Harry Walker

Harry William Walker, known to baseball fans of the middle 20th century as "Harry the Hat" (October 22, 1918 ? August 8, 1999) was an American baseball player, manager and coach.

Related Topics:
October 22 - 1918 - August 8 - 1999 - Baseball - Manager

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The member of a distinguished baseball family, Harry was the son of former Washington Senators pitcher Ewart ?Dixie? Walker and the brother of Fred ?Dixie? Walker, like Harry an outfielder, left-handed hitter, and one-time National League batting champion.

Related Topics:
Washington Senators - Fred ?Dixie? Walker - Outfielder - National League

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"Harry the Hat" got his nickname from his habit during at-bats of continually adjusting his cap between pitches - there were no batting helmets in his day. His batting title came in 1947, when he hit .363 in a season during which he was traded from his original team, the St. Louis Cardinals, to the Philadelphia Phillies. The previous year he was one of the stars of the Cardinals? 1946 World Series title; it was Harry?s double that scored Enos Slaughter from first base in Game 7, the decisive run that defeated the Boston Red Sox. He knocked in six runs during that Series, and batted .412. Harry lacked his brother Dixie?s power - he hit only 10 home runs in parts of 11 seasons in the National League - but he compiled a .296 lifetime batting average with the Cards, Phils, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds and was to be famed throughout his coaching and managing career as a batting tutor.

Related Topics:
1947 - St. Louis Cardinals - Philadelphia Phillies - 1946 World Series - Enos Slaughter - Boston Red Sox - Home runs - Batting average - Chicago Cubs - Cincinnati Reds

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After prepping as a skipper in the Cardinals? minor league system beginning in 1951, Walker was called up from Rochester in the AAA International League in May 1955 to replace Eddie Stanky as Cardinals? manager. However, the change was not salutary: the Cards plummeted two places in the standings under Walker, losing 67 of 118 games. Harry was replaced by Fred Hutchinson at the end of the 1955 season, and it would be another decade before he would again manage in the majors.

Related Topics:
International League - Eddie Stanky - Fred Hutchinson

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During that exile, he returned to the Cardinal farm system to manage, and served four years (1959-62) as a St. Louis coach. Finally, after piloting Jacksonville of the AAA International League to the 1964 pennant, Walker was hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates as manager, replacing Danny Murtaugh, who stepped down for health reasons. Although the Pirates did not win a pennant during Walker?s first two seasons, he made an immediate impact. His skills as a batting coach transformed the Pirates into the National League?s top offensive team, and the team battled for the pennant until the closing days of the 1965 and 1966 seasons ? each season finishing third behind the champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the runner-up San Francisco Giants. But when the 1967 Pirates stumbled to a disappointing .500 mark in mid-season, Walker was let go in favor of his predecessor, Murtaugh.

Related Topics:
International League - Pittsburgh Pirates - Danny Murtaugh - Los Angeles Dodgers - San Francisco Giants

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One year later, fortune reversed itself. The Houston Astros dismissed skipper Grady Hatton and hired ?the Hat,? still well-known from his stint as manager of the Texas League Houston Buffaloes during the late 1950s. Featuring players like Joe Morgan, Jimmy Wynn, and Don Wilson, the Astros finished last in 1968, but their record under Walker was an encouraging 49-52. In 1969, they contended for the National League West title before fading to finish 12 games behind the Atlanta Braves. After back-to-back 79-83 marks in 1970 and 1971, Walker was sacked in August 1972 in favor of Leo Durocher; ironically, with the Astros at 67-54 and in third place at the time of the firing, it was Walker?s best season in Houston.

Related Topics:
Houston Astros - Grady Hatton - Texas League - Joe Morgan - Jimmy Wynn - Don Wilson - Atlanta Braves - Leo Durocher

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He died in 1999 in Birmingham, Alabama.

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