Johnny Gooch

John Beverley Gooch (November 9, 1897 – May 15, 1975) was an American professional baseball player, coach, minor league manager and scout. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to , most prominently for the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was a member of the 1925 World Series winning team. He also played for the Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox.

Baseball career Born in Smyrna, Tennessee, Gooch began his professional baseball career in 1916 at the age of 18 with the Talladega Tigers of the Georgia–Alabama League. He didn't play professionally in 1917 or 1918 as he returned to help on the family farm after his oldest brother had died in a drowning accident and his second oldest brother had been called into military service during World War I. In 1925, he played as a backup catcher to Earl Smith while posting a .298 batting average along with 30 runs batted in to help the Pirates win the National League pennant. He appeared in three games of series and went hitless in 3 at bats.

Gooch played in 101 games in 1927 and had a career-high 48 runs batted in, as the Pirates once again won the National League championship. In 1928, the Pirates acquired future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Burleigh Grimes, who was the last pitcher allowed to throw the spitball in the major leagues. Pirates manager, Donie Bush chose Gooch to be Grimes' personal catcher, due to his previous experience at catching the tricky spitball. It was also reported that he had fallen out of favor with the Pirates because of a salary dispute during the off-season. That April, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Val Picinich. Gooch's playing time was diminished when the Red Sox acquired catcher Rick Ferrell in May. He was credited with helping young pitcher Johnny Vander Meer cure the wildness of his pitching. Vander Meer went on to become the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to pitch two consecutive no hitters. In January 1937, the Pirates hired Gooch to be their pitching coach, at the urging of his old friend, Pie Traynor, who was then managing the Pirates. In October 1939, the Pirates released him as a coach, then immediately rehired him as a scout. The Pirates then named him to be the manager for their minor league affiliate, the Hutchinson Pirates of the Western Association for the 1941 season. His final year in baseball was 1942, as a player-manager for the Bluefield Blue–Grays in the Mountain State League.

Later life After retiring from baseball management, Gooch opened a baseball bat factory in Nashville. In 1972, Gooch was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Gooch died on May 15, 1975, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 77.