining $300,000 being a personal loan from Yankee owner Ruppert to Red Sox owner Harry Frazee). Griffith arranged, however, for Cronin to receive a five-year contract good for $50,000 per year.

Cronin loved hitting in Fenway Park. Three times he registered slugging percentages over .500, with a career-high .536 in 1938, the year he led the AL in doubles with 51. He hit a career-high 24 HR in 1940, the year he also led the league in putouts and assists. Despite hitting .311 with 16 HR and 95 RBI in 1941, he took himself out of the regular lineup in 1942 to make room for a youngster named Johnny Pesky. He still pinch hit, though, setting a major league record of five pinch homers in 1943.

In early 1945 Cronin broke his leg, ending his playing career for good. He took the Red Sox to the World Series the following year, losing to the Cardinals on Enos Slaughter's dash home in the seventh game. He moved into the Red Sox front office in 1948 for 11 years, during which time he was elected to the Hall of Fame. In 1959, he was chosen American League president by the owners, the first former player so honored. In his two terms as AL president, he presided over the league's expansion from eight to ten teams in 1960, then to 12 teams in 1969. In 1970, he fired two umpires for "incompetency" when he learned they were trying to form a union. In his final year as president, he blocked George Steinbrenner's attempt to hire Dick Williams as manager, but allowed the Tigers to sign Ralph Houk away from Steinbrenner's Yankees.

Awards

• Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1956 (78.76%)

• 7-time American League All-Star (1933 - 1935, 1937 - 1939 & 1941)

Moment in the Sun

• May 30, 1938: The largest crowd in Yankee Stadium history, 83,533, sees Red Ruffing end Lefty Grove's eight-game winning streak in a 10–0 victory over the Red Sox. Six thousand fans are turned away, and 511 are given refunds because there is no place to sit. The Yankees also took the second game of the doubleheader, 5–4, in a game made famous for a fight between Yankee OF Jake Powell and Boston player-manager Joe Cronin. The brawl starts when Boston P Archie McKain hits Powell with a pitch in the stomach. Powell's charge to the mound is intercepted by Cronin and the two pummel each other for 2-3 minutes. Cronin and Powell are ejected but continue the fight in the area beneath the stands, until they are separated by Yankee players. Both players are fined and suspended for 10 days.

Managerial Record

Year    League   Team     Age    G     W    L    WP   Finish
1933 American Lg Washngtn  26   153   99   53   .651  AL  1  Player/Manager
1934 American Lg Washngtn  27   155   66   86   .434      7  Player/Manager

1935 American Lg BostonRS  28   154   78   75   .510      4  Player/Manager
1936 American Lg BostonRS  29   155   74   80   .481      6  Player/Manager
1937 American Lg BostonRS  30   154   80   72   .526      5  Player/Manager
1938 American Lg BostonRS  31   150   88   61   .591      2  Player/Manager
1939 American Lg BostonRS  32   152   89   62   .589      2  Player/Manager
1940 American Lg BostonRS  33   154   82   72   .532      5  Player/Manager
1941 American Lg BostonRS  34   155   84   70   .545      2  Player/Manager
1942 American Lg BostonRS  35   152   93   59   .612      2  Player/Manager
1943 American Lg BostonRS  36   155   68   84   .447      7  Player/Manager
1944 American Lg BostonRS  37   156   77   77   .500      4  Player/Manager
1945 American Lg BostonRS  38   157   71   83   .461      7  Player/Manager
1946 American Lg BostonRS  39   156  104   50   .675  AL 1
1947 American Lg BostonRS  40   157   83   71   .539      3

                 BostonRS      2007 1071  916   .539
                 Washngtn       308  165  139   .543
     TOTAL                     2315 1236 1055   .540

Trivia

• May 29, 1984: Cronin's jersey #4 was formally retired by the Red Sox.
• Cronin once hit two pinch hit homeruns in the same day.

Transactions

• Before 1925 Season: Signed as a Free Agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• April 1, 1928: Purchased by the Kansas City (American Association) from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• July, 1928: Purchased by the Washington Senators from the Kansas City (American Association) for $7,500.
• October 26, 1934: Traded by the Washington Senators to the Boston Red Sox for Lyn Lary and $225,000.
• June 6, 1946: Released by the Boston Red Sox.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Joe Cronin: Hall of Fame Page