| Tom Herr | |
|---|---|
 Herr with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: (1956-04-04)April 4, 1956 (age 68) Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 13, 1979, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 4, 1991, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .271 |
| Home runs | 28 |
| Runs batted in | 574 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Thomas Mitchell Herr (born April 4, 1956) is an American former professionalbaseballsecond baseman, who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theSt. Louis Cardinals,Minnesota Twins,Philadelphia Phillies,San Francisco Giants, andNew York Mets, from1979 to1991. Although he never won aGold Glove Award, Herr retired with the highest all-time career fielding percentage for National League second basemen (.989), a figure that was matched and surpassed a few years later whenHall of FamerRyne Sandberg retired.[1][2]
Herr started his minor league career with theJohnson City Cardinals in 1975. Two years later, he led the league with 156 hits, 80 runs, 50 stolen bases, and 515 at-bats while playing for St. Petersburg.[3] Herr played in the1982,1985, and1987 World Series – all with the Cardinals, finishing fifth in theMVP voting and making his only appearance in theAll-Star Game in 1985. During the 1985 season, he set career highs in nearly every statistical category, including 110 RBIs which came along with only 8 home runs. A rare feat in the modern era of baseball, Herr remains the last NL player to drive in 100 or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs.Paul Molitor is the most recent AL and MLB player to drive in 100 or more runs in a season while hitting fewer than 10 home runs (9 home runs, 113 RBI in 1996). Early in the 1988 season he was traded to the Twins forTom Brunansky.
In a 13-season career, he batted .271 with 28 home runs and 574 RBIs in 1,514 games. He had 1,450 careerhits in 5,349at bats. An excellent second baseman, Herr recorded a career .989fielding percentage. He is perhaps best remembered for hitting a walk-offgrand slam in extra innings against the New York Mets on April 18, 1987. After Herr hit the grand slam many fans atBusch Stadium threw their stadium give-away seat cushions onto the field in celebration. The grand slam is also well known forJack Buck's memorable call onKMOX radio.[4]
Herr was hired in November 2004 as the first manager of his hometownLancaster Barnstormers, a team in the independentAtlantic League of Professional Baseball, and led the team to the 2006 Atlantic League championship. His success in Lancaster piqued the interest of theWashington Nationals, resulting in a managerial position with the Single-AHagerstown Suns for the 2007 season. The Suns finished last in the Southern Atlantic League in 2007 with a 55–81 record. Following the 2007 season, Herr left the Nationals organization after his request to manage their Double-A affiliate, theHarrisburg Senators, was refused. After leaving the Nationals, he sought employment with other major league organizations, including theSt. Louis Cardinals, without success. Herr then sought to return to the Barnstormers as their manager for the 2008 season, but lost out toVon Hayes. In December 2008, the Barnstormers announced that Hayes has hired Herr to be his bench coach in 2009.
Herr's son,Aaron, played professional baseball.