| Jim Hegan | |
|---|---|
 Hegan in about 1953 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1920-08-03)August 3, 1920 Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: June 17, 1984(1984-06-17) (aged 63) Swampscott, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 9, 1941, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 4, 1960, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .228 |
| Home runs | 92 |
| Runs batted in | 525 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
James Edward Hegan (August 3, 1920 – June 17, 1984) was anAmerican professionalbaseball player,coach, andscout. He played for 17 seasons as acatcher inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from1941 to1942 and1946 to1960, most prominently with theCleveland Indians where he was an integral member of the1948 World Series winning team. A five-timeAll-Star player, Hegan was a light-hitting player offensively, but he distinguished himself as one of the best defensive catchers of his era as well as a capable handler of pitching staffs.[1][2]
After retiring as a player, he continued to serve as a major league coach in a baseball career that spanned almost 40 years. Hegan was inducted into theCleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 1966.[3]
Born inLynn, Massachusetts, Hegan attendedLynn English High School and was signed by the Cleveland Indians in1938.[4][5] After playing in theminor leagues for four seasons, he made his major league debut with the Indians on September 7,1941 at the age of 20.[4] Hegan appeared in 68 games for the Indians in1942, before joining theUnited States Coast Guard for the remainder of the Second World War.[6]
When Hegan returned in1946 he became the Indians' regular starting catcher, replacingFrankie Hayes. In his second season back after the war, Hegan was recognized as one of the top catchers in theAmerican League when, he was selected as a reserve in the1947 All-Star Game.[7] He had his best season offensively in1948, posting a .248batting average along with 14home runs and 61 runs batted in, as the Indians finished the season tied for first place with theBoston Red Sox.[4][8]
After defeating the Red Sox in aone-game playoff, the Indians went on to defeat theBoston Braves in the1948 World Series.[9][10] Despite his low batting average, Hegan ended the season ranked in 19th place in the1948 American LeagueMost Valuable Player Award voting, due in part to his handling of the Indians'pitching staff which led the league inwinning percentage,shutouts and inearned run average.[11][12]
Hegan'spitch-calling skills continued to be made evident as, the Indian's pitching staff would lead the American League in earned run average every year from1948 to1951.[12][13][14][15] In1951 and1952, the Indians' pitching staff would have three 20-game winning pitchers.[15][16] Clevelandpitchers gave Hegan credit for part of their success.[1][17]
Cleveland IndianHall of Fame pitcherBob Feller was quoted as saying,"He was one of the best defensive catchers in baseball history. Jim called a good game. We disagreed rarely. Jim was very good at keeping pitchers calm."[1]
Another Hall of Fame pitcher,Bob Lemon said of Hegan, "When I first started pitching, I used to shake him off sometimes. Invariably, they'd get ahit. So I stopped shaking him off."[1]
In1954, Hegan would again lead the Indians' pitching staff to the lowest earned run average in the league and committed only 4errors in 137 games played as, the Indians won the American Leaguepennant with a then-record 111 victories in a 154-game season.[4][18][19] The Indians would eventually lose to theNew York Giants in the1954 World Series.[20] Hegan would once again guide the Indians' pitching staff to the league's lowest earned run average in1956 as, the Indians boasted three 20-game winning pitchers for the third time during his career.[21][22]
After the1957 season, Hegan was traded to theDetroit Tigers.[5] He was traded several more times before ending his playing career with the Chicago Cubs in1960 at the age of 39.[5]
Hegan would be the Indians starting catcher for 11 seasons from1946 until1956.[23] In 1,666games played, Hegan had a 1,087hits for a .228 batting average, with 92home runs and 525runs batted in.[4] During his career, he led American League catchers three times inputouts,assists,double plays,total chances per game andfielding percentage and, had a career fielding percentage of .990.[1]
At the time of his retirement in 1960, Hegan's .990 career fielding percentage was second only toBuddy Rosar among retired catchers. His 49.77% career caught stealing percentage ranks 16th all-time among major league catchers.[24] Hegan caught 121shutouts in his career, ranking him 9th all-time among major league catchers.[25] He is the Indians' all-time leader in games played as a catcher with 1,491.[26]
As a testament to Hegan'spitch-calling skills during this period, the Indians' pitching staff was the best in baseball, leading theAmerican League six times inearned run average.[27] Hegan was selected to be anAmerican League All-Star five times during his playing career.[4] During his career, Hegan was the catcher for six 20-game winning pitchers (Bob Feller, Bob Lemon,Gene Bearden,Early Wynn,Mike Garcia,Herb Score), and he caughtno hitters by three different pitchers:Don Black (1947), Bob Lemon (1948) and Bob Feller (1951).[1] Moreover, Hegan caught for a record seven different pitchers who would eventually be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.[28]
Despite his considerable defensive skills, because he was a light-hitting player, Hegan is almost a forgotten man in major league baseball history.[2][17] Yankee Hall of Fame catcherBill Dickey once said about Hegan's fielding abilities, "If I had been able to catch like Hegan I wouldn't have needed to hit".[2][29]
He began his coaching career as a playing coach for the Cubs working under former Cleveland teammateLou Boudreau in1960. In mid-year, after his active career ended July 4, Hegan became the full-timebullpen coach for theNew York Yankees, helping to mentor future catching stand outsThurman Munson andRick Dempsey.[30] He served with the Yankees through the1973 season.
He then moved withmanagerRalph Houk to theDetroit Tigers for five years, through1978. He finished his career in uniform back with the Yankees as a coach (1979–80), and was serving as a scout for the Yankees when he died on June 17, 1984, at the age of 63 inSwampscott, Massachusetts, of aheart attack.[1]
Jim Hegan's son,Mike Hegan, was an All-Starfirst baseman who played major league baseball from 1964 to 1977, and later asports commentator for both theMilwaukee Brewers and Indians, retiring shortly before his death in 2013.
Mike had two different tenures with the Yankees in the 1960s and 1970s, both times overlapping with Jim's tenure on the Yankee coaching staff.