Johnny Evers

Infobox MLB retired
name=Johnny Evers
position=Second Baseman


bats=Left
throws=Right
birthdate=July 21, 1881
deathdate=death date and age|1947|3|28|1881|7|21
debutdate= September 1
debutyear= 1902
debutteam= Chicago Orphans
finaldate=September 6
finalyear=1929
finalteam=Boston Braves
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.270
stat2label=Hits
stat2value=1659
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=538
teams=As Player
* Chicago Orphans/Cubs (1902-1913)
* Boston Braves (1914-1917, 1929)
* Philadelphia Phillies (1917)
* Chicago White Sox (1922)As Manager
* Chicago Cubs (1913, 1921)
* Chicago White Sox (1924)
highlights=
* World Series champion: 1907, 1908, 1914
* National League pennant: 1906
* 1914 National League MVP
hofdate=by|1946
hofmethod=Veteran's Committee

John Joseph Evers (July 21, 1881 – March 28, 1947) was a Major League Baseball player and manager. He was born in Troy, New York. The name originally rhymed with "beavers" rather than "severs", but Evers came to accept both pronunciations during his life.

Evers, a second baseman, made it to the big leagues with the Chicago Cubs in by|1902 and played for the Cubs through by|1913, during which time he appeared in three World Series and won two (in by|1907 and by|1908). One of the smallest men ever to play in the major leagues, Evers reportedly weighed less than 100 pounds (45 kg) when he first broke in, and generally played at a weight under 130 pounds (59 kg). His combative play earned him the nickname "The Crab."

In by|1914 Evers was traded to the Boston Braves, which proved to be a spectacular combination — the Braves won the World Series, and Evers won the Chalmers Award (a forerunner of the MVP award). Evers played with the Braves until by|1917, when he was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies in mid-season. He retired from playing after that season, having batted .300 or higher twice in his career, stolen 324 bases and scored 919 runs.

Evers is best known to modern-day fans as the pivot man in the "Tinker to Evers to Chance" double play combination, which inspired the classic baseball poem, "Baseball's Sad Lexicon", by New York newspaper columnist Franklin Pierce Adams. He was also the player who alerted the umpires to Fred Merkle's baserunning error in the 1908 pennant race, costing the Giants the pennant.

Evers managed three teams, the by|1913 Chicago Cubs, the by|1921 Cubs, and the by|1924 Chicago White Sox. Over his managerial career, he posted a 180-192 record.

He later served as a scout for the Boston Braves and as business manager and field manager of the International League's Albany Senators.

Evers was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee in 1946.

Johnny Evers died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1947 in Albany, New York. He is interred in St. Mary's Cemetery in Troy, New York.

Evers is mentioned in the poem "Lineup for Yesterday" by Ogden Nash:

Quote box2 |width= 18em |border= 4px |align= center |bgcolor= #FAF0E6 |halign= center | title="Lineup for Yesterday"|quote="E is for Evers,"
"His jaw in advance;"
"Never afraid"
"to Tinker with Chance."
source= — "Ogden Nash", "Sport" magazine (January 1949) [cite web|title=Baseball Almanac|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_line.shtml|accessdate=2008-01-23 ]

ee also

* Chicago White Sox all-time roster

References

External links

*bbhof|id=113949
*baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=e/eversjo01 |fangraphs=1003876 |cube=E/johnny-evers
*baseball-reference manager|id=eversjo01
* [http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/history/timeline02.jsp Chicago Cubs Team History]
* [http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080616&content_id=7715&vkey=hof_news Baseball Hall of Fame: Fiery Evers a legendary figure in Cubs lore]