Bobby Doerr

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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. 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). While playing for the San Diego Padres of the PCL in 1936, Doerr met Ted Williams. The future Red Sox teammates became close friends for many years. 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.

In Their Own Story

The summer of 1946 remains etched in Doerr's legacy. That year, he finished third in MVP voting behind his teammate Ted Williams, driving in 116 runs despite a .271 batting average. In the World Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Doerr hit an astonishing .409 with a home run and three RBIs. Yet, it was his consistency that defined him. He began a streak of 12 consecutive seasons with at least 10 home runs and 73 RBIs in 1939. In 1950, while batting only .232 as late as June 2, he rallied to finish the season with a league-leading 11 triples and 120 RBIs, tying his career high of 27 home runs. Doerr never played a game at any position other than second base. He held Red Sox records for career games (1,865), hits (2,042), doubles (381), total bases (3,270), and RBIs (1,247). Even as his average dropped to .258 in 1947 due to a league-high 25 double plays, he still contributed 95 RBIs. His final season in 1951 saw him play only 106 games before retiring in September after suffering from a spinal problem for two years.

Reader's Guide

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. Doerr led the league with 22 sacrifice hits in 1938. In 1939, Doerr began a string of 12 consecutive seasons with 10 or more home runs and 73 or more RBIs. In 1940 the Red Sox had four players with 100 RBIs, with Foxx, Williams, Cronin and Doerr each collecting at least 105. In 1941, Doerr was an All-Star, the first of nine times he was selected. In 1944, Doerr led the league in slugging percentage. His .325 batting average was good enough to allow him to finish second in the league, two percentage points behind Lou Boudreau. The Sporting News named him Most Valuable Player for the American League, although he finished only seventh in MLB MVP voting. Doerr hit for the cycle twice: on May 17, 1944, in a 12–8 loss to the St. Louis Browns, and 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, being stationed at Camp Roberts, California. In 1946, Doerr finished third in MVP voting. He drove in 116 runs despite a .271 average. He hit .409 in the 1946 World Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, with a home run and three RBIs. 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. Doerr set an AL record in that year by handling 414 chances in a row over 73 games without an error. In 1949, Doerr hit .309 with 18 home runs and 109 RBIs. At the start of the 1950 season, Doerr was in a slump; he was only batting .232 as of June 2. 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 (11), 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. 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

Did You Know?

• Doerr was a nine-time MLB All-Star and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.
• He missed the 1945 season while serving in the Army during World War II, stationed at Camp Roberts, California.
• Doerr hit for the cycle twice in his career: on May 17, 1944, and on May 13, 1947.
• He was the oldest living former major league player from April 25, 2017, until his death on November 13, 2017.
• Doerr's jersey number 1 was retired by the Red Sox on May 21, 1988.