Miller Huggins

Miller Huggins
Second Baseman/Manager
Born: March 27, 1879 Cincinnati, Ohio
Died: September 25, 1929(1929-09-25) (aged 50) New York City, New York
Batted: Both	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 15, 1904 for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
September 13, 1916 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics
Batting average	.265
Home runs	9
Runs batted in	318
Stolen bases	324
Teams
As Player Cincinnati Reds (1904-1909) St. Louis Cardinals (1910-1916) As Manager St. Louis Cardinals (1913-1917) New York Yankees (1918-1929)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion: 1923, 1927, 1928 American League pennant: 1921, 1922, 1926 Managerial record: 1413-1134 4-time National League walk leader
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1964
Election Method	Veteran's Committee

Miller James Huggins (March 27, 1879 – September 25, 1929), nicknamed "Mighty Mite", was a baseball player and manager. He managed the powerhouse New York Yankee teams of the 1920s and won six American League pennants and three World Series championships.

Early life

Huggins was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his father (an Englishman) was a grocer. Huggins' father was a devout Methodist who was opposed to Sunday baseball.^[1] To keep his father from noticing, Huggins played semi-professional baseball under an assumed name.^[2] He attended the University of Cincinnati where one of his professors was William Howard Taft. He eventually got a law degree, but realized that he made more money playing baseball.^[2]

Playing career

As a player, Huggins joined the Cincinnati Reds in 1904 as a second baseman. Despite his short stature (5-foot-6-inches)—or perhaps because of it—Huggins proved very adept at getting on base. Over a 13-year career (Cincinnati 1904–09, St. Louis Cardinals, 1910–16) he led the league in walks four times and regularly posted an on base percentage near .400. He scored 100 or more runs three times and regularly stole 30 or more bases. He finished his career with 324 steals.

Player-manager and Manager

Huggins, 1910

Huggins became player-manager for St. Louis in 1913. Serving as the Cardinals' manager until 1917, he didn't find any substantial success (they never finished higher than third place).

Huggins was able to build on his experience as the manager of a budding New York Yankee team beginning in 1918. As the Yankees skipper until his death in 1929, and with one of the finest offenses ever assembled (including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri and Bob Meusel), Huggins presided over six American League championships (1921–1923, 1926–1928) and three World Series championships (1923, 1927 and 1928). He finished his managerial career with a 1413–1134 record. His 1413 wins as a manager ranks 20th all-time.

Death

Huggins's monument at Monument Park.

Huggins died at the age of 50 on September 25, 1929, as a result of erysipelas, visible under his right eye, which progressed into sepsis. The league canceled its games for the following day out of respect; the viewing of his casket at Yankee Stadium drew thousands of tearful fans. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.

On May 30, 1932, the Yankees dedicated a monument to Huggins, and placed it in front of the flagpole in center field at Yankee Stadium. Huggins was the first of many Yankees legends granted this honor, which eventually became "Monument Park", dedicated in 1976. The monument calls Huggins "A splendid character who made priceless contributions to baseball."

See also

• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

Notes

1. ^ Leonard Koppett. The Man in the Dugout: Baseball's Top Managers and How They Got That Way. Temple University Press. p. 83. ISBN 1566397456. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Koppett, p. 83

External links

• Miller Huggins at the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Miller Huggins managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
• Miller Huggins at Find a Grave
• Huggins Excelled As Lead-Off Man, by Harry Grayson, June 5, 1943

Preceded by Roger Bresnahan	St. Louis Cardinals Manager 1913-1917	Succeeded by Jack Hendricks
Preceded by Bill Donovan	New York Yankees Manager 1918-1929	Succeeded by Art Fletcher

Persondata
Name	Huggins, Miller
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	March 27, 1879
Place of birth	Cincinnati, Ohio
Date of death	September 25, 1929
Place of death	New York City, New York