| Marty Marion | |
|---|---|
 Marion in about 1953 | |
| Shortstop /Manager | |
| Born:(1917-12-01)December 1, 1917 Richburg, South Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: March 15, 2011(2011-03-15) (aged 93) Ladue, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 16, 1940, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 6, 1953, for the St. Louis Browns | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .263 |
| Home runs | 36 |
| Runs batted in | 624 |
| Managerial record | 356–372 |
| Winning % | .489 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Martin Whiteford "Mr. Shortstop"Marion (December 1, 1917 – March 15, 2011) was an AmericanMajor League Baseballshortstop andmanager. Marion played for theSt. Louis Cardinals and theSt. Louis Browns between 1940 and 1953. He was a defensive stalwart of the Cardinals' dynasty in the 1940s, which saw them win threeWorld Series in a five year span, and was named theNational LeagueMost Valuable Player in 1944, the first shortstop in the history of the National League to win the award.[1] Marion managed the Cardinals in 1951, the Browns from June 10, 1952, through 1953, and theChicago White Sox from September 14, 1954 through 1956. During his career, he batted and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed 170 pounds (77 kg).
Marion was born inRichburg, South Carolina. He grew up inAtlanta, where he attended Tech High School and played baseball for theGeorgia TechYellow Jackets.[2][3] His older brother,Red Marion, was briefly anoutfielder in theAmerican League and a long-time manager in theminor leagues. Nicknamed "Slats", Marion had unusually long arms which reached forgrounders like tentacles, promptingsportswriters to call him "The Octopus". A childhood leg injury deferred him from military service inWorld War II.[4]
From 1940 to 1950, Marion led theNational League shortstops infielding percentage four times, despite several other players being moved around the infield during these years. In 1941 he played all 154 games at shortstop (also a league-high) and in 1947 he made only 15 errors for a consistent .981 percentage.
Marion was also a better-than-average hitter for a shortstop. His most productive season came in 1942, when he hit .276 with a league-leading 38doubles. In the1942 World Series, one of four series in which he participated with the Cardinals, he helped his team to a World Championship. In 1943 he batted a career-high .280 in the regular season and hit .357 in the1943 World Series.
He played with many second basemen throughout his career, includingFrank "Creepy" Crespi. Marion commented after the 1941 season that Crespi's play was the best he ever saw by a second baseman. Crespi once took onJoe Medwick on the field (during a game) when he was trying to intimidate Marion. They remained friends until Crespi's death in 1990.[citation needed]
Marion's playing career was interrupted in 1951 by knee and back injuries.[2] That season, he succeededEddie Dyer as manager of the Cardinals, leading them to an 80–73record and a third place finish, but was replaced byEddie Stanky at the end of 1951. He then moved to theAmerican League Browns as a player-coach, and took the reins fromRogers Hornsby on June 10, 1952, as their player-manager. The last pilot in St. Louis Browns history, he was let go after the 1953 season when the Browns moved to Baltimore as theOrioles. He then signed as acoach for the White Sox for the 1954 campaign and was promoted to manager that September, when skipperPaul Richards left Chicago to take on the dual jobs of field manager andgeneral manager in Baltimore. Marion led the White Sox for two-plus seasons, finishing third in the American League each time, before he stepped down at the end of 1956.
In 1958, Marion purchased theDouble-A minor leagueHouston Buffaloes from the Cardinals, and successfully moved the team to theTriple-A level under theChicago Cubs farm system.[5] He later sold the team to a group led by William Hopkins on August 16, 1960.[6] Hopkins then sold the team to the Houston Sports Association led byRoy Hofheinz who had obtained a major league franchise in theNational League which became theHouston Astros.[7]
In a 13-season career, Marion posted a .263batting average with 36home runs and 624RBI in 1572games. His careerfielding percentage was .969. He madeAll-Star Game appearances from 1943 to 1944 and 1946–1950 (There was no All-Star Game in 1945). In 1944, he earned the National LeagueMost Valuable Player Award. As a manager, he compiled a 356–372 record.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| STL | 1951 | 154 | 81 | 73 | .526 | 3rd in NL | – | – | – | – |
| STL total | 154 | 81 | 73 | .526 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| SLB | 1952 | 103 | 42 | 61 | .408 | 7th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| SLB | 1953 | 154 | 54 | 100 | .351 | 8th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| SLB total | 257 | 96 | 161 | .374 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| CWS | 1954 | 9 | 3 | 6 | .333 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1955 | 154 | 91 | 63 | .591 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS | 1956 | 154 | 85 | 69 | .552 | 3rd in AL | – | – | – | – |
| CWS total | 317 | 179 | 138 | .565 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total | 728 | 356 | 372 | .489 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
In 1957, Marion and business partner Milton Fischman attempted to buy theMinneapolis Lakers of theNational Basketball Association from ownersBen Berger andMorris Chalfen with the intention to move the team toKansas City, Missouri. Instead, Berger and Chalfen sold the team toBob Short, who moved the team toLos Angeles.
Marion died of an apparent heart attack on March 15, 2011, at the age of 93. He lived inLadue, Missouri.[8][9]
