Bill McKechnie
William Boyd "Bill" McKechnie (born August 7, 1886 in Wilkinsburg , Pennsylvania , † October 29, 1965 in Bradenton , Florida ) was an American baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). His nickname was Deacon .
biography
Bill McKechnie played in all infield positions at seven different clubs in his playing career. As a player, he was on the average, but his knowledge of baseball and its strategies was enormous. Frank Chance , the manager of the New York Yankees , placed him on the demanding defensive position of second baseman in 1913 despite his playing deficits and justified this as follows: "McKechnie knows more baseball than everyone else on my team put together".
But his real strength should be the managerial position. As early as 1915, he held the position of manager for 102 games with the Newark Pepper in the Federal League . After completing his playing career in 1919, he replaced George Gibson in the middle of the season in 1922 with the Pittsburgh Pirates . With these he won the 1925 title in the National League and defeated the Washington Senators in the World Series . The engagement of Fred Clarke , the former manager of the Pirates, as a management consultant led to irritations and a player revolt in 1926, which led to the dismissal of McKechnies. He moved as a coach to the St. Louis Cardinals and took over the position of manager of Bob O'Farrell there in 1928 . He led the Cardinals to the championship in the National League, but against the New York Yankees the World Series was lost in four games. The disappointment with this defeat prompted the owner of the Cardinals, Sam Breadon, McKechnie to move to Rochester in the Minor Leagues . During the season, the owner saw that he had made a mistake and let McKechnie train the major league team again, which finished the season in fourth place.
Eight years with the Boston Braves followed, but with this team he could celebrate no greater success than 4th place. In 1938 he switched to the Cincinnati Reds . In 1939 and 1940 he won the title in the National League. The 1939 World Series against the Yankees was lost, but a year later the Detroit Tigers were defeated in seven games. In 1946 he ended his career as a manager.
The Sporting News named him Manager of the Year in 1937 and 1940, and in 1962 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee .
His stations as a player
- 1907 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1910-1912 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1913 Boston Braves
- 1913 New York Yankees
- 1914 Indiana Hoosiers (Federal League)
- 1915 Newark Pepper (Federal League)
- 1916 New York Giants
- 1916-1917 Cincinnati Reds
- 1918-1919 Pittsburgh Pirates
His stations as a manager
- 1915 Newark Pepper (Federal League)
- 1922-1926 Pittsburgh Pirates
- 1928-1929 St. Louis Cardinals
- 1930-1937 Boston Braves
- 1938-1946 Cincinnati Reds
Web links
- Player information and statistics from Baseball Reference or Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)
- Data as a manager (English)
- Bill McKechnie in the Baseball Hall of Fame (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | McKechnie, Bill |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | McKechnie, William Boyd (real name); Deacon (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American baseball player and coach |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 7, 1886 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wilkinsburg , Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 29, 1965 |
| Place of death | Bradenton , Florida |