| Don Heffner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Second baseman /Manager | |
| Born:(1911-02-08)February 8, 1911 Rouzerville, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: August 1, 1989(1989-08-01) (aged 78) Pasadena, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 17, 1934, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| April 29, 1944, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .241 |
| Home runs | 6 |
| Runs batted in | 248 |
| Managerial record | 37–46 |
| Winning % | .446 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Donald Henry Heffner (February 8, 1911 – August 1, 1989) was an Americansecond baseman,coach andmanager inMajor League Baseball. Born inRouzerville, Pennsylvania, he threw and battedright-handed, and was listed as 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and 155 pounds (70 kg).
Heffner enteredprofessional baseball in 1929. After all or parts of four seasons with the then-minor leagueBaltimore Orioles, Heffner joined theNew York Yankees for the 1934 season.[1] He spent four seasons with the Yanks as a part-time player before a trade to theSt. Louis Browns afforded him an opportunity to play regularly. He appeared in more than 100 games from 1938 to 1941 with St. Louis, including regular stints at second base (1938; 1940–41) andshortstop (1939), before reverting to a reserve role. He finished his playing career with thePhiladelphia Athletics andDetroit Tigers in 1943–44. In 743 games over all or parts of 11 American League seasons (1934–44), Heffnerbatted .241 with sixhome runs and 610hits.
In 1947, he began his managing career in the Browns'farm system, and he promptly won consecutive pennants in his first two seasons. He returned to the Major Leagues as a coach with the Athletics, now based inKansas City, in 1958–60 and the Tigers in 1961. Heffner then spent two successful seasons managing theSan Diego Padres of thePacific Coast League, winning the 1962 league championship, before becoming third-base coach of theNew York Mets in 1964–65.
In October 1965, he succeededDick Sisler as manager of theCincinnati Reds. Heffner was hired by longtime associateBill DeWitt, the Reds' owner andgeneral manager who was the front office boss of the Browns during Heffner's playing days.
The Reds were afirst division finisher in 1965 and hopes were high for a pennant run the following year—especially after DeWitt added front-line startingpitcherMilt Pappas in a blockbuster trade with Baltimore involving formerNational Leaguemost valuable playerFrank Robinson. But while the Orioles roared to the AL pennant and world championship in 1966, the Reds never got on track under their new skipper. Heffner tried to convert all-star second basemanPete Rose into athird baseman, only to draw the popular star's wrath. (Oddly, Rose would later willingly become a third baseman forSparky Anderson). The Reds struggled to reach the .500 mark during the season's first three months, and finally peaked at 36–35 on June 28. Cincinnati then proceeded to lose 11 games in a row. They broke their losing streak in the last game before theAll-Star break on July 10.
But it was too late to save Heffner's job. With Cincinnati in eighth place in the National League with a record of 37–46 (.446) on July 13, Heffner was released in favor ofDave Bristol, who was serving as his third-base coach.
Heffner never again managed in the Major Leagues. He spent 1967–68 as aCalifornia Angels coach and 1969 as manager of theDenver Bears of theAmerican Association.
Heffner died at age 78 inPasadena, California from pneumonia.[2] He was interred at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum inAltadena.
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by | New York Metsthird-base coach 1964–1965 | Succeeded by |
