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| Jim Turner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1903-08-06)August 6, 1903 Antioch, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| Died: November 29, 1998(1998-11-29) (aged 95) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 30, 1937, for the Boston Bees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 13, 1945, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 69–60 |
| Earned run average | 3.22 |
| Strikeouts | 329 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
James Riley Turner (August 6, 1903 – November 29, 1998) was an Americanpitcher andcoach inMajor League Baseball. As a member of theCincinnati Reds andNew York Yankees, he was a member of nineWorld Series Championship teams between 1940 and 1959, two as a player and seven as a coach. Most notably, he was pitching coach for the Yankees underCasey Stengel from 1949 to 1959, during which time they won seven titles. Apart from his baseball career, Turner was a lifelong resident ofNashville, Tennessee.
From 1937 through 1945, he played for theBoston Bees (1937–39),Cincinnati Reds (1940–42) andNew York Yankees (1942–45). Turner's Major League career got off to a late start, as he did not reach the big leagues until he was 33 years old, after 14 seasons of minor league ball. He led theNational League inearned run average andwon 20 games in 1937 as a rookie withBoston.[1] He surrendered a league-high 21 home runs in 1938. Because he worked for his family's dairy farm in the offseason inAntioch, Tennessee, he was known as "Milkman Jim" to his fans.
For his career, Turner compiled a 69–60 record in 231 games, with a 3.22 earned run average and 329strikeouts.[2] He was a member of twoWorld Series championship teams, the1940 Reds and the1943 Yankees, as well as the1942 Yankees team that won theAmerican League pennant. In twopostseason appearances, Turner was 0–1 with a 6.43 ERA and 4 strikeouts in 7innings pitched.
Turner was a better than average hitting pitcher, posting a .218batting average (87-for-399) with 32runs, one home run and 22 RBI.
After his pitching career ended, Turner served the Yankees (1949–59; 1966–73) and Reds (1961–65) as theirpitching coach, working for ten pennant-winning clubs over that 24-year span. He alsomanaged theBeaumont Exporters (1946),Portland Beavers (1947–48) andNashville Volunteers (1960).
Turner was criticized byJim Bouton in his book,Ball Four. Bouton claimed Turner (his pitching coach with the Yankees from 1966 to 1968) was a front-runner, who only wanted to be associated with successful pitchers.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by n/a Cot Deal | New York YankeesPitching Coach 1949–1959 1966–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cincinnati RedsPitching Coach 1961–1965 | Succeeded by |