Bucky Harris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bucky Harris |
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![]() Harris in 1925
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Second baseman / Manager | |||
Born: Port Jervis, New York, U.S. |
November 8, 1896|||
Died: November 8, 1977 Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
(aged 81)|||
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debut | |||
August 28, 1919, for the Washington Senators | |||
Last appearance | |||
June 12, 1931, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .274 | ||
Home runs | 9 | ||
Runs batted in | 508 | ||
Managerial record | 2,158–2,219 | ||
Winning % | .493 | ||
Teams | |||
As player
As manager
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Career highlights and awards | |||
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Induction | 1975 | ||
Election Method | Veterans Committee |
Stanley Raymond "Bucky" Harris (born November 8, 1896 – died November 8, 1977) was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team executive. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators and Detroit Tigers.
Bucky Harris is most famous for his long career as a manager. He was so successful that he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.
He became a player-manager for the Senators at just 27 years old. In 1924, he led them to win the 1924 World Series. This made him the youngest manager to win a championship. He was also the first rookie manager to achieve this feat.
Harris managed teams for 29 seasons, which is one of the longest managerial careers in MLB history. He managed five different teams, including three times for Washington and twice for Detroit. During his career, he won over 2,150 games. He also led his teams to three league pennants and two World Series championships. He won in 1924 with the Senators and in 1947 with the New York Yankees. The time between his World Series wins (23 years) is the longest in baseball history!
Contents
- Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
- Playing Career
- Starting in the Minor Leagues
- Washington Senators (1919–1928)
- Detroit Tigers (1929, 1931)
- Boston Red Sox (1934)
- Second Time with Washington Senators (1935–1942)
- Philadelphia Phillies (1943)
- New York Yankees (1947–1948)
- Third Time with Washington Senators (1950–1954)
- Detroit Tigers (1955–1956)
- Managerial Record
- Front Office Career
- Personal Life
- See also
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Stanley Raymond "Bucky" Harris was born on November 8, 1896, in Port Jervis, New York. When he was six, his family moved to Pittston, Pennsylvania. His family had roots in Switzerland and Wales.
Bucky's older brother, Merle, also played baseball in the minor leagues. Bucky left school at 13 to work at a local coal mine. He worked as an office boy and later as a weigh master. In his free time, he played basketball and baseball.
Playing Career
Bucky Harris was 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 156 pounds. He threw and batted right-handed.
Starting in the Minor Leagues
In 1916, when Bucky was 19, Hughie Jennings signed him to his first professional contract. Jennings was the manager of the Detroit Tigers at the time. Bucky started with the Muskegon Reds but struggled with his batting.
He then played for other minor league teams like the Scranton Miners and Buffalo Bisons. By 1919, he improved his batting skills. He got 126 hits and raised his average to .282.
Washington Senators (1919–1928)
In August 1919, Bucky joined the Washington Senators. He was 22 years old. At first, he didn't play very well, batting only .214 in eight games.
However, the team's owner and manager, Clark Griffith, saw his potential. Griffith made Bucky the regular second baseman in 1920. Soon, Bucky was batting .300. He became known as a tough player who wasn't afraid to challenge even big stars like Ty Cobb.
Bucky spent most of his playing career with the Senators. In 1924, he became the team's player-manager. At 27, he was the youngest manager in the Major Leagues. He led the Senators to their only World Series title in Washington that year. Because of this amazing feat, he earned the nickname "The Boy Wonder."
He led the Senators to another American League pennant in 1925. But they lost the 1925 World Series to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a close Game 7. Bucky played incredibly well in the 1924 World Series. He set records for chances accepted, double plays, and put-outs. He also batted .333 and hit two home runs. This was impressive because he only hit nine home runs in his entire playing career!
After his successful years in 1924 and 1925, Bucky kept the Senators as a strong team. But their number of wins slowly decreased over the next few seasons.
Detroit Tigers (1929, 1931)
In 1928, the Senators traded Bucky to the Detroit Tigers. He became their player-manager. He played only a few games for the Tigers in 1929 and 1931. His playing career mostly ended with this trade.
Overall, Bucky played in 1,263 games over 13 seasons. He had 1,297 hits, 224 doubles, 64 triples, and nine home runs. He also had 508 runs batted in and a lifetime batting average of .274.
As the Tigers' manager, he had only one winning season, in 1932. He stepped down in 1933. Later, Mickey Cochrane took over and led the Tigers to two pennants and their first World Series win.
Boston Red Sox (1934)
Bucky Harris became the manager of the Boston Red Sox in 1934. The Red Sox had not had a winning season in 15 years. Their new owner, Tom Yawkey, wanted to rebuild the team.
Bucky's 1934 Red Sox team ended the season with an equal number of wins and losses (76–76). This broke their long streak of losing seasons. However, Bucky only stayed for one season. There were disagreements between him and the team's general manager, Eddie Collins. The Red Sox then traded for Joe Cronin to be their new player-manager.
Second Time with Washington Senators (1935–1942)

Bucky returned to manage the Washington Senators in 1935. This was his longest time as a manager, lasting eight seasons. However, his teams didn't reach the same heights as in 1924 or 1925. Only one of his teams, the 1936 Senators, had a winning record. After three straight seventh-place finishes, he left the team in 1942.
Philadelphia Phillies (1943)
In 1943, Bucky managed the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies were one of the worst teams in baseball. Under Bucky, they improved their play.
However, the team's owner, William D. Cox, often interfered with Bucky's decisions. When Bucky complained, Cox fired him after only 92 games. After his firing, Bucky helped baseball officials learn that Cox was betting on games. This led to Cox being banned from professional baseball.
New York Yankees (1947–1948)

Bucky spent three years out of the Major Leagues, managing the Buffalo Bisons. In 1946, the Yankees hired him for a front-office role.
In 1947, Bucky became the manager of the New York Yankees. He led them to win their 15th American League pennant. With star players like Joe DiMaggio, the 1947 Yankees won 97 games. They then won Bucky's second World Series championship. They beat the Jackie Robinson-led Brooklyn Dodgers in an exciting seven-game series.
Bucky managed the Yankees for a second season in 1948. His team won 94 games and finished third in a close pennant race. However, the Yankees' owners wanted more. They replaced Bucky with Casey Stengel, who went on to lead the Yankees to many more championships.
Third Time with Washington Senators (1950–1954)
Bucky returned to the minor leagues in 1949. Then, he started his third time as manager of the Washington Senators in 1950. The team had lost 104 games the year before. Under Bucky, they improved by 17 wins in his first season. They also had a winning record in 1952. But the team couldn't climb higher in the standings during his five-year term.
Detroit Tigers (1955–1956)
The Detroit Tigers hired Bucky again as their manager in 1955. In his first season back, the 1955 Tigers won 79 games. This was 11 more wins than the previous year. They had their first winning season since 1950.
In 1956, the Tigers won 82 games. However, the team was facing changes in its ownership. Bucky was fired by the new owner. He ended his 29-year MLB managing career with 2,158 wins and 2,219 losses. As of 2019, he ranked seventh in MLB manager career wins.
Managerial Record
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
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Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
WSH | 1924 | 154 | 92 | 62 | .597 | 1st in AL | 4 | 3 | .571 | Won World Series (NYG) |
WSH | 1925 | 151 | 96 | 55 | .636 | 1st in AL | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost World Series (PIT) |
WSH | 1926 | 150 | 81 | 69 | .540 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1927 | 154 | 85 | 69 | .552 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1928 | 154 | 75 | 79 | .487 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
DET | 1929 | 154 | 70 | 84 | .455 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
DET | 1930 | 154 | 75 | 79 | .487 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
DET | 1931 | 154 | 61 | 93 | .396 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
DET | 1932 | 151 | 76 | 75 | .503 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
DET | 1933 | 152 | 73 | 79 | .480 | resigned | – | – | – | – |
BOS | 1934 | 152 | 76 | 76 | .500 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
BOS total | 152 | 76 | 76 | .500 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
WSH | 1935 | 153 | 67 | 86 | .438 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1936 | 153 | 82 | 71 | .536 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1937 | 153 | 73 | 80 | .477 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1938 | 151 | 75 | 76 | .497 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1939 | 152 | 65 | 87 | .428 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1940 | 154 | 64 | 90 | .416 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1941 | 154 | 70 | 84 | .455 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1942 | 151 | 62 | 89 | .411 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
PHI | 1943 | 92 | 39 | 53 | .424 | fired | – | – | – | – |
PHI total | 92 | 39 | 53 | .424 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
NYY | 1947 | 154 | 97 | 57 | .630 | 1st in AL | 4 | 3 | .571 | Won World Series (BKN) |
NYY | 1948 | 154 | 94 | 60 | .610 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
NYY total | 308 | 191 | 117 | .620 | 4 | 3 | .571 | |||
WSH | 1950 | 154 | 67 | 87 | .435 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1951 | 154 | 62 | 92 | .403 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1952 | 154 | 78 | 76 | .506 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1953 | 152 | 76 | 76 | .500 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH | 1954 | 154 | 66 | 88 | .429 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
WSH total | 2752 | 1336 | 1416 | .500 | 7 | 7 | .500 | |||
DET | 1955 | 154 | 79 | 75 | .513 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
DET | 1956 | 154 | 82 | 72 | .532 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
DET total | 1073 | 516 | 557 | .481 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
Total | 4377 | 2158 | 2219 | – | 11 | 10 | .524 |
Front Office Career
In 1957, Bucky Harris joined the Red Sox front office. He worked as an assistant general manager. In 1959, he became the general manager (GM).
During his time as GM, the Red Sox made history. On July 21, 1959, they brought Pumpsie Green to the team. This made the Red Sox the last of the 16 original MLB teams to integrate their roster.
However, the Red Sox had two losing seasons under Bucky as GM. He made some trades to try and improve the team. But some of these trades didn't work out as planned. He also had disagreements with the owner about hiring managers. Bucky was fired in September 1960.
Bucky Harris finished his long baseball career as a scout. He worked for the Chicago White Sox and later for the new Washington Senators team. He spent over 55 years involved in baseball!
Bucky Harris passed away in Bethesda, Maryland, on his 81st birthday. He had been battling Parkinson's disease. He is buried in Hughestown, Pennsylvania.
Personal Life
Bucky Harris's first marriage ended in 1951. His first father-in-law was Howard Sutherland. Sutherland was a former United States Senator from West Virginia.
See also
- 1924 World Series
- 1925 World Series
- 1947 World Series
- List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders
- List of Major League Baseball player-managers
- List of Major League Baseball managers by wins