Bucky Walters
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William Henry "Bucky" Walters (April 19, 1909 - April 20, 1991) was an American Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Walters played for the Boston Braves (1931-32, 1950), Boston Red Sox (1933-1934), Philadelphia Phillies (1934-1938) and Cincinnati Reds (1938-1948). He batted and threw right handed.
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[edit] Career
In a 16-season career, Walters posted a 198-160 record with 1107 strikeouts and a 3.30 ERA in 3104.2 innings.
Walters started his career as a third baseman for the Boston Braves in 1931. After two seasons, he failed with the Braves but hit .376 in the Pacific Coast League to earn a shot with the Boston Red Sox in 1933.
It wasn't until Walters was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Red Sox in the 1934 midseason that he reverted to pitching. Walters developed as a sinker-ball specialist, and after winning 14 games and led the National League with 34 starts in 1937, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in the 1938 midseason.
From 1939-40, Walters helped the Reds to win two straight pennants, leading in each season the NL pitchers in wins, ERA, complete games and innings pitched. His most productive season came in 1939, when he won the Triple Crown with 27 victories, a 2.29 ERA, and 137 strikeouts (tied with Claude Passeau). For his performance, Walters garnered Most Valuable Player honors, the second of three straight Cincinnati players to win the award (Ernie Lombardi and Frank McCormick were the others). In 1940, Walters won 22 games and posted a 2.48 ERA.
When the Yankees swept the Reds in four games In the 1939 World Series, Walters started and lost Game Two and was the loser in relief of the final game. Nevertheless, in the 1940 WS, facing Detroit, Walters gave the National League its first Series game victory in three years with a three-hitter in Game Two. Four days later, he evened the Series for the Reds in Game Six with a five-hit shutout. He also became the first pitcher in 14 years to hit a home run in the Series. In Game Seven, the Reds won their second WS championship.
In 1944, Walters posted a league-high 23 wins while losing only 8, and compiled a career-best 2.40 ERA. He was named interim manager during the 1948 season, his last playing in Cincinnati, and was relieved late in 1949. As a manager, he had an 81-123 record. He returned to pitching in 1950, and made a four-inning relief appearance with the Braves.
Following his retirement as a player, Walters coached for the Braves and Giants through 1957. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1958.
In early 1966, a man claiming to be Bucky Walters was in Petersburg, Virginia, traveling to one of the Carolinas. He was destitute, saying he retired from major league baseball before pensions were established and most recently lived in Montreal. His house there burned and he was hitch-hiking to find help with family in the South and had been sleeping behind billboards.
Bucky Walters died in Abington, Pennsylvania, just one day after of his 82nd birthday.
[edit] Highlights
- 6-time All-Star (1937, 1939-42, 1944)
- National League MVP (1939)
- Twice Top-5 NL MVP (1940, 1944)
- NL Triple Crown (1939)
- 3-time led NL in wins (1939-40, 1944)
- 3-time led NL in complete games (1939-41)
- Twice led NL in games started (1937, 1939)
- Twice led NL in ERA (1939-40)
- Led NL in strikeouts (1939)
- His 42 career shutouts ranks him 38th in the All-Time list
[edit] Fact
- Like Wes Ferrell, Walters was one of the first pitchers occasionally used as a pinch hitter during the 1940s.
[edit] External link
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
| Preceded by Ernie Lombardi |
National League Most Valuable Player 1939 |
Succeeded by Frank McCormick |
| Preceded by Johnny Neun |
Cincinnati Reds Manager 1948-1949 |
Succeeded by Luke Sewell |
