Bobby Doerr

Robert Pershing Doerr (April 7, 1918 – November 13, 2017) was an American professional baseball second baseman and coach. He played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Boston Red Sox (1937–1951). A nine-time MLB All-Star, Doerr batted over .300 three times, drove in more than 100 runs six times, and set Red Sox team records in several statistical categories despite missing one season due to military service during World War II. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.

After he retired as a player, Doerr served as a scout and a coach; he worked with Carl Yastrzemski before his Triple Crown season. From April 25, 2017, until his death on November 13 of that year, Doerr was the oldest living former major league player. He was the last living person who played in the major leagues in the 1930s, and was the oldest of only three living people who made their MLB debut before U.S. involvement in World War II (the other two being Chuck Stevens and Fred Caligiuri).

Early life Doerr was the son of Harold Doerr, a telephone company supervisor, and his wife, the former Frances Herrnberger; his middle name was a tribute to General of the Armies John J. Pershing, then the commander of U.S. military forces in World War I.

He graduated from Los Angeles' Fremont High School in 1936, and by then, had already begun his professional career with the 1934 and 1935 Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). Doerr played in 175 games for San Diego that year, batting .342. He led the league with 238 hits, including 37 doubles and 12 triples.

MLB playing career Early career Doerr broke into the majors in 1937 at the age of 19 and went 3-for-5 in his first game. In 1938, he became a regular in the Red Sox lineup. In 1939, Doerr began a string of 12 consecutive seasons with 10 or more home runs and 73 or more runs batted in (RBIs); in 1940 the Red Sox became the 12th team in major league history to have four players with 100 RBIs, with Foxx, Williams, Cronin and Doerr each collecting at least 105.

All-Star seasons and the World Series In 1941, Doerr was an All-Star, the first of nine times he was selected for the AL All-Star team. The Sporting News named him Most Valuable Player for the American League (AL), although he finished only seventh in Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award voting for the AL. Doerr hit for the cycle twice in his career; on May 17, 1944, in a 12–8 loss to the St. Louis Browns in the second game of a doubleheader, and again on May 13, 1947, in a 19–6 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Doerr missed the 1945 season while serving in the Army during World War II, In 1946, Doerr finished third in MVP voting for the AL (won by Williams, his teammate). Doerr drove in 116 runs despite a .271 average. Doerr's average dropped to .258 in 1947 as he grounded into a league-high 25 double plays, but he had 95 RBIs. He hit .285 with 27 home runs and 111 RBIs in 1948.

Final years as a player In 1949, Doerr hit .309 with 18 home runs and 109 RBIs. However, he finished the year with a league-leading 11 triples, and batted .294. On June 8 of that year, he hit three home runs in a 29–4 romp over the Browns. He set career highs that year in triples, runs (103) and RBIs (120); he tied his career high in home runs (27). Doerr appeared in only 106 games in 1951 and he retired that September after suffering from a spinal problem for two years.

Career totals

Doerr retired with 8,028 plate appearances, 1,094 runs, 89 triples, 809 walks, 1,349 singles, 1,184 runs created, 693 extra base hits, 2,862 times on base, 115 sacrifice hits and nine All-Star Game selections. At Fenway Park, he hit .315 with 145 home runs, compared to a .261 average and 78 HR on the road. Doerr batted over .300 three times, with six seasons of at least 100 RBIs. He never played a game at a position other than second base.

He set Red Sox records for career games (1,865), at bats (7,093), hits (2,042), doubles (381), total bases (3,270) and RBIs (1,247), All of Doerr's offensive Red Sox records were later broken by Williams, who referred to Doerr as "the silent captain of the Red Sox." His 223 home runs were then the third most by a major league second baseman.

Later MLB career After spending a few years as a cattle rancher in Oregon, Doerr returned to baseball. The Red Sox won their first pennant in 20 years and played in the 1967 World Series.

Doerr resigned from the Red Sox when Williams was fired as manager in September 1969. He was the hitting coach for the expansion Toronto Blue Jays from 1977 to 1981.

Later life

Doerr lived in Oregon from the late 1930s until his death, residing in the vicinity of Agness for much of his career before relocating to Junction City in the 1950s. Doerr was married to Monica Terpin from October 1938 until her death in 2003; she had lived with multiple sclerosis since the 1940s. They had one son.

On August 2, 2007, the Red Sox held "Bobby Doerr Day" at Fenway Park where he rode along the warning track in a car, threw out the first pitch, and gave a speech. Doerr had what was characterized as a minor stroke on August 11, 2011. He attended the Fenway Park 100th anniversary celebration on April 20, 2012.

Alongside teammates Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky, Doerr was honored with The Teammates statue outside Fenway Park. It was unveiled in 2010.

Longevity and records

Upon the death of former New York Yankees executive and American League president Lee MacPhail in November 2012, Doerr became the oldest living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He became the oldest living former Red Sox player upon the death of Lou Lucier in October 2014. On November 4, 2016, Doerr became the oldest living former major leaguer upon the death of Eddie Carnett.

Doerr was the last surviving member of the 1946 Boston Red Sox team that won the AL pennant and lost the World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. He was also the last living person who played in the major leagues during the 1930s, and the last living person who played against Lou Gehrig.

Death Doerr died on November 13, 2017, in Junction City, Oregon, at the age of 99.

Awards The Sporting News Most Valuable Player for the American League (1944) The Sporting News Major League All-Star Team (1944, 1946) Uniform number retired by the Boston Red Sox (1988)