Joe Cronin

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Lore & Background

Cronin was born in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, California. His parents lost almost all of their possessions in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Cronin attended Sacred Heart High School. He played several sports as a child and he won a city tennis championship for his age group when he was 14. As he was not greatly interested in school, Cronin's grades improved only when the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League began giving away tickets to students with good conduct and attendance. At the time, the nearest MLB team was nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from San Francisco.

In Their Own Story

The transition from player to manager was seamless for Cronin, who held the dual title from 1933 through 1945. As the war years depleted rosters with enlistments, Cronin adapted by limiting his own appearances to utility roles and pinch-hitting, yet he remained a fierce competitor. On June 17, 1943, he sent himself to pinch-hit in both games of a doubleheader, hitting a home run each time—a testament to his enduring clutch ability even as his body began to fail him. His final season as a full-time player was 1941; afterward, he never played more than 76 games in a year. The physical toll culminated in April 1945 when a broken leg against the Yankees ended his playing days. Despite stepping away from the field, Cronin's leadership persisted immediately into the dugout through 1947. His tenure as manager yielded a 1,236–1,055 record and two AL pennants (1933 with Washington, 1946 with Boston), establishing him as the franchise's first true modern leader who could command respect both in uniform and from the bench.

Reader's Guide

Cronin began his major league baseball career playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1926 and 1927. Baseball promoter Joe Engel, who scouted for the Washington Senators and managed the Chattanooga Lookouts at Engel Stadium, signed Cronin to the Senators in 1928, after spotting Cronin play in Kansas City. In 1930, Cronin ranked 26th in the league for batting average at .346, 35th for home runs with 13, and 13th for RBI with 126. Cronin won both the AL Writers' MVP (the forerunner of the BBWAA MVP, established in 1931) and the AL Sporting News MVP. In his 1931 season, he posted a .306 average, 12 home runs, and 126 RBIs. Cronin led the Senators to the 1933 World Series and later married Mildred Robertson, the niece of Senators' owner Clark Griffith. Cronin was named player-manager of the Senators in 1933, a post he would hold for two years. In his first year, he led the Senators to what would be their last pennant in Washington. While Cronin was on his honeymoon with Mildred in his hometown of San Francisco, he received a telegram from Griffith informing him that the Boston Red Sox had offered the Senators their starting shortstop, Lyn Lary, in return for Cronin and $250,000. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey also offered Cronin a five-year contract as player-manager. Well aware of the Senators' perennial financial problems (Griffith had no income apart from the Senators), Cronin accepted the trade. Cronin remained as player-manager of the Red Sox until 1945, then continued solely as manager until 1947. As early as 1938, it was apparent to the Red Sox that Cronin's playing career was nearly over. Red Sox farm system director Billy Evans thought he had found Cronin's successor in Pee Wee Reese, the star shortstop for the Louisville Colonels of the Triple-A American Association. He was so impressed by Reese that he was able to convince Yawkey to buy the Colonels and make them the Red Sox' top farm club. However, when Yawkey and Evans asked Cronin to scout Reese, Cronin realized he was scouting his potential replacement. Believing he still had enough left to be a regular player, Cronin deliberately downplayed Reese's talent and suggested the Red Sox trade him. Reese was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he had a Hall of Fame career. As it turned out, Evans and Yawkey's concerns about Cronin were valid. His last year as a full-time player was 1941; after that

Did You Know?

• Cronin finished 2nd in the AL MVP voting in 1930, with the award going to Al Simmons.
• He led the Washington Senators to their last pennant in 1933 as a player, while Walter Johnson managed the team.
• Cronin was the first former player elected president of the American League.
• He hit a home run in each game of a doubleheader on June 17, 1943, when he sent himself in to pinch hit.