Johnny Cooney

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John Walter Cooney (March 8, 1901 - July 8, 1986) was a pitcher, outfielder and first baseman, then a longtime coach in American Major League Baseball. He played for the Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees for 20 seasons (1921-30; 1935-44) and batted .286 with 965 hits and only two home runs in 3,372 career at-bats. Cooney was a righthanded hitter, but he threw lefthanded. He appeared in 159 games as a southpaw pitcher between 1921-30, all with the Braves, winning 34 and losing 44 (.436) with an earned run average of 3.72.

Cooney was born in Cranston, Rhode Island. His father and older brother - both named Jimmy - were infielders in the major leagues. In Johnny Cooney's second stint in the majors, after 1935, he concentrated on playing outfield and first base. His two homers were hit in consecutive games in September 1939, when he again played for the Boston Braves (then called the Bees).

Cooney spent the last two decades of his baseball career as a coach for the Braves and Chicago White Sox, retiring in 1964. He managed Boston over the last 46 games of the 1949 season when manager Billy Southworth took a leave of absence for health reasons. Cooney's Braves won 20, lost 25 and tied a game (.444).

He died at age 85 in Sarasota, Florida.