One of the most respected pitching coaches in baseball, Milkman Jim has greatly helped the major league careers of former Yankee farmhands Vic Raschi, Whitey Ford, Tom Morgan, Bob Grim and others. He's also molded the talents of young veterans acquired in trades such as Don Larsen and Bob Turley.
After toiling in the minor leagues for 14 seasons, Jim enjoyed an outstanding rookie season with Boston's National Leaguers in 1937. The 33-year-old won 20 games with a league-high five shutouts and a circuit-best 2.38 ERA. Jim was an All-Star in 1938, and in 1940 posted a 14-7 record for Cincinnati's most recent World Series winner. He concluded his playing days as a valuable relief pitcher for the Yankees.
When this longtime baseball man returned to the Bronx as Yankee pitching mentor, he was no stranger to manager Casey Stengel. Jim had pitched for the 'Old Perfesser' in Boston and managed against him in the Pacific Coast League.
No comments:
Post a Comment