Irv Noren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Irv Noren |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: November 29, 1924 Jamestown, New York, U.S. |
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| Died: November 15, 2019 (aged 94) Oceanside, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 18, 1950, for the Washington Senators | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 1960, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .275 | ||
| Home runs | 65 | ||
| Runs batted in | 453 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Irving Arnold Noren (November 29, 1924 – November 15, 2019) was an American athlete who played both professional baseball and professional basketball. He was a talented outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1950 to 1960. Irv played for famous teams like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also played basketball for the Chicago American Gears in 1946–47.
After his playing days, Irv Noren became a minor league manager and a third-base coach. He was part of the Oakland Athletics teams that won the World Series in 1972 and 1973. Throughout his career as a player and coach, Noren was a member of five world championship teams. He passed away in 2019, just before his 95th birthday.
Irv Noren was born in Jamestown, New York. When he was 12, his family moved to Pasadena, California. He went to high school and then Pasadena City College there. He played both baseball and basketball in college. His college sports were paused when he served in the United States Army during World War II.
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Irv Noren's Playing Career
Irv Noren was a left-handed player, meaning he threw and batted with his left hand. He was about 6 feet tall and weighed 190 pounds. His professional baseball journey began in 1946 when the Brooklyn Dodgers signed him.
Rising Through the Minor Leagues
Noren spent four seasons playing in the Dodgers' minor league system. In 1948, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Double-A Texas League. The next year, 1949, he played for the Hollywood Stars. This team was a Triple-A team in the Pacific Coast League. Noren won the MVP award there too. He hit for a .330 average, had 224 hits, 29 home runs, and 130 runs batted in.
Joining Major League Baseball
Even with his great success, the Dodgers had many good outfielders. So, they sold Irv Noren's contract to the Washington Senators in 1949. Noren had an amazing first year in the American League in 1950. He hit .295 and set new personal bests. He had 160 hits, 14 home runs, and 98 runs batted in. He even finished 15th in the league's MVP voting.
In 1951, his second year, his performance was still strong. He had a .279 batting average and 86 runs batted in. In 1952, after playing just 12 games for the Senators, he was traded. He went to the famous New York Yankees in a big six-player deal.
Playing for the New York Yankees
For the next four and a half seasons, Irv Noren was a key player for the New York Yankees. He often played as a "platoon" outfielder. This means he would share playing time with other outfielders. He played in three World Series with the Yankees. All of these were against his old team, the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In the 1955 World Series, Noren started four games in centerfield. He was filling in for the injured superstar Mickey Mantle. However, Noren struggled at the plate in the World Series games. He only got 4 hits in 27 tries across the three Series he played in. Even so, he was part of the winning Yankees team in 1956. His best regular season with the Yankees was in 1954. He hit a career-high .319 in 125 games. The Yankees won 103 games that year. Overall, Noren hit .272 with 31 home runs during his time with the Yankees.
Later MLB Teams
In 1957, Noren was traded to the Kansas City Athletics. He continued to play well, hitting over .300 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1957 and the Chicago Cubs in 1959. He finished his baseball career in 1960 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In total, Irv Noren played in 1,093 MLB games over 11 seasons. He collected 857 hits, including 157 doubles, 35 triples, and 65 home runs. He also had 453 runs batted in. His lifetime batting average was .275. He was also a good fielder, playing all three outfield positions and first base.
Basketball Career
Besides baseball, Irv Noren also played professional basketball. He briefly played for the Chicago American Gears in the National Basketball League. This was during the 1946–47 season, where he appeared in three games.
Irv Noren's Coaching Career
After his playing days, Irv Noren stayed in baseball as a manager and coach.
Managing in the Minor Leagues
From 1962 to 1963, Noren managed the Hawaii Islanders, a Triple-A team. He was known for fining players if they got too sunburned to play! The Islanders had a good record under him. In 1964, he worked as a scout for the Washington Senators. After a few years away from baseball, he managed in the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league system in 1970.
Coaching for World Series Champions
From 1971 to 1973, Noren was a coach for the Oakland Athletics. He worked under manager Dick Williams, who was also a high school friend. Noren was part of the A's teams that won the American League West Division in 1971. Then, he helped coach the A's to two straight World Series championships in 1972 and 1973.
When manager Dick Williams left after the 1973 season, Noren stayed on the coaching staff. He worked with the new manager, Alvin Dark. However, Noren and Dark did not get along well. In July 1974, Noren was replaced as the third-base coach. This meant he missed out on the A's winning their third straight World Series title that year.
Noren spent one more season in the Major Leagues as a coach. He coached for the Chicago Cubs in 1975.
