In 1924, at the age of 27, manager and second baseman Stanley “Bucky” Harris—aka “The Boy Wonder”—led the Washington Senators to their only World Series championship. His incredible debut season at the helm of the Senators marked the beginning of remarkable 29-year managerial career that earned him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. This detailed biography chronicles Harris’s road to the top of his sport, including his youth in the coal mining region of eastern Pennsylvania, his brief stint in professional basketball, his early days as a baseball player, his 1947 world championship as manager of the Yankees, and his role in the racial integration of both the Senators and the Boston Red Sox. By highlighting Harris’ easy-going nature and intelligence, this profile makes it perfectly clear why one player being traded to Harris’ Senators declared, “Ask any ballplayer who he’d like to play for and he’d say Bucky Harris.”

SABR member Jack Smiles is associate editor of the Sunday Dispatch in Pittston, Pennsylvania. He lives in Wyoming, Pennsylvania.

Jack Smiles
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 320
Bibliographic Info: 33 photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4160-0
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8642-7
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Preface 1

 1. Bucky and Merle 3

 2. From the Diamond to the Cage 17

 3. The Telegram 35

 4. .300 Hitter 48

 5. Out of the Cage 57

 6. Boy Wonder 68

 7. Yankees Be Damned 89

 8. Serious About the Series 111

 9. Giant Killers 128

10. Down with His Best 146

11. Boy Wonder No More 170

12. From Detroit to Boston 180

13. Back to the Capital 193

14. Fired in Philly 202

15. Shuffle Off to Buffalo 209

16. Yankee Doodle Bucky 213

17. Fired Before Hired 224

18. Padre Bucky 233

19. A Third Term 240

20. The Cuban Connection 243

21. Killebrew and Kaline 253

22. Trouble in Beantown 262

23. Senior Citizen 270

24. Bucky as Dad 277

Epilogue 282

Appendix: Career Statistics and Highlights 287

Chapter Notes 291

Bibliography 305

Index 307