Tommy Holmes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tommy Holmes |
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Holmes with the Boston Braves
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| Outfielder / Manager | |||
| Born: March 29, 1917 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
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| Died: April 14, 2008 (aged 91) Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 14, 1942, for the Boston Braves | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 28, 1952, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .302 | ||
| Home runs | 88 | ||
| Runs batted in | 581 | ||
| Managerial record | 61–69 | ||
| Winning % | .469 | ||
| Teams | |||
As player
As manager
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Thomas Francis Holmes (March 29, 1917 – April 14, 2008) was a famous American baseball player. He played as an outfielder and later became a manager in Major League Baseball. Tommy Holmes spent almost his entire playing career with the Boston Braves. He was known for his great hitting. His lifetime batting average was .302, which is very high. From 1944 to 1948, he hit over .300 every year. In 1945, he had his best year, hitting .352. He was also second in the race for the National League's Most Valuable Player Award that year.
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Who Was Tommy Holmes?
Tommy Holmes was born in Brooklyn, New York. When he was young, he wanted to be a boxer. However, his father did not want him to become a professional boxer. Tommy went to Brooklyn Technical High School. There, he showed how good he was at baseball. He had amazing batting averages of .613 and .585 in different seasons. This caught the eye of many baseball scouts. While still in high school, Tommy also played semi-professional games. He earned $5 for each game he played on Sundays.
Becoming a Major League Star
Tommy Holmes batted and threw with his left hand. He first signed a professional contract with the New York Yankees. But it was hard for him to join their main team. The Yankees had famous outfielders like Joe DiMaggio. Tommy played three great seasons with the Yankees' top farm team, the Newark Bears. He hit over .300 in all those seasons.
In February 1942, he was traded to the Boston Braves. Finally, he got a regular job in the major leagues. He quickly became a star. From 1944 to 1948, he hit over .300 for five years in a row. In 1944, Tommy could not join the military for World War II. This was because he had a sinus condition that could not be treated.
Amazing Hitting Streaks
Tommy Holmes was very popular with Boston Braves fans. In 1945, he finished second in the MVP voting for the National League. That year, he led the league in many ways. He had 224 hits, 28 home runs, and 47 doubles.
He also set a special record in 1945. He hit safely in 37 games in a row. This streak lasted from June 6 to July 8. Only two players, Bill Dahlen and Willie Keeler, had longer streaks in the 1890s. Pete Rose later broke Holmes's record in 1978 with a 44-game streak. Tommy Holmes also rarely struck out. In 1945, he only struck out 9 times. His ratio of home runs (28) to strikeouts that season was one of the best in baseball history.
Leading the Braves to Victory
In 1948, Tommy Holmes continued to play well. He had a .325 batting average in 139 games. He was the Braves' leadoff hitter. His strong play helped the Boston Braves win the National League pennant. A pennant means they won their league and got to play in the World Series. The team also had great players like Bob Elliott and the famous pitching trio of Spahn, Sain, and "pray for rain."
From Player to Manager
After the 1950 season, Tommy Holmes was 33 years old. He became a player-manager for the team's Class A farm club, the Hartford Chiefs. On June 19, 1951, the Boston Braves were struggling. Their manager, Billy Southworth, was replaced. Tommy Holmes was called back to Boston to manage his old team. He also played as a pinch-hitter. People hoped he could make the team better and bring fans back to Braves Field.
Under Holmes, the team played 48 wins and 47 losses for the rest of 1951. They finished in fourth place. But in 1952, they started with a record of 13 wins and 22 losses. So, Tommy was fired on May 31. He was replaced by Charlie Grimm. The Braves ended up in seventh place that year. They also had very few fans come to their games. The next spring, the team moved from Boston to Milwaukee. That time as manager was Tommy Holmes's only major league managing job.
Life After Playing Baseball
Tommy Holmes finished the 1952 season playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He even played left field in the final inning of Game 7 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. After that, he managed in the Braves' and Dodgers' farm systems from 1953 to 1957.
He ended his playing career with a .302 lifetime batting average. He had 88 home runs and 581 RBIs in 1,320 games. He played in the major leagues for eleven years. He was also a great fielder. He had a .989 fielding percentage. He never made more than 6 errors in any season. He also made more double plays (37) than errors (33) in his career.
In 1973, Tommy Holmes returned to baseball. He became the director of amateur baseball relations for the New York Mets. He held this job for 30 years. He retired when he was 86 years old.
Tommy Holmes passed away in 2008 in Boca Raton, Florida. He was 91 years old.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball player–managers
