| Johnny Lindell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder /Pitcher | |
| Born:(1916-08-30)August 30, 1916 Greeley, Colorado, U.S. | |
| Died: August 27, 1985(1985-08-27) (aged 68) Newport Beach, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 18, 1941, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 9, 1954, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .273 |
| Home runs | 72 |
| Runs batted in | 404 |
| Win–loss record | 8–18 |
| Earned run average | 4.47 |
| Strikeouts | 146 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
John Harlan Lindell (August 30, 1916 – August 27, 1985) was an American professionalbaseball player who was anoutfielder andpitcher inMajor League Baseball from 1941 to 1950 and from 1953 to 1954 for theNew York Yankees,St. Louis Cardinals,Philadelphia Phillies andPittsburgh Pirates. Lindell stood 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighed 217 pounds (98 kg); he threw and batted right-handed.
Born inGreeley, Colorado, Lindell attendedMonrovia High School inMonrovia, California, where he starred infootball andtrack as well as in baseball.[1] At the 1935 Southern California Prep Championships, he won the 120 yard High Hurdles and placed third in the long jump.[2] Lindell won a scholarship to attend theUniversity of Southern California.[1]
Lindell began his professionalbaseball career in 1936 at the age of 19 when he was signed by the New York Yankees organization.[3] He progressed through the Yankees'minor league system as a pitcher.[4] While playing for theKansas City Blues in 1940, he led theAmerican Association with 18 victories.[5] Lindell made his major league debut at the age of 24 with the Yankees on April 18,1941 before being returned to the minor leagues where, he won 23 games against 4 defeats to help theNewark Bears win theInternational League championship.[6][7] In December 1941, he was selected as the Minor League Player of the Year.[8]
Lindell returned to the major leagues in1942 as arelief pitcher but, Yankees managerJoe McCarthy thought that his lowstrikeout totals indicated that hisfast ball had lost its velocity.[9] Duringspring training in1943, McCarthy experimented with using Lindell as a first baseman and as an outfielder.[9] He hit well enough to win the starting right fielder's position and, had a batting average above the .300 mark in early June to earn a place as a reserve player for theAmerican League team in the1943 All-Star Game.[10][11][12] In the second half of the season, his hitting tapered off and he was replaced in the starting lineup byBud Metheny.[10] Lindell ended the season leading the league with 12triples along with a .245batting average in 122 games as the Yankees won the American League pennant by13+1⁄2 games over theWashington Senators.[3][13]
Lindell played a pivotal role in Game 3 of the1943 World Series against theSt. Louis Cardinals.[14] With the series tied at one game apiece and the Yankees trailing by a score of 2–1, Lindell hit asingle to lead off the eighthinning and, reached second base when center fielderHarry Walker mishandled the ball.[14] WhenSnuffy Stirnweiss hit abunt to first basemanRay Sanders, Lindell attempted to advance to third base. Sanders' throw reached third basemanWhitey Kurowski in time as Lindell made a head-first slide. His head bounced up into Kurowki's head forcing the third baseman to drop the ball.[14] The Yankees then proceeded to score fiveruns to win the game 6–2.[15] The play at third base was considered a turning point in the series as the Yankees went on to win the next two games and won the world championship.[16]
Lindell had his most productive season in1944 when he led the league in triples,extra base hits,total bases, and had a .300 batting average with 18home runs and 103runs batted in.[3][17] Also in 1944, Lindell tied a major league record by hitting fourdoubles in a game,[18] and he recorded 468putouts, the tenth best season total for an outfielder during the years he played. Lindell was drafted into the United States Army in June 1945 and only appeared in 44 games that season.[19] He was discharged from the Army in March 1946.[20]
With outfieldersJoe DiMaggio,Tommy Henrich andCharlie Keller returning to the Yankees from military service after the Second World War, Lindell slipped into the role of autility player.[21] An injury to Keller in1947 gave him another chance to play regularly and in the1947 World Series, Lindell had a .500 batting average, leading the team with 7 runs batted in, as the Yankees defeated theBrooklyn Dodgers in a seven-game series.[21][22] In1948, he posted a .317 batting average with 13 home runs, 55 runs batted in and a career-high .387on-base percentage while appearing in 88 games.
During spring training in1949, Lindell developed aknuckleball and new Yankees managerCasey Stengel experimented with using him as a relief pitcher.[21] On October 1, 1949, during a late-seasonpennant race, he hit an eighth-inning, game-winning,home run against theBoston Red Sox, putting the Yankees into a tie with their Boston arch-rivals with one game left to play.[23][24][25] The Yankees went on to win the final game to clinch the American Leaguepennant then defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in the1949 World Series.[26][27]
In May 1950, Lindell's contract was purchased by theSt. Louis Cardinals from the Yankees.[28] After posting just a .186 batting average in 36 games for the Cardinals, he was sold to the Cardinals' minor league affiliate, theColumbus Red Birds who then traded him to theHollywood Stars of theBrooklyn Dodgers organization.[28] The Stars'manager,Fred Haney, converted Lindell into a knuckleball pitcher and, in 1952, he won 24 games against 9 losses to help the Stars win thePacific Coast League pennant.[29][30] He led the league in victories and strikeouts and, was voted the league'sMost Valuable Player.[31] His knuckleball proved to be unpredictable as he also led the league inbases on balls.[31]
Lindell returned to the major leagues in 1953 at the age of 36 as a knuckleball pitcher, playing for thePittsburgh Pirates, before being traded to thePhiladelphia Phillies in August 1953.[28] His knuckleball proved to be difficult to control in 1953, as he led the league in bases on balls andwild pitches.[32] Although listed as a pitcher with the Pirates, he batted .286 and was used 34 times as a pinch-hitter, once tying a game with a 3-run ninth-inning home run. Lindell played his last major league game on May 9, 1954, at age 37.[3] The Phillies released him in May 1954.[28]
In a twelve-year major league career, Lindell played in 854games with 762hits in 2,795at bats for a .273 batting average along with 72 home runs, 404 runs batted in and a .344 on-base percentage.[3] As a pitcher, he compiled an 8–18 record with a 4.47earned run average.[3] He led American League outfielders in 1943 with a .994fielding percentage.[33]
Lindell died of lung cancer inLaguna Beach, California on August 27, 1985, just three days before his 69th birthday.[34]