Gus Mancuso facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gus Mancuso |
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| Catcher | |||
| Born: December 5, 1905 Galveston, Texas, U.S. |
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| Died: October 26, 1984 (aged 78) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 30, 1928, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 11, 1945, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .265 | ||
| Home runs | 53 | ||
| Runs batted in | 543 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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August Rodney Mancuso (born December 5, 1905 – died October 26, 1984), often called "Blackie", was an American professional baseball player. He was also a coach, scout, and radio sports commentator. Gus Mancuso played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for many teams. These included the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies.
Mancuso was famous for being great at working with pitchers. He was also a strong leader on the field. He played on five teams that won the National League championship. He also caught for five pitchers who later became members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Many people thought Mancuso was one of the best defensive catchers in the 1930s.
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Gus Mancuso's Baseball Journey
Gus Mancuso was born in Galveston, Texas. He started playing baseball when he was nine years old. After high school, he worked at a bank. But he was mostly hired for his baseball skills, playing on the bank's team. Soon, the president of the Houston Buffaloes baseball team noticed him. Mancuso began his professional baseball career with them in 1925.
In 1927, he played for the Syracuse Stars and had a great batting average of .372. He made his first appearance in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1928. He was 22 years old. After a short time, he played for minor league teams like the Minneapolis Millers and Rochester Red Wings.
The Cardinals brought Mancuso back to the major leagues in 1930. He was a backup catcher to Jimmie Wilson, who Mancuso admired. Wilson taught Mancuso a lot about being a major league catcher. Mancuso learned to study how other teams played. This helped him understand their strengths and weaknesses.
In September 1930, Wilson got hurt. Mancuso stepped up and played very well. He finished the season with a .366 batting average. The Cardinals won the National League championship that year. However, they lost the 1930 World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics.
World Series Wins and All-Star Games
In 1931, Mancuso was again a backup catcher for the Cardinals. He was excellent at stopping runners from stealing bases. The Cardinals won their second straight National League championship. They faced the Athletics again in the 1931 World Series and won! Mancuso only played a small part in that series.
In 1932, Mancuso shared catching duties more evenly with Wilson. He played 82 games and had a .284 batting average.
Before the 1933 season, Mancuso was traded to the New York Giants. The new manager, Bill Terry, wanted a fast team with good defense and pitching. Mancuso became the Giants' main catcher. He was in charge of a strong pitching staff. This included famous pitchers like Carl Hubbell and Freddie Fitzsimmons.
Thanks to Mancuso's leadership, the Giants' pitchers had the best earned run average in the National League. The team won their first championship in nine years. Even though Mancuso made some errors, he played the most games and caught the most base runners. The Giants then beat the Washington Senators in the 1933 World Series. Manager Bill Terry said Mancuso was a big reason for the team's success.
Sportswriters voted Mancuso as one of the best catchers in the league. He finished second in a poll to the Yankees' Bill Dickey. Mancuso also ranked sixth for the National League's Most Valuable Player award in 1933.
In 1935, Mancuso improved his batting average to .298. He was chosen as a reserve player for the 1935 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
His best season was in 1936. He hit for a .301 batting average. He also had career-highs with nine home runs and 63 runs batted in. The Giants won the National League championship again. Mancuso led all catchers in putouts and caught stealing. He also helped the Giants' pitching staff have the best earned run average in the league. However, the Giants lost the 1936 World Series to the New York Yankees. Mancuso finished eighth in the voting for the Most Valuable Player award that year.
In 1937, Mancuso was hitting well and earned his second All-Star selection. But a few days after the 1937 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, he broke a finger. Harry Danning took over as catcher and played very well. When Mancuso healed, they shared the catching duties.
The Giants won their second straight National League championship in 1937. They faced the New York Yankees again in the 1937 World Series. Mancuso started the first two games, but Danning played most of the series as the Yankees won. Danning became the Giants' main catcher in 1938.
Later Career and Retirement
The Giants traded Mancuso to the Chicago Cubs in 1939. He shared catching duties there. In 1940, he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Then, the Cardinals brought him back to St. Louis in 1941. Mancuso helped a young catcher named Walker Cooper develop his skills. When Cooper got hurt, Mancuso caught most of the Cardinals' games. He helped the team finish in second place by working with young pitchers.
Mancuso returned to the Giants in 1942 as a backup catcher and pitching coach. When Harry Danning joined the army, Mancuso became the main catcher again at age 37. He shared the job with Ernie Lombardi for the 1943 and 1944 seasons.
After the 1944 season, the Giants released him. His former teammate, Freddie Fitzsimmons, was managing the Philadelphia Phillies. He convinced Mancuso to play one more season in 1945. Mancuso caught 70 games and was also a full-time pitching coach. He played his final game on September 11, 1945, at age 40.
Gus Mancuso's Career Highlights
In his 17-year Major League Baseball career, Gus Mancuso played in 1,460 games. He had 1,194 hits and a career batting average of .265. He also hit 53 home runs and had 543 runs batted in. He was a two-time All-Star.
Mancuso was known for his defense. He led National League catchers three times in putouts. He also led twice in catching base runners trying to steal. His career percentage of catching base runners was 50.69%, which is one of the best of all time.
He was part of five teams that won their league's championship. He also caught for five pitchers who are now in the Baseball Hall of Fame. These legendary pitchers include Carl Hubbell, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Dizzy Dean, Burleigh Grimes, and Jesse Haines. Baseball historian Bill James ranked Mancuso as the 74th best catcher of all time.
After Playing Baseball
After his playing career, Mancuso became a player-manager for the Tulsa Oilers in 1946. In 1948, he managed the San Antonio Missions. In 1950, he became the pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds.
Mancuso also worked as a radio broadcaster. He started in 1951 with his hometown Houston team. Later, he worked with famous announcer Harry Caray for the St. Louis Cardinals' radio network until 1954. He then became a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Colt .45s. Gus Mancuso's younger brother, Frank Mancuso, was also a major league catcher.
Gus Mancuso was honored for his achievements. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1981. He was also elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. Gus Mancuso passed away in 1984 at the age of 78 in Houston, Texas.
Related links
- List of athletes on Wheaties boxes
- List of members of the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame
