| Whitey Lockman | |
|---|---|
 Lockman at thePolo Grounds in 1953 | |
| Outfielder /First baseman /Manager | |
| Born:(1926-07-25)July 25, 1926 Lowell, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: March 17, 2009(2009-03-17) (aged 82) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 5, 1945, for the New York Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 24, 1960, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .279 |
| Home runs | 114 |
| Runs batted in | 563 |
| Managerial record | 157–162 |
| Winning % | .492 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Carroll Walter"Whitey"Lockman (July 25, 1926 – March 17, 2009)[1] was an American left-handed hittingfirst baseman andoutfielder,coach,manager and front office executive inMajor League Baseball.
Born inLowell, North Carolina, Lockman signed with the Giants as a 17-year-old during World War II and came to New York from theminor leagues in the middle of the 1945 season, just prior to his 19th birthday. Lockman hit a home run in his first at-bat becoming the youngest to do so in MLB history; his record still stands, as of 2025, with the most recent player to come close being 20-year-oldJasson Domínguez in 2023.[2] Hebatted .341 in limited duty that season.
On October 3,1951, Lockman scored the tying run, just ahead ofBobby Thomson, on Thomson'shome run that gave theNew York Giants theNational League championship—baseball's "Shot Heard 'Round the World." Lockman's one-out double against theBrooklyn Dodgers had scoredAlvin Dark with the Giants' first run of the inning, and made the score 4–2, Brooklyn. His hit knocked Dodger pitcherDon Newcombe out of the game, and, on the play, Giant baserunnerDon Mueller broke his ankle sliding into third base. While Mueller was being carried off the field to be replaced bypinch runnerClint Hartung, Dodger managerChuck Dressen, acting on the instructions of Dodger bullpen coachClyde Sukeforth, called on relief pitcherRalph Branca, whose second pitch was hit by Thomson over the head ofAndy Pafko into thePolo Grounds' lower left field stands for a game-winning, three-run homer. However in the1951 World Series, won in six games by theNew York Yankees, Lockman hit .240 with a home run. Three years later, he batted only .111 in the1954 Fall Classic, but the Giants swept theCleveland Indians to win the world championship.
In his only All-Star appearance, Lockman was the National League's starting first baseman in the1952 All-Star Game atShibe Park in Philadelphia. The game was called off after five innings due to rain.
In 1956, Lockman was traded to theSt. Louis Cardinals. His time in St. Louis was brief, however, as the Cardinals sent him back to the Giants after the end of the 1956 season. He was a member of the Giants' last New York team, and their first San Francisco outfit, when the club moved West in1958. He finished his playing career in 1959–60 with theBaltimore Orioles andCincinnati Reds.
Appearing in 1,666 games, Lockman had a .279 career batting average with 114 home runs and 563 RBI.
Lockman's coaching career began immediately after his playing days ended, as he joined the Reds' staff in 1960 under skipperFred Hutchinson. In 1961, when his old teammate Dark became manager of the Giants, Lockman became his third base coach, serving through 1964. Lockman then joined theChicago Cubs as a minor league manager (1965; 1967–70), MLB coach (1966), and, then, supervisor of player development.[3]
In July 1972, he succeeded his old mentor,Leo Durocher, as the team's manager, and the revitalized Cubs won 39 of 65 games to improve two places in the standings. But losing marks in 1973 and into 1974 cost Lockman his job; he was relieved of his duties July 24, 1974 and moved back into the Chicago front office, serving as vice president, player development, to 1976.[3] Lockman later was a player development official and special assignment scout for theMontreal Expos andFlorida Marlins.
He finished with a career major league managing record of 157–162 (.492). he died in 2009
· Baseball Almanac