Jimmy Austin

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor2=#2a1301
bgcolor1=#fa5905
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Jimmy Austin

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position=Third Baseman
bats=Switch
throws=Right
birthdate=December 8, 1879
Swansea, Wales
deathdate=death date and age|1965|3|6|1879|12|8
Laguna Beach, California
debutdate=April 19
debutyear=1909
debutteam=New York Highlanders
finaldate=October 6
finalyear=1929
finalteam=St. Louis Browns
stat1label=AVG
stat1value=.246
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=1328
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=390
teams=As Player
*New York Highlanders (by|1909-by|1910)
*St. Louis Browns (by|1911-by|1926, by|1929)As Manager
*St. Louis Browns (by|1913, by|1918, by|1923)
highlights=
*Led AL in sacrifice hits in by|1911 with 34

James Phillip "Jimmy" Austin (December 8, 1879 - March 6, 1965) was a professional baseball player and coach.

Early Years

Austin was born in Swansea, Wales, the son of a shipbuilder. He was one of only two Major League baseball players to be born in Wales (the other being pitcher Ted Lewis). His father moved to the USA in 1885 to find work, and Austin followed in 1887. After leaving school in 1889, Austin became an apprentice machinist with Westinghouse. After finishing his four-year apprenticeship, Westinghouse went on strike. Austin took up an offer of $40 a month, plus a job, to play independent ball in Warren, Ohio. He returned to Westinghouse that fall, but in the spring of by|1904, he signed with the Central League's Dayton, Ohio club.

Professional Baseball

Austin remained in Dayton until by|1907, when he was sold to Omaha in the Western League. He stole 97 bases for Omaha in by|1908, and at the end of the season was sold to the New York Highlanders of the American League. He made his major League debut in by|1909 at the relatively advanced age (for baseball) of 28. He played two seasons in New York, but was traded to the St. Louis Browns in by|1911 by new Highlanders manager Hal Chase, thus beginning a thirty-year career with the Browns as player and coach.

In by|1913, when the Browns' player-manager George Stovall was suspended by the American League for spitting at an umpire, Austin was made manager on a temporary basis, until he was replaced by the legendary Branch Rickey. It was Rickey's first managerial job. Austin continued as Rickey's "Sunday Manager" - Rickey had promised his mother that he would not enter a ballpark on the Christian Sabbath, and therefore Austin managed the Browns on those days.

Austin played regularly for the Browns until by|1921, and served as a coach for another 20 years. Unfortunately, the Browns during this period were rarely ever in the First Division, so his team won no pennants during his playing career. The Browns did however finish the 1922 season in second place, one game behind the New York Yankees. Austin did also have the great fortune of either playing for or coaching baseball greats Branch Rickey, George Sisler and Rogers Hornsby. In by|1929, at the age of 49, Austin became one of the oldest major leaguers in history when he was inserted into a blowout. He cleanly handled two chances at third base, and struck out in his only at bat.

The Glory of their Times

Austin was one of the ballplayers who told his story in Lawrence Ritter's classic book, "The Glory of Their Times", from which much of the information in this article came. Austin is also immortalized in the Charles M. Conlon photo as the third baseman trying to avoid Ty Cobb's spikes on a stolen base. Of the play, Austin said, "That's Cobb sliding into third and the other guy is me."

External links

*
* [http://www.sports-wired.com/players/profile.asp?ID=8323 Jimmy Austin profile] provided by sports-wired.com

References