Jerry Lynch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jerry Lynch |
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Lynch in 1966
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: July 17, 1930 Bay City, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Died: March 31, 2012 (aged 81) Austell, Georgia, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 15, 1954, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 2, 1966, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .277 | ||
| Home runs | 115 | ||
| Runs batted in | 470 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
Jerry Lynch (born July 17, 1930 – died March 31, 2012) was a famous American baseball player. People called him "the Hat", "Lynch the Pinch", and "the Allison Park Sweeper". He was one of the best pinch hitters in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. Jerry played for 13 seasons, from 1954 to 1966, with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds.
In 1961, Jerry Lynch was a key player for the Cincinnati Reds. That year, they won their first National League championship in 21 years! Even though he only had 181 turns at bat, he was still voted as one of the top players. Later, in 1988, he was honored in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
During his career, Jerry Lynch had a batting average of .277. He made 798 hits, including 123 doubles, 34 triples, and 115 home runs. He also helped his team score 470 runs and scored 364 runs himself.
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A Master of Pinch Hitting
Jerry Lynch didn't play every game. He wasn't the fastest in the field, and he found it hard to hit against left-handed pitchers. Because of this, he never played more than 122 games in a single season. But when the team needed a hit in a tough spot, especially against right-handed pitchers, Jerry was the player they called. He was known as one of the most feared left-handed pinch hitters of his time.
He made 116 hits when coming off the bench, which is one of the highest numbers in MLB history. When he retired, he had hit more pinch-hit home runs (18) than anyone else. Today, he still ranks third all-time in that special category.
Jerry once said that his teammate, Smoky Burgess, was the best pinch hitter he ever saw. But Jerry also believed he was the best at hitting in important moments because he hit 18 home runs in those situations. He said, "If you don't think you're the best, who will?"
For ten years, from 1957 to 1966, Jerry hit at least one pinch-hit home run every season, except for 1960. In 1960, he had a record 76 times coming off the bench. Overall, as a pinch hitter, he helped score 90 runs in 435 turns at bat. This means he scored a run about every 4.8 tries. He also hit 18 home runs in this role. His batting average as a pinch hitter was .264.
Jerry explained what makes a good pinch hitter: "The good pinch-hitter is the guy who can relax enough to get the pitch he can hit. You almost always do get one pitch to hit every time you bat. So you have to have the patience to wait. And then you've got to be able to handle the pitch when you get it."
Early Life and Baseball Start
Jerry Lynch was born on July 17, 1930, in Bay City, Michigan. He went to Bay City Central High School there. He started his professional baseball journey at 19 years old in 1950. He played for the Greenville Bucks before the New York Yankees signed him.
After serving two years in the military, he returned to baseball. He became a star in the Class B Piedmont League. He led the league in batting average (.333), slugging percentage (.592), hits (180), triples (22), and runs batted in (133). Even with his great talent, it was hard to join the main Yankees team because they had many experienced players. So, the Pittsburgh Pirates chose him in the Rule 5 Draft.
Jerry Lynch made his MLB debut with the Pirates on April 15, 1954. It was a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He started in right field and got one hit in four tries. His first hit was a two-run single.
He played regularly for his first two seasons. But injuries in 1956 limited him to only 19 games. After that season, the Cincinnati Reds picked him up. Jerry returned to the Pirates in 1963 in a trade. It was during this time that a Pirates announcer called him "The Allison Park Sweeper." This was because he lived in Allison Park, a suburb of Pittsburgh, and he had a quick, powerful swing.
Jerry hit his last home run on August 12, 1966. It was a pinch-hit solo home run against the Reds. It tied the game in the ninth inning, and the Pirates eventually won. This was his last time at Crosley Field, where he hit more home runs (46) than any other ballpark. The Pirates released him after that season.
The Amazing 1961 Season
Jerry Lynch had an incredible 1961 season. His timely hits often saved the Reds in a very close race for the National League championship. He finished the season with a .315 batting average, a .407 on-base percentage, and a .624 slugging percentage. These were the best numbers of his entire career.
He was especially good as a pinch hitter that year. He hit .404 and five home runs in 59 turns at bat in that role. He also had 25 runs batted in as a pinch hitter. This tied a major league record that Joe Cronin set in 1943 and Rusty Staub equaled in 1983.
On September 26, in a game in Chicago, Jerry Lynch hit a two-run home run that helped the Reds reach the World Series. His hit broke a tie in the seventh inning and led to a 5-3 victory.
However, Jerry did not start any of the World Series games against the New York Yankees. Even though Yankee Stadium was a good park for left-handed power hitters, he only played as a pinch hitter. He did not get any hits in the World Series, and the Reds lost in five games.
Life After Baseball
In 1964, as their baseball careers were ending, Jerry Lynch and his Pirates teammate Dick Groat started building a golf course. It was called Champion Lakes Golf Course in Ligonier. It became one of the top public golf courses in Western Pennsylvania.
Jerry Lynch later moved to the Atlanta, Georgia, area in the late 1980s. He passed away on March 31, 2012, at the age of 81, in Austell, Georgia. His ashes were spread on a golf course. He was survived by his wife, Alice, and his children, Mark, Keith, Gerald, and Kimberly.
Dick Groat, his former teammate, spoke highly of Jerry. He said, "There will be no questions or discussions -- he goes straight to heaven. He was one of the finest people to have ever walked the earth."
