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Bucky Harris

Harris in 1925

Second baseman / Manager

Born: November 8, 1896
Port Jervis, New York, U.S.

Died: November 8, 1977 (aged 81)
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

debut

August 28, 1919, for the Washington Senators

Last appearance

June 12, 1931, for the Detroit Tigers

MLB statistics

Batting average

.274

Home runs

Runs batted in

508

Managerial record

2,158–2,219

Winning %

.493

Teams

As player

Washington Senators (1919–1928)
Detroit Tigers (1929, 1931)

As manager

Washington Senators (1924–1928)
Detroit Tigers (1929–1933)
Boston Red Sox (1934)
Washington Senators (1935–1942)
Philadelphia Phillies (1943)
New York Yankees (1947–1948)
Washington Senators (1950–1954)
Detroit Tigers (1955–1956)

Career highlights and awards

2× World Series champion (1924, 1947)
Washington Nationals Ring of Honor

Baseball Hall of Fame

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!

Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Playing Career
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.

Bucky Harris in 1929

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)

Harris and Connie Mack shaking hands in 1938

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)

United States President Harry Truman (left) shaking hands with Washington Senators manager Ossie Bluege (center) and New York Yankees manager Bucky Harris (right) on April 18, 1947.

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
Team	Year	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.