A Name That Didn’t Fit

Today is the birthday of Johnny Pesky, born February 27, 1919 in Portland, Oregon.

Jakov Paveskovich, a Croatian immigrant and sawmill worker, did not understand his boys’ obsession with baseball. All the same, he and his wife Marja allowed Anthony, Vincent, and Johnny to hang around the Portland Beavers ballpark down the street from their family home. 

For Johnny, at least, the obsession paid off — scouts took notice, and he soon found himself playing shortstop 3,000 miles away in Boston. 

In his first year on the Red Sox, Pesky — who shortened his last name so it would better fit into box scores — would bat .331, lead the league in sacrifice hits, and come in third in MVP voting. And he did it all while attending night classes three times a week with his teammate, Ted Williams, to become a Navy pilot. 

Pesky continued his strong play after returning from WWII, but despite his early success, his position became precarious.

As more infielders were added to the Red Sox roster, he was shuffled from shortstop to third, and his play suffered. He rebounded in 1949, but trade rumors still swirled. 

Late in the 1950 season, despite his admitted insecurity, Pesky approached manager Steve O’Neil and offered to take himself out of the lineup so Billy Goodman could accumulate enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title.

Partly because of Pesky’s willingness to step aside, Goodman won that year’s crown with a batting average of .354. Two years later, Pesky was traded to the Tigers, and after a brief stint with the Senators, his playing career came to an end.

Though he lost his most productive years to the war, Pesky remained a beloved figure in Boston. He became a charter member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame, had the right-field pole in Fenway Park named after him, and, as the Lynn Sunday Post put it, “led the league in ‘most friends’.”

MLB News

Robot Umps, Late-Night Intruders & More

• “Can’t we just be judged by humans?”— The new system for calling pitches & balls — called ABS — is being tested in the majors after years of testing in the minors. Some like it. Max Scherzer doesn’t.

• Wait, What is ABS? – It’s a new system using high-end cameras and computers from Hawk-Eye, the same folks who help call close balls in Tennis and off-sides in soccer. The folks at Jomboy Media share a little bit about how the tech will change the strike zone.

• O(uch)MG – Early injuries are already stress testing the Mets pitching staff. Sean Manaea strained his oblique and will miss the beginning of the regular season. Frankie Montas is also out until early May after suffering from a high grade lat strain.

• Kim to the Minors? – Former Gold-Glove winning Korean Baseball Organization, and current Dodgers rookie Hyeseong Kim might not be a lock for an opening day roster spot. Dave Roberts told reporters, “Right now, he’s in a competition to earn a job with us”.

• Botched Break-In – Video emerged of an assailant trying to break into the house of Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Kim Hae-Seong. Well, kind of.

On This Day

Bruins on the Move

• 1953 — The Boston Braves officially became the Milwaukee Braves, marking the first franchise relocation in Major League Baseball since 1903. This move sparked a wave of franchise shifts over the next two decades.