Solomon Joseph Hemus (April 17, 1923 – October 2, 2017) was an American professional baseball infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB).[1] Hemus is one of a select group of major league players to have held a dual role as a player-manager.
| Solly Hemus | |
|---|---|
 Hemus in about 1953 | |
| Shortstop / Second baseman / Manager | |
| Born: April 17, 1923 Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Died: October 2, 2017 (aged 94) Houston, Texas | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 27, 1949, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 14, 1959, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .273 |
| Home runs | 51 |
| Runs batted in | 263 |
| Managerial record | 190–192 |
| Winning % | .497 |
| Teams | |
| As player
As manager | |
Baseball career
As a player (1949–59) with the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, Hemus was primarily a shortstop, although he also saw significant time as a second baseman. He compiled a lifetime batting average of .273 in 961 games and collected 736 hits, with 51 home runs. The Phoenix native batted left-handed and threw right-handed, stood 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall and weighed 165 pounds (75 kg).[1]
Hemus was a hard-nosed player known for battling with opponents and umpires; he was ejected 30 times between 1952 and 1965.[2] When he was traded to the Phillies in May 1956, Hemus wrote a letter to Cardinals owner August "Gussie" Busch, expressing his pride in being a Cardinal and his gratitude to the baseball club. Nearing the end of his playing career, he was reacquired by the Cardinals on September 29, 1958—one day after the 1958 season ended—and named the St. Louis player-manager by Busch, who admired Hemus' fiery personality and remembered his letter from 2½ years before.[3]
As a player in 1959, Hemus appeared in 24 games—mostly as a pinch-hitter—before concentrating on his managerial responsibilities. His Cardinals were inconsistent. Hemus' first club lost 15 of its first 20 games and stumbled to a seventh place (71–83) finish in 1959. That was followed by a 15-game improvement (86–68) and a leap to third place in his second season (1960).[1] The Redbirds followed with a mediocre start in 1961 and were mired in sixth place in July (at 33–41) when Hemus was replaced by one of his coaches, Johnny Keane.[4] His career managing record was 190–192 (.497).[1]
Hemus then served as a coach with the New York Mets (1962–63) and Cleveland Indians (1964–65). He was on manager Casey Stengel's coaching staff when the 1962 Mets expansion team ended up with a record of 40–120, still the most losses by a Major League team in a single season since the nineteenth century.[5][6][7][8] He managed the Mets' top farm club, the Jacksonville Suns of the AAA International League,[9] in 1966 before leaving baseball and entering the oil business in his adopted home city of Houston, Texas.[10]
During his tenure in Philadelphia, Hemus made history when he was removed for pinch runner John Kennedy at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey, during a league game against the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 22, 1957. It marked the Major League debut of Kennedy, the first African-American player in the Phillies' history.[11][12] Coincidentally, in 2011 Hall-of-Famer Bob Gibson indicated that racial prejudice on Hemus' part had intruded on his later role as the Cards' manager when Hemus disparaged both Gibson and teammate Curt Flood by telling them they were not good enough to make it as Major Leaguers and should try something else.[13][14] Hemus' replacement, Keane, was a Gibson supporter who had managed the pitcher in the minor leagues.[15]
Death
Hemus died at 94 following a long illness in Houston, on October 2, 2017.[13]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Career Playing and Managing Statistics and History at Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ Retrosheet
- ^ "Solly Hemus Given Raise in 1961 St. Louis Contract". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 23 September 1960. p. 26. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
- ^ 1961 St. Louis Cardinals Schedule, Box Scores and Splits at Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ Sheehan, Joe (3 October 1961). "Mets Appoint Lavagetto and Hemus Coaches as Stengel Returns". The New York Times. p. 48.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Mets Bank On Return Of Stengel". Hartford Courant. Associated Press. 11 October 1963. p. 21.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Loomis, Tom (6 April 1964). "Hot Seat Won't Burn Strickland". Toledo Blade. p. 19. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ "Dick Sisler Gets Post With Cards". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. 20 October 1965. p. 26. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ "Former Mets Named to New Jobs". The New York Times. Associated Press. 4 January 1966.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Anderson, Dave (29 March 1982). "World of baseball hasn't forgotten Ken Boyer". St. Petersburg Times. p. 4C.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Phillies Find New Shortstop". Star-News. Associated Press. 26 March 1957. p. 1.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Brooklyn Dodgers 5, Philadelphia Phillies 1 Retrosheet Boxscore and Play-by-Play for April 22, 1957
- ^ a b "Solly Hemus, last Cardinals player-manager, dies at 94". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 3, 2017.
- ^ "HBO: The Curious Case of Curt Flood". Home Box Office, Inc. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ^ Gibson, Bob; Wheeler, Lonnie (1994). Stranger to the Game. New York: Viking. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-670-84794-5.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Retrosheet