Gabby Hartnett was born Charles Leo Hartnett on December 20, 1900 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, United States. As a boy he was called Dowdy. Rather than show signs of slowing down, he hit .344 with 13 homers and 91 RBIs. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Hartnett injured his throwing arm in spring training, and no matter what the Cubs tried or which medical experts they enlisted, nothing fixed it. Hartnett in particular, alongside Bob Finnegan called the April 11, 1959 contest between Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs and the June 12, 1960 contest between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cubs. His brothers were Buster, Chickie, Gisser and Sweetie. 1969 Gabby Hartnett Signature. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Hartnett was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. Gabby Hartnetts greatest dayin baseball came on Sept. 28,1938 season, when he was 37. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs from 1922 to 1940, and also served as a a color commentator for CBS' Major League Baseball telecasts and coach and scout for the Kansas City Athletic. There was a problem getting your location. [] Shortly after his eldest son was born in 1900, an Irish worker named Fred Hartnett moved from Woonsocket to Millville to work at the Banigan mill. 31.0. Gabby Hartnett never won a World Series. He then moved to the Jersey City Giants for three years and ended his managerial career in 1946 with the Buffalo Bisons. I dont know what I ever did to deserve being out of baseball. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. [T]he true story is this: The Cubs were riding Ruth something awful, Hartnett said in 1950. Failed to delete memorial. [2] A six-time All-Star, he was the recipient of one Most Valuable Player Award and played on four pennant-winning teams. I feel like if I would have brought that home, my great-grandfather would be rolling over in his grave, he said. 354 in 1937.The Cubs appeared in four World Series at three-year intervals beginning in 1929. Hartnett had a .297 batting average with 1,912 hits, 236 home runs, 1,179 runs batted in, and 867 runs scored. [35], The Cubs fell to third place in 1936, as Hartnett had a sub-standard year for him, hitting only 7 home runs with 64 runs batted in, although he still hit above .300 with a .307 average, and earned his fourth consecutive All-Star selection. Even though sunset occurred at 5:38, the spatial orientation of Wrigley Field aided in the sensation of darkness because the two-deck ballpark hid the sun 10-15 . Under McCarthy, the Cubs steadily improved their record, until they won the NL pennant in 1929. He hit a career-best .354 in 1937, which was his age 36 season. Following a personally disastrous 1929, when a throwing-arm injury limited him to twenty-two times at bat for the year, Hartnett enjoyed his best individual season in 1930, establishing career highs of 141 games, thirty-seven home runs, 122 runs batted in, 172 hits and eighty-four runs scored. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Exceeded rookie limits during 1923 season, View Player Bio Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. York Caramels Version 1 with Dull Finish #5. But he was back up to his usual success rate of 60-something percent by the following season. It took a couple of years for Hartnett to emerge as a star for the Cubs. [20] As he matured as a player, he became more disciplined on the field and committed fewer errors. Gabby Hartnett career batting statistics for Major League, Minor League, and postseason baseball He spent the final season of his career as a player-coach with the New York Giants in 1941. Defensively, Hartnett led the NL in caught stealing percentage six times and had a career fielding percentage of .984 behind the plate. This account has been disabled. There was an error deleting this problem. He was a six-time All-Star; in 1927 and 1935 he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award, and was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. [8], Hartnett joined the Cubs in 1922, serving as a backup catcher to Bob O'Farrell. 1933. }, Cronkite School at ASU Rookie Status: If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Gabby Hartnett played for 2 teams; the Chicago Cubs and New York Giants. His personal career highlight came in the next-to-last series of the 1938 season. [57] Hartnett also finished among the National League's top ten in slugging percentage seven times in his career. He spent the final season of his career as a playercoach fo 266. On January 18, 1929, Hartnett married Martha Henrietta Marshall of Chicago. In November, he was released by the Cubs as both player and manager.In 1941 Hartnett joined the New York Giants as player-coach under manager Bill Terry. A year later, he was a Cubs rookie. [2] At the mid-season point of the 1934 season, Hartnett was hitting for a .336 batting average with 13 home runs to earn the starting catcher's role for the National League team in the 1934 All-Star Game. Starting catcher Bob OFarrell had the best season of his long career in 1922, hitting .324. [16] Leo Durocher, who played against Hartnett and was a National League manager during Johnny Bench's career, stated that the two catchers had similarly strong throwing arms. He was the eldest of fourteen children of Fred Hartnett, a mill worker and bus and streetcar conductor, and Ellen "Nell" Tucker. He was the best receiver. Gabby Hartnett was the oldest of 14 children born to Fred and Nell Hartnett. Gabby Hartnett, Self: Major League Baseball on CBS. Data Provided By Managing pitchers was his forte: over the 1933-1934 seasons he handled 452 chances without an error. [18], The young catcher had a disappointing year in 1926 as his batting average dropped to .275 with only 41 runs batted in. The Cubs lacked a starting catcher going into the spring of 1922, and for a while, it was thought that Cubs manager Bill Killefer, himself a former catcher, would see a good amount of time there. [51], After two disappointing seasons, Hartnett was dismissed by the Cubs on November 13, 1940, after 19 years with the club. He drove in 1,179 runs and scored 867 runs. The Cubs went 44-27 under his guidance, getting close to first place at the end of the season. [12][13], Hartnett hit 24 home runs in 1925, breaking the single-season home run record for catchers set by Jack Clements in 1893. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Kitty Bransfield, an Eastern League umpire and Cubs scout, recommended the youth, as much for his fearlessness as his ability. based on information from your browser. At 72 years old, Gabby Hartnett height Old Tomato Face is a nickname for Gabby Hartnett. There hed see his parents and hit the taverns with his brothers and sisters. Life and career Early life Hartnett was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island as the eldest of 14 children. 1953 Gabby Hartnett Signed Page. Hartnett hung on with the Cubs as player-manager for a couple more seasons. Gabby Hartnett replied: I go to his place of business, why shouldnt he come to mine?. Gabby Hartnett was born on December 20, 1900 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, USA. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? He died on December 20, 1972 in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA. Failed to report flower. Hartnett moved on to managerial jobs in the American Association with Indianapolis (1942) and in the International League with Jersey City (1943-1945) and Buffalo (1946).He returned to major league baseball as coach for the Kansas City Athletics in 1965 and as scout in 1966. He was better known as Gabby Hartnett. [27], In 1933, Hartnett was selected to be a reserve catcher for the National League team in the inaugural Major League Baseball All-Star Game held on July 6, 1933. [46][47] However, the Cubs were swept in the 1938 World Series by the New York Yankees, their fourth Series loss in ten years. During the year, he saw action mostly as Alexander's personal backstop, batting . career win shares 7 win shares 5c win shares 3 ws . Charles Leo Gabby Hartnett (December 20, 1900 December 20, 1972) was an American professional baseball player and manager. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. The 40-year-old catcher hit .300 in 64 games, with 5 home runs and 26 RBIs. A history of the Sports Reference Sponsorship System. Phoenix, AZ 85004 The 20 greatest home runs in Cubs history, No. [9] On July 22, O'Farrell suffered a fractured skull during a game against the Boston Braves and Hartnett took over as the Cubs starting catcher, posting a .299 batting average along with 16 home runs and 67 runs batted in. Please reset your password. Hartnett lost playing time to Mike Gonzalez in 1926 manager Joe McCarthy must have really hated those strikeouts, because I cant fathom why youd bench a 25-year-old catcher with a cannon arm and a home run bat over a catcher who was a decade older and half as talented. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball, Salaries may not be complete (especially pre-1985) and may not include some earned bonuses, Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. 238 average and sixty-seven runs batted in.Following a personally disastrous 1929, when a throwing-arm injury limited him to twenty-two times at bat for the year, Hartnett enjoyed his best individual season in 1930, establishing career highs of 141 games, thirty-seven home runs, 122 runs batted in, 172 hits and eighty-four runs scored. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. The next year, Hartnett became baseball's first slugging catcher, with twenty-four home runs accompanying a . [62] On January 26, 1955, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Joe DiMaggio, Ted Lyons and Dazzy Vance. Hartnett was named starting catcher for the National League in the first five all-star games of 1933-1937. He is widely considered to have been the greatest National League catcher in the first half of the 20th century.Hartnett was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island as the oldest of 14 children. He finished tenth in the balloting for the 1927 National League Most Valuable Player Award. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. He also was a six time All-Star (1933-38). He returned to major league baseball as coach for the Kansas City Athletics in 1965 and as scout in 1966. [6] Life and career Early life Hartnett was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Islandas the eldest of 14 children. His brothers were Buster, Chickie, Gisser and Sweetie. They need that zip, he said when he was hired, and he was just the guy to add a spark to a sluggish team. [21] In his book, The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, baseball historian Bill James ranked Hartnett 9th all-time among major league catchers. [53] Hartnett hit for a .300 average in 64 games as a backup catcher to Harry Danning in the 1941 season. As a boy he was called Dowdy. Gabby Hartnett had a .297 average over his career. [11] Hartnett played well enough during O'Farrell's absence the Cubs decided to keep him as their starting catcher, trading O'Farrell to the St. Louis Cardinals in May 1925. He grew up on Purcell's Hill in Millville, later on Preston Street in the center of town. [43] The Cubs won the first game of the series with a 21 victory by pitcher Dizzy Dean, cutting the Pirates' lead to a half game and setting the stage for one of baseball's most memorable moments. He was let go after the 1940 season and replaced by Jimmie Wilson (the same Wilson who started the first All-Star Game for the NL). A spring injury to OFarrell in 1924 was all Hartnett needed. The team hit six homers in Game Three of the series, while the Cardinals hit two, including a 9th inning blast by Stephen Piscotty. He had the best arm. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs from 1922 to 1940. Uncle Jacks Candy. Hartnett stepped up and, on an 0-2 count, clubbed a home run to deep left field for a 6-5 win.