Johnny Pesky

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Pesky was a left-handed hitter who threw right-handed, and was a tough man for pitchers to strike out. As a hitter, he specialized in getting on base, leading the AL in base hits three times—his first three seasons in the majors, in which he collected over 200 hits each year—and was among the top ten in on-base percentage six times while batting .307 in 4,745 at bats as a major leaguer. He was also an excellent bunter who led the league in sacrifice hits in 1942. He was a teammate and close friend of Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr and Dom DiMaggio and the four were later honored with The Teammates statue outside Fenway Park.

In Their Own Story

The 1963 season marked a turbulent chapter when owner Tom Yawkey personally appointed Pesky as manager following Pinky Higgins's promotion to general manager. Pesky inherited a 'country club' atmosphere of unmotivated players and added slugging first baseman Dick Stuart, who led the league with 118 RBIs but was an atrocious fielder known as 'Dr. Strangeglove' who frequently defied Pesky's authority. The team started strong, winning 40 of its first 70 games and trailing the Yankees by only 1.5 games in late June, buoyed by relief pitcher Dick Radatz's 12 saves and a 1.16 ERA. Yet, poor defense and thin pitching depth caused a collapse; after July 1, the team went 36–55 to finish 76–85 in seventh place. In 1964, despite the debut of rookie Tony Conigliaro and continued excellence from Radatz, Pesky's squad languished in the second division. With two games remaining, he was replaced by third-base coach Billy Herman.

Reader's Guide

In honor of Pesky, the right field foul pole at Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox, is known as Pesky's Pole, or the Pesky Pole. Former teammate and Sox broadcaster Mel Parnell named the pole after Pesky. The story goes that Pesky won a game for Parnell in 1948 with a home run down the short (302 feet (92 m)) right field line, just around the pole. Research, however, shows that Pesky hit just one home run in a game pitched by Parnell, a two-run shot in the first inning of a game against Detroit played on June 11, 1950. The game was eventually won by the visiting Tigers in the 14th inning on a three-run shot by Tigers right fielder Vic Wertz and Parnell earned a no-decision that day.

Did You Know?

• Pesky was born John Michael Paveskovich in Portland, Oregon, the son of Croat immigrants.
• He legally changed his name from Paveskovich to Pesky in 1947.
• Pesky led the AL in hits his first three seasons (1942, 1946, 1947), collecting over 200 hits each year.
• Pesky's only home run in a game pitched by Mel Parnell came on June 11, 1950, against the Detroit Tigers.