Jim Piersall

Position: Centerfielder
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
6-0, 175lb (183cm, 79kg)
Born: November 14, 1929 in Waterbury, CT us
Died: June 3, 2017 in Wheaton, IL
Buried: Cremated
High School: Leavenworth HS (Waterbury, CT)
Debut: September 7, 1950 (10,754th in major league history)
vs. NYY 0 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: May 1, 1967
vs. BOS 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: James Anthony Piersall
Nicknames: Jimmy

Played For
Boston Red Sox (1950-1958)
Cleveland Indians (1959-1961)
Washington Senators (1962-1963)
New York Mets (1963)
Los Angeles Angels (1963-1964)
California Angels (1965-1967)

Awards and Honors
1958 AL Gold Glove
1961 AL Gold Glove

All-Star Selections
1954 AL
1956 AL

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1950

Joe Adcock
Gus Bell
Jimmy Piersall
Jackie Jensen
Jim Busby
Chico Carrasquel
Billy Martin
Lew Burdette
Whitey Ford

All-Time Teammate Team

Coming Soon

Notable Events and Chronology for Jimmy  Career

SearchSearch Events, Dates and More Date (Newest)Title (A - Z)

May 24, 1952

Jimmy Piersall and Billy Martin Brawl

June 11, 1952

At Fenway Park‚ Bosox catcher Sammy White clouts a 9th-inning grand slam with one out to defeat the Browns’ Satchel Paige‚ 11 – 9. Paige (5-2) takes a 9 – 5 lead into the 9th. White completes his home run trot by rounding third base and crawling from half way home and kissing the plate. Another rookie provides entertainment to start the inning as Jimmy Piersall‚ leading off‚ announces to Paige that he is going to bunt. He does just that and beats Paige to first base‚ whereupon he starts mirroring Satchel’s moves and yelling “oink‚ oink‚ oink.” Hoot Evers beats out an infield hit and Piersall continues his antics at second. A now distracted and annoyed Paige walks George Kell‚ and one out later‚ forces in a run by walking Billy Goodman. A single by Ted Lepcio sets up White’s slam. After the game‚ Browns C Clint Courtney opines‚ “I believe that man is plumb crazy. Yeah‚ he’s nuts altogether. I never saw a man do those things. Anywhere.”

May 9, 1953

At Boston, the first-place Yanks beat the Red Sox, 6 – 4. Mickey Mantle hits one homer off Bill Werle and is robbed of another when Jimmy Piersall makes a sensational catch at the Sox bullpen in right-center field.

May 10, 1953

Vic Raschi makes his first relief appearance in two years, limiting the Red Sox to three hits in four innings, as the Yankees win, 7 – 4. Billy Goodman sustains a freak rib accident, which will keep him out of action for three weeks, when Jim Piersall picks him up and lugs him from the field to break up Goody’s argument with umpire Jim Duffy. Del Wilber hits his second consecutive pinch homer in the 8th; his first came on May 6th.

June 10, 1953

Jimmy Piersall of the Boston Red Sox goes 6-for-6 in the first game of a doubleheader

August 16, 1954

1954 – In a throwing contest between Jimmy Piersall and Willie Mays before a Red Sox-Giants charity game in Boston, Piersall hurts his arm. He starts the game but leaves midway. He wakes up the following morning with a sore arm that stays with him a year, and he will never throw quite as well again.

December 2, 1958

The Cleveland Indians send 2B Bobby Avila to the Baltimore Orioles for P Russ Heman and cash. Cleveland also trades 1B Vic Wertz and OF Gary Geiger to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for OF Jimmy Piersall.

July 19, 1960

The Yankees outslug the Indians, 13 – 11, behind the slugging of Bill Skowron. Skowron follows a Yogi Berra blast with his second homer in the 8th, but Cleveland answers with two in the bottom of the 8th for an 11 – 8 lead. Moose then hits a bases-loaded double in the 9th to win it. Roger Maris hits his 30th home run and Jimmy Piersall homers for the Tribe.

July 22, 1960

At Fenway Park, the Red Sox down the Indians, 6 – 4. Vic Wertz has a three-run homer and four RBIs. Ted Williams also homers and, in the 7th inning, steals second base. Williams sets a major-league record as the only player to steal bases in four consecutive decades: he’ll be matched by Rickey Henderson in 2000 and Tim Raines the following year. Jimmy Piersall homers twice, both off winner Ike Delock.

July 23, 1960

In an effort to distract Ted Williams during his at-bats in the 6th and 8th innings, Indians CF Jimmy Piersall goes into a war dance in Centerfield

September 4, 1960

Woodie Held hits two homers and a double and drives in six runs to pace the Indians to a 10 – 2 win over the A’s. Jimmy Piersall also homers.

September 10, 1961

The Yankees sweep the Indians, 7 – 6 and 9 – 3, their 12th win in a row at home, and the Indians’ 20th loss in a row at Yankee Stadium – Full Radio Broadcast

September 13, 1962

Washington OF Jim Piersall is arrested for going into the stands after a heckling fan prior to a game against Baltimore

September 14, 1962

Jim Piersall is knocked unconscious by a revolving door in his hotel in Baltimore, shortly after the hearing on his arrest.

May 22, 1963

The all-time shortest managerial career ends after one game – a loss – when Eddie Yost, who replaced Mickey Vernon (14-26) as the Senators’ pilot, is replaced by Gil Hodges. Hodges was acquired today from the Mets, who receive veteran Jimmy Piersall in return.

May 26, 1963

May 26 1963 St Louis Cardinals vs New York Radio Broadcast

June 23, 1963

Jimmy Piersall celebrates his 100th career home run by running the bases backward

July 22, 1963

New York Mets release colorful outfielder Jimmy Piersall

July 27, 1963

1963 – The Mets hand Jim Piersall his release and the veteran outfielder will sign with the Angels. New York then loses to Houston, 1 – 0, as Bob Bruce shuts them out. Mets 1B Frank Thomas pulls the hidden ball trick on Jimmy Wynn.

January 3, 1977

Chicago White Sox announce the hiring of Mary Shane, who will become the first woman to do television play-by-play in major league history

Biography

Piersall broke in as a centerfielder but switched to shortstop at the major league level in 1952 after posting .346 and .339 averages for Boston’s minor league affiliate at Birmingham. His season was curtailed by a nervous breakdown, recounted in Piersall’s book, Fear Strikes Out, which was later made into a movie.

Piersall’s comeback with Boston in 1953 was marked by a 6-for-6 performance on June 10, 1953 and a new philosophy for dealing with fans who taunted him about his well-publicized illness: “Give ’em their money’s worth.” His career was characterized by numerous zany stunts, including hiding behind the monuments at Yankee Stadium while with the Indians and running backward around the bases after hitting his 100th career homer as a Met in 1963.

Piersall became the Red Sox’ regular centerfielder in 1954, taking over for Dom DiMaggio. Playing the shallowest centerfield in the majors, he won two Gold Gloves. Piersall’s best years at the plate included a league-leading 40 doubles, 91 runs, 87 RBI, and .293 average for the 1956 Red Sox; 19 HR and 103 runs for the Red Sox in 1957; 18 HR, 66 RBI, and a .282 average for Cleveland in 1960, with a career-high 18 steals, fifth in the league; and a .322 average, fourth in the league, for the 1961 Indians.

Piersall joined Cleveland in exchange for Vic Wertz and Gary Geiger after the 1958 season, and the Senators gave up three players to get him two years later. Waived to the Mets in 1963, Piersall averaged .194, irked manager Casey Stengel, and was released. He hit .314 for the Angels in 1964 as a part-timer before retiring in 1967. He became an outspoken and controversial broadcaster with the White Sox and was ultimately fired for criticizing their management.

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

Coming soon