| Eric McNair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Infielder | |
| Born:(1909-04-12)April 12, 1909 Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. | |
| Died: March 11, 1949(1949-03-11) (aged 39) Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 20, 1929, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 19, 1942, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .274 |
| Home runs | 82 |
| Runs batted in | 633 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Donald Eric McNair (April 12, 1909 – March 11, 1949) was an American professionalbaseballshortstop inMajor League Baseball from 1929 to 1942. He played for thePhiladelphia Athletics,Boston Red Sox,Detroit Tigers, andChicago White Sox. McNair became an everyday player with Philadelphia in 1932, and he led the league in doubles that season. After his playing days, McNair had brief tenures as a minor-league manager and as a baseball scout. He died of heart problems at age 39.
McNair grew up inMeridian, Mississippi, and he grew up playing sandlot baseball on field in the backyard of Johnson Moss, a man who had become well known in Meridian for his success in the cotton business. Moss also controlled organized local youth and adult teams in Meridian, and McNair played well enough that Moss got him on a youth team and then onto the local adult team, the Moss Specials. McNair then played for the Meridian team in theCotton States League.[1]
McNair spent much of 1929 with minor-league teams in Memphis and Knoxville. Late in the year, he was called up to the Philadelphia Athletics.[2] The team went to the World Series that year, but McNair had been called up too late to be included in the World Series roster.Connie Mack andJohn Shibe arranged for McNair to serve as an usher so that he could watch his team play. McNair said that he had great difficulty directing fans to their seats, so he ultimately took off his badge and sat in an aisle to watch the games. The Athletics won that series four games to one.[1]
In 1932, his first season as a major league regular, McNair led theAmerican League indoubles with 47. He struggled in the infield during the early part of that season, often committing two errors in the same game. ManagerJimmy Dykes helped him to relax and to forget about errors after they happened, which led to better overall fielding.[3]
McNair was a member of a 1934 All-American team that toured China, Japan and the Philippines, playing against teams in those countries. McNair recalled that the series in Japan was particularly popular: After 75,000 people attended each of the first four games, the Japanese government cancelled the fifth game out of concern that too many people were neglecting their work.[4]
In 1936, for reasons that are still unknown, McNair wore uniform number 4 rather than his previous number 6 jersey. Player-managerJoe Cronin wore number 4 for the Red Sox in every other season between 1935 and 1945; the Red Sox later retired Cronin's number.[5][6]
In a 14-year, 1251-game career, McNair compiled a .274batting average (1240-for-4519) with 592runs, 229doubles, 29triples, 82home runs, 633RBI and 261bases on balls. He recorded a .950fielding percentage as an infielder.
McNair was nicknamed "Rabbit" or "Boob", a play on the name of the title character of theRube Goldberg comic stripBoob McNutt.[7][8]
In 1937, McNair's first wife died in childbirth.[9] McNair's brother Ralph was a police officer in Meridian who also played minor-league baseball.[10]
In 1948, McNair served as manager of the Class A Savannah Indians, aSouth Atlantic League farm club of the Philadelphia Athletics. He suffered from heart problems in the middle of that season. After the season was over, the Athletics moved him into a scouting role.[7] However, before he got much opportunity to serve in that role, McNair died of aheart attack on March 11, 1949.[11] In 1963, McNair was posthumously inducted into theMississippi Sports Hall of Fame.[12]
· Baseball Almanac