Johnny Pesky

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

A left-handed hitter who threw right-handed, Pesky was a tough man for pitchers to strike out. He was the first American League (AL) player to score 6 runs in a 9 inning game. 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

During his rookie year in 1942, Pesky led the AL in hits with 205—at the time a Red Sox record for a rookie—as well as sacrifice hits with 22. He was second only to teammate Ted Williams in average at .331, and finished third in Most Valuable Player voting behind MVP Joe Gordon and Williams. After missing three seasons due to World War II, Pesky came back in 1946, leading the league in hits once again, batting .335, third in the league, and finishing fourth in the MVP voting while also making his first and only All-Star team. His 53 hits in August set a team record for hits in a month, a record later tied by Dom DiMaggio. In 1947, Pesky batted .324 while leading the league in hits for the third consecutive year with 207. It was also Pesky's third consecutive year having 200 or more hits each season from the start of his career which matched that of the Pittsburgh Pirates' Lloyd Waner occurring during the 1927–29 seasons.

Reader's Guide

Pesky was born February 27, 1919, in Portland, Oregon, the son of Croat immigrants Jakov and Marija (Bajama) Paveskovich. (Major League Baseball has his date of birth as September 27, 1919, an adjustment made by Pesky in 1939 to meet baseball minimum scouting age for tryouts.) He played for Lincoln High School, and attended a baseball school run by former major league pitcher Carl Mays. He spent several years playing for local amateur teams, such as the Portland Babes, Bend Elks and Silverton Red Sox. His name was shortened to "Pesky" early in his playing career. Pesky was signed as an amateur free agent by the Red Sox before the 1940 season and spent the next two seasons in the minor leagues. During his rookie year in 1942, Pesky led the AL in hits with 205—at the time a Red Sox record for a rookie—as well as sacrifice hits with 22. After missing three seasons due to World War II, Pesky came back in 1946, leading the league in hits once again, batting .335, third in the league, and finishing fourth in the MVP voting while also making his first and only All-Star team. In 1947, Pesky batted .324 while leading the league in hits for the third consecutive year with 207. In the 1947–48 offseason, the Red Sox acquired shortstop Vern Stephens and asked Pesky to move to third base. He began the 1952 season slowly, and was traded to the Detroit Tigers in a nine-player deal. He was traded in mid-season 1954 to the Washington Senators. After finishing the season batting just .246 overall, he was released. He signed with the New York Yankees, where he was assigned to their top farm club, the Denver Bears as a player-coach. He played 17 games in the Carolina League with the Durham Bulls franchise in 1956. In honor of Pesky, the right field foul pole at Fenway Park is known as Pesky's Pole. Pesky began his coaching career in the New York Yankees organization with the 1955 Denver Bears. From 1956 through 1960, Pesky was a manager in the Detroit farm system. He then rejoined the Red Sox in 1961 as manager of their Triple-A farm club, the Seattle Rainiers. Pesky enjoyed two winning seasons in Seattle. At the close of the 1962 campaign, Boston owner Tom Yawkey elevated manager Pinky Higgins to the club's vacant post of general manager and personally appointed Pesky as Higgins's replacement. Pesky's 1963 club started quickly. It won 40 of its first 70 games and on June 28 sto

Did You Know?

• Pesky was the first American League player to score 6 runs in a 9 inning game.
• He led the AL in hits his first three seasons, collecting over 200 hits each year.
• The right field foul pole at Fenway Park is known as Pesky's Pole.
• Pesky changed his name legally from Paveskovich to Pesky in 1947.