Now at Shortstop, Pesky again led the AL in Hits in both 1946 and 1947 while batting well over .300. He dipped below .300 in 1948, but in the next two years, he was again a .300 Hitter. Pesky was traded early in 1952 to Detroit, but his play had fallen off, and he was never close to the level he had in his prime. Because of World War II, Pesky very well could have left 600 Hits on the table.
Pesky left the Red Sox with a Batting Average of .313, an On Base Percentage of .401, and 1,277 Hits. Pesky's #6 was retired in 2008, 13 years after he was named to the Red Sox Hall of Fame.
20. Johnny Pesky
- General
- Awards
- Career Stats
- Born: February 27, 1919 in Portland, OR USA
- Weight: 168 lbs.
- Height: 5'9"
- Bats: L
- Throws: R
- Debut: April 14, 1942
- Final Game: September 24, 1954
| AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9490 | 1734 | 2910 | 34 | 808 | 106 | 0.307 |
One of the most popular Boston Red Sox players of all-time, Johnny Pesky, had one of the best rookie seasons ever in 1942. That season, he was Boston’s starting Shortstop, and he would lead the American League in Hits (205), batted .331, and was third in MVP voting. Pesky would miss the next three seasons due to military service in World War II, and he returned exactly where he left off.
The Bullet Points
- Position: Short Stop, Third Base
- Acquired: Signed as an Amateur Free Agent before the 1940 Season.
- Departed: Traded to the Detroit Tigers with Walt Dropo, Fred Hatfield, Don Lenhardt, and Bill Wright for Hoot Evers, George Kell, Johnny Lipon & Dizzy Trout 6/3/62.
- Games Played: 1029
-
Notable Statistics: 776 Runs Scored
1,277 Hits
196 Doubles
46 Triples
13 Home Runs
361 Runs Batted In
48 Stolen Bases
.313/.401/.393 Slash Line
32.4 bWAR
7 Playoff Games
2 Runs Scored
7 Hits
0 Doubles
0 Triples
0 Home Runs
0 Runs Batted In
1 Stolen Base
.233/.258/.233 Slash Line -
Major Accolades and Awards:
All-Star (1946)
Most At Bats (1946 & 1947)
Most Plate Appearances (1946)
Most Hits (1942, 1946 & 1947)
Most Singles (1942, 1946 & 1947)
Most Sacrifice Hits (1942)
Most Assists (1942)
Most Putouts by a Third Baseman (1949)
Most Assists by a Third Baseman (1949)
Most Double Plays Turned by a Third Baseman (1948 & 1949)
Most Assists by a Shortstop (1942)
Highest Range Factor per Game by a Third Baseman (1949 & 1950)
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