Jimmy Dykes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jimmy Dykes |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Dykes in 1923
|
|||
| Third baseman / Second baseman / Manager | |||
| Born: November 10, 1896 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|||
| Died: June 15, 1976 (aged 79) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| May 6, 1918, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 1, 1939, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .280 | ||
| Hits | 2,256 | ||
| Home runs | 108 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,069 | ||
| Managerial record | 1,406–1,541 | ||
| Winning % | .477 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
As coach
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
James Joseph Dykes (born November 10, 1896 – died June 15, 1976) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third and second baseman. His career lasted from 1918 to 1939.
Dykes was a key part of the Philadelphia Athletics team. This team won three American League championships in a row from 1929 to 1931. They also won the World Series in 1929 and 1930. Later in his playing career, Dykes played for the Chicago White Sox.
He was a great hitter, with a batting average over .300 five times. He played alongside famous players like Al Simmons, Jimmie Foxx, and Mickey Cochrane. Dykes was also a strong defensive player. He led the American League in assists at second base once and at third base twice.
After he stopped playing, Dykes became a successful manager. He won 899 games for the Chicago White Sox. This made him the winningest manager in their history. He was also the first manager to win 1,000 games without winning a league championship.
Early Baseball Days
Jimmy Dykes was born in Philadelphia. He started playing baseball at age 16 in 1913. He played for local teams, earning a small amount of money. By the time he was 19, he played in the Delaware County League.
He began his MLB career on May 6, 1918, with the Philadelphia Athletics. After that season, he served in the Army during World War I. In 1919, he spent time in the minor leagues. But he soon became a favorite of manager Connie Mack. Dykes was good at playing many different positions. He stayed with the Athletics for 14 years.
Dykes was known for his powerful hitting and strong throwing arm. He hit many home runs in 1921 and 1922. He also had great batting averages: .312 in 1924, .323 in 1925, and .324 in 1927. In 1924, he was named the team's Most Valuable Player.
In one game in 1927, he played every position except catcher and left fielder. He even pitched for a bit! In 1929, Dykes had his best batting average, .327. He helped the Athletics win their first American League title in 15 years. They beat the New York Yankees, who had Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Dykes was one of six Athletics players who batted over .310 that year. In the 1929 World Series against the Chicago Cubs, he batted an amazing .421. In Game 4, he helped his team come back from an 8–0 score. The Athletics scored 10 runs in one inning and won the Series in five games.
Later Playing Career
In 1930, Dykes batted .301 as the Athletics won the World Series again. In the 1930 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, he hit a 2-run home run in the final Game 6.
In 1931, his batting average was .273. The Athletics won their third straight championship. However, they lost the World Series to the Cardinals.
After the 1932 season, the Great Depression made it hard for teams to make money. The Athletics' owner, Connie Mack, sold many of his best players. In September 1932, Dykes, Al Simmons, and Mule Haas were sold to the Chicago White Sox. While with the White Sox, Dykes was chosen for the first two All-Star Games in 1933 and 1934.
Over his 22 seasons, Dykes had a career batting average of .280. He had 2,256 hits, 108 home runs, and 1,069 runs batted in. He was hit by a pitch 115 times, which was one of the highest numbers in American League history at the time. He was the last active player who had played in the 1910s.
Managing Teams
In 1934, Jimmy Dykes became the manager of the Chicago White Sox. He was a player-manager until 1939. This means he played and managed the team at the same time. After 1936, he mostly focused on managing. He stayed as manager until 1946.
His White Sox teams finished in third place three times. In 1936, they had a winning record. This was the first time they were close to winning the championship since 1920. His best season with the White Sox was 1937. They finished with 86 wins and 68 losses, again in third place.
As a manager, Dykes was known for being tough and arguing with umpires. He was often fined and suspended from games. He was ejected from games 62 times, which was one of the highest numbers ever.
After leaving the White Sox, Dykes coached in the minor leagues. He returned to the major leagues in 1949 as a coach for the Athletics. In 1950, he became the assistant manager. He took over most of the day-to-day managing duties. He officially became the manager in 1951 and stayed until 1953.
In 1954, Dykes became the first manager for the Baltimore Orioles. He managed them for one season. After that, he coached for the Cincinnati Redlegs in the National League. He was their interim manager for part of the 1958 season.
Dykes then returned to the American League to manage the Detroit Tigers in 1959. He helped the team improve. In 1960, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in a rare trade of managers. He managed the Indians until 1961.
Over 21 seasons as a manager, Dykes had 1,406 wins and 1,541 losses. He never won a league championship. After coaching for the Milwaukee Braves in 1962, he returned to the Athletics, who had moved to Kansas City. He retired after the 1964 season, ending 47 years in baseball.
Dykes was known as a good motivator for his players. He liked to use all the players on his team. He also enjoyed playing practical jokes, especially with exploding cigars!
When baseball started allowing Black players, Dykes recognized the talent of players like Jackie Robinson.
Jimmy Dykes passed away in Philadelphia at age 79.
Managerial Record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CWS | 1934 | 137 | 49 | 88 | .358 | 8th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1935 | 152 | 74 | 78 | .487 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1936 | 151 | 81 | 70 | .536 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1937 | 154 | 86 | 68 | .558 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1938 | 148 | 65 | 83 | .439 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1939 | 154 | 85 | 69 | .552 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1940 | 154 | 82 | 72 | .532 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1941 | 154 | 77 | 77 | .500 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1942 | 148 | 66 | 82 | .446 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1943 | 154 | 82 | 72 | .532 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1944 | 154 | 71 | 83 | .461 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1945 | 149 | 71 | 78 | .477 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1946 | 30 | 10 | 20 | .333 | resigned | – | – | – | – |
| CWS total | 1839 | 899 | 940 | .489 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| PHA | 1951 | 154 | 70 | 84 | .455 | 6th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| PHA | 1952 | 154 | 79 | 75 | .513 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| PHA | 1953 | 154 | 59 | 95 | .383 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| PHA total | 462 | 208 | 254 | .450 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| BAL | 1954 | 154 | 54 | 100 | .351 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| BAL total | 154 | 54 | 100 | .351 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| CIN | 1958 | 41 | 24 | 17 | .585 | 4th in NL | – | – | – | – |
| TEAM total | 41 | 24 | 17 | .585 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| DET | 1959 | 137 | 74 | 63 | .540 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| DET | 1960 | 96 | 44 | 52 | .458 | traded | – | – | – | – |
| DET total | 233 | 118 | 115 | .506 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| CLE | 1960 | 58 | 26 | 32 | .448 | 4th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CLE | 1961 | 160 | 77 | 83 | .481 | 5th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CLE total | 218 | 103 | 115 | .472 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total | 2947 | 1406 | 1541 | .477 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball managers by wins
- List of Major League Baseball player-managers
