Entire career with one club, retire with a WS ring

[Brownieand45sfan]

Has there ever been a player who played his entire career with one franchise and then retired after a season that that team won the WS?

Thanks.

[Utter Chaos]

There's been a few with Joe DiMaggio being the most well known.


Name Team First Last CareerGames
Babe Towne CHW 1906 1906 14
Bill Carrigan BOS 1906 1916 709
Harry Lunte CLE 1919 1920 49
Hinkey Haines NYY 1923 1923 28
Joe Martina WAS 1924 1924 25
Tommy Taylor WAS 1924 1924 26
Walter French PHA 1923 1929 397
Johnny Sturm NYY 1941 1941 124
Creepy Crespi STL 1938 1942 264
Bob Maier DET 1945 1945 132
Red Borom DET 1944 1945 62
Zeb Eaton DET 1944 1945 35
Chuck Hostetler DET 1944 1945 132
Les Mueller DET 1941 1945 30
Joe Hoover DET 1943 1945 338
Bill Bevens NYY 1944 1947 96
Spud Chandler NYY 1937 1947 211
Joe DiMaggio NYY 1936 1951 1736
George Shuba BRK 1948 1955 355
Karl Spooner BRK 1954 1955 31
Don LeJohn LAD 1965 1965 34
Allan Lewis OAK 1967 1973 156
Dick Green OAK 1963 1974 1288
John Wathan KCR 1976 1985 860
Ron Oester CIN 1978 1990 1276
Willie Canate TOR 1993 1993 38

Edit to add: This list consists of players that didn't play again in the Majors after they won a title. Not sure on how many actually "retired" after the series.

[mikeymussina35]

There's been a few with Joe DiMaggio being the most well known.


Name Team First Last CareerGames
Babe Towne CHW 1906 1906 14
Bill Carrigan BOS 1906 1916 709
Harry Lunte CLE 1919 1920 49
Hinkey Haines NYY 1923 1923 28
Joe Martina WAS 1924 1924 25
Tommy Taylor WAS 1924 1924 26
Walter French PHA 1923 1929 397
Johnny Sturm NYY 1941 1941 124
Creepy Crespi STL 1938 1942 264
Bob Maier DET 1945 1945 132
Red Borom DET 1944 1945 62
Zeb Eaton DET 1944 1945 35
Chuck Hostetler DET 1944 1945 132
Les Mueller DET 1941 1945 30
Joe Hoover DET 1943 1945 338
Bill Bevens NYY 1944 1947 96
Spud Chandler NYY 1937 1947 211
Joe DiMaggio NYY 1936 1951 1736
George Shuba BRK 1948 1955 355
Karl Spooner BRK 1954 1955 31
Don LeJohn LAD 1965 1965 34
Allan Lewis OAK 1967 1973 156
Dick Green OAK 1963 1974 1288
John Wathan KCR 1976 1985 860
Ron Oester CIN 1978 1990 1276
Willie Canate TOR 1993 1993 38

Edit to add: This list consists of players that didn't play again in the Majors after they won a title. Not sure on how many actually "retired" after the series.

interesting. Thanks for the post. Great stuff

[RuthMayBond]

Nice job, UC :clapping Even worse would be a guy who played his whole career with one team, never won a WS, then his team won the WS the year IMMEDIATELY after he retired (or immediately before he started, I guess) :ughh

[Utter Chaos]

Nice job, UC :clapping Even worse would be a guy who played his whole career with one team, never won a WS, then his team won the WS the year IMMEDIATELY after he retired (or immediately before he started, I guess) :ughhKind of like Don Mattingly.

Also, Paul Splittorf, Bill Rigney, Mel Harder, and Ron Gardenhire among others.

[Brownieand45sfan]

Interesting list. Personally, I had not heard of any of them except Oester, Wathan, Green and DiMaggio. I am 48 yo.

On Dick Green, two interesting points:


He did not play in one city, but rather two (KC and OAK). But that's okay, I said "franchise" and franchise is probably the relevant factor.
FURTHER TRIVIA QUESTION: Dick Green's feat in this department stands out from all the others. Why? (Hope I'm not being too oblique...)

[Brooklyn]

Kind of like Don Mattingly.

.

Mattingly almost had it on both ends. His first year in 1982 was the year after the Yanks lost in the WS, and his last year in 1995 was the year before the wont he world series.

I wonder if any one-team players missed championships on both ends?

[Utter Chaos]

Interesting list. Personally, I had not heard of any of them except Oester, Wathan, Green and DiMaggio. I am 48 yo.
You've never heard of Bill Bevens?


Bevens pitched and lost one of the most famous games in baseball history,
Game Four of the 1947 WS. Only 7-13 for the Yankees during the regular season,
he survived a record 10 walks while holding the Dodgers hitless, and
led 2-1 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Veteran Cookie
Lavagetto's pinch-hit double off the right-field wall (his last major league
hit) not only ended Bevens's bid for the first WS no-hitter, but also drove in
the tying and winning runs for the Dodgers

[RuthMayBond]

You've never heard of Bill Bevens?


Bevens pitched and lost one of the most famous games in baseball history,
Game Four of the 1947 WS. Only 7-13 for the Yankees during the regular season,
he survived a record 10 walks while holding the Dodgers hitless, and
led 2-1 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Veteran Cookie
Lavagetto's pinch-hit double off the right-field wall (his last major league
hit) not only ended Bevens's bid for the first WS no-hitter, but also drove in
the tying and winning runs for the DodgersHe's heard of Dick Green but not Spud Chandler? (I believe best career win %)

[Brownieand45sfan]

He's heard of Dick Green but not Spud Chandler? (I believe best career win %)

If you knew the answer to my Dick Green trivia question you might not dis' Dick Green ... or me.

[RuthMayBond]

If you knew the answer to my Dick Green trivia question you might not dis' Dick Green ... or me.Dick Green wasn't that great, and I didn't "dis" you any more than UC did

[Gee Walker]

It's hard to believe for a team with a 100+ year history and a lineup full of Hall of Famers, but Dick Green holds the A's team record for home runs by a second baseman - with 76.

Mark Ellis has 58 and should capture the record in the next year or two.

[Old Sweater]

Nice job, UC :clapping Even worse would be a guy who played his whole career with one team, never won a WS, then his team won the WS the year IMMEDIATELY after he retired (or immediately before he started, I guess) :ughh

One team or 10 teams it would be awful to leave the game a loser after a long career.

[RuthMayBond]

One team or 10 teams it would be awful to leave the game a loser after a long career.It's more awful that you consider someone a "loser" because of their teammates :ughh

[MedicCook]

Mattingly almost had it on both ends. His first year in 1982 was the year after the Yanks lost in the WS, and his last year in 1995 was the year before the wont he world series.

I wonder if any one-team players missed championships on both ends?

It is hard for me to say this since Mattingly is my favorite all-time Yankee, but I think it is the Mattingly Curse.

I will take you one step deeper. For just World Series appearances.

1981 - WS Win
1982 - Mattingly's Rookie Year
1995 - Mattingly's Last Year
1996 - WS Win
2003 - WS Loss
2004 - Mattingly's Rookie Year as a Coach (Hitting)
2007 - Mattingly's Last Year as a Coach (Bench)
2008 - ?

No WS appearances between 82-95 & 04-07.

If the Yankees make it to the WS series in 2008 it will confirm the Yankees / Mattingly curse. To make even more irony, if the Yankees beat the Dodgers in the 2008 WS it would bring it full circle to 1981.

[Old Sweater]

It's more awful that you consider someone a "loser" because of their teammates


Oh the curse of playing team sports.

[Utter Chaos]

If you knew the answer to my Dick Green trivia question you might not dis' Dick Green ... or me.Dick Green wasn't that great, and I didn't "dis" you any more than UC didYeah, but I didn't "dis" Dick Green. ;)

[Brooklyn]

It is hard for me to say this since Mattingly is my favorite all-time Yankee, but I think it is the Mattingly Curse.

I will take you one step deeper. For just World Series appearances.

1981 - WS Win
1982 - Mattingly's Rookie Year
1995 - Mattingly's Last Year
1996 - WS Win
2003 - WS Loss
2004 - Mattingly's Rookie Year as a Coach (Hitting)
2007 - Mattingly's Last Year as a Coach (Bench)
2008 - ?

No WS appearances between 82-95 & 04-07.

If the Yankees make it to the WS series in 2008 it will confirm the Yankees / Mattingly curse. To make even more irony, if the Yankees beat the Dodgers in the 2008 WS it would bring it full circle to 1981.

Interesting. One correction - 1981 wa a WS loss

[Old Sweater]

Interesting. One correction - 1981 wa a WS loss

Yeah and the Yankees were the favorite to win that year after being the underdogs in 77 & 78 against the Dodgers.

[RuthMayBond]

Oh the curse of playing team sports.Only you see it as that

[Brownieand45sfan]

Dick Green got the Babe Ruth award the last year.

The Babe Ruth Award is given annually to the World Series MVP by the NY area BBWAA chapter. DiMaggio's last year the award went to Phil Rizzuto.

This, despite that Green was hit-less in the series. It was Green's fielding exploits which got the 33-year old the award.

According to the catfishstew A's fandom site:

"Green was the fielding hero of the 1974 series, beyond the relay throw to nail Buckner. He launched three double plays in Game 3, the most memorable one with one out in the ninth, and A's leading 3-2. Green stretched out to stop a ball up the middle, and from his belly flipped the ball to Bert Campaneris, who fired over to Jim Holt at first for the final out of the game.More on the Buckner play from the Baseball Almanac web site:

Bill Buckner attempted to get his team back on track with a valiant effort that unfortunately backfired (it was a sign of what was to come). After leading off the eighth with a single, a desperate Buckner tried to stretch the bases on a Bill North error. However, a textbook relay from Jackson-to-Dick Green-to-Sal Bando nailed the daring base runner just short of third and it was all over from there. The A's emerged 3-2 victors with a "back-to-back-to-back" title that reinstated their place among baseball's elite.So, to retire as WS MVP is to really "finish on top". And Dick Green is the only man in baseball history to have done it.

[Old Sweater]

Only you see it as that

And anyone else that knows you can't retire as a winner without a WS Ring.

[RuthMayBond]

And anyone else that knows you can't retire as a winner without a WS Ring.Anyone who *thinks* that Ted Williams and Ty Cobb were "losers" and Charlie Silvera was a *winner* :yawn:

[rich]

The " Ring" thing is a joke which from I can gather comes from the sport
founded by Dr. Naismith.." Charles is goin' to Phoenix to get his ring" and the
Plaxico gambling driven Felon League.... " Where's Joe Horn's inkpen ? Fellas
you 2 clowns and your ilk have the national pasttime riding high !