Joseph Leo Birmingham (December 3, 1884 – April 24, 1946) was an American Major League Baseball player. Birmingham was a center fielder and manager who occasionally played the infield for the Cleveland Naps.[1] He was named the manager of the Naps in 1912 at the age of 28 after Harry Davis was fired, and he stayed at the helm for three more seasons.
| Joe Birmingham | |
|---|---|
 Birmingham with the Cleveland Naps in 1913 | |
| Center fielder / Manager | |
| Born: December 3, 1884 Elmira, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: April 24, 1946 (aged 61) Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 12, 1906, for the Cleveland Naps | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 25, 1914, for the Cleveland Naps | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .253 |
| Home runs | 7 |
| Runs batted in | 265 |
| Managerial record | 170–191 |
| Winning % | .471 |
| Teams | |
| As player
As manager | |
His tenure was marked with a bit of controversy in 1913 which would be his best finish as manager (86-66, 3rd place). Nap Lajoie, who was Birmingham's former manager, struggled through a hitting slump in mid-season and Birmingham decided to bench the future Hall of Famer at one point. Lajoie who had no love for Birmingham was outraged and cursed out the young manager to his face and in the press.[2] The feud only ended when Lajoie was sold back to Philadelphia after the 1914 season.
His next season would be a disaster, as the newly named Indians lost 102 games, and in 1915, he was fired after only 28 games. He managed the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League in 1916, but was replaced late in the season.
Managerial Record
edit| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CLE | 1912 | 28 | 21 | 7 | .750 | Interim | – | – | – | |
| CLE | 1913 | 152 | 86 | 66 | .566 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | |
| CLE | 1914 | 153 | 51 | 102 | .333 | 8th in AL | – | – | – | |
| CLE | 1915 | 28 | 12 | 16 | .429 | Fired | – | – | – | |
| Total[3] | 361 | 170 | 191 | .471 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Schneider, Russell (2001). Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 321. ISBN 1-58261-376-1.
- ^ Schneider, Russell (2001). Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 20. ISBN 1-58261-376-1.
- ^ "Joe Birmingham Managerial Record". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
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