| Pete Runnels | |
|---|---|
 Runnels c.1953 | |
| Infielder /Manager | |
| Born:(1928-01-28)January 28, 1928 Lufkin, Texas, U.S. | |
| Died: May 20, 1991(1991-05-20) (aged 63) Pasadena, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 1, 1951, for the Washington Senators | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 14, 1964, for the Houston Colt .45s | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .291 |
| Home runs | 49 |
| Runs batted in | 630 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
James Edward "Pete"Runnels (January 28, 1928 – May 20, 1991) was an American professionalbaseball player,coach andmanager. He played inMajor League Baseball as aninfielder for theWashington Senators (1951–57),Boston Red Sox (1958–62) andHouston Colt .45s (1963–64). Runnels was a five-timeAll-Star player during his tenure with the Red Sox and, is notable for being a two-time American Leaguebatting champion. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004.[1]
Born inLufkin, Texas, the 6 ft (1.8 m), 170 lb (77 kg) Runnels batted left-handed and threw right-handed. A master at handling the bat, he was a notorioussingles hitter who had one of the best eyes in the game, compiling an outstanding 1.35walk-to-strikeout ratio (844-to-627). Altogether, hebatted over .300 six times, once with the Senators, five with the Red Sox. Despite winning the batting title in 1960, he drove in just 35 runs, a record low for a batting title winner.
Solid and versatile with the glove, Runnels started as ashortstop with the Senators, but ultimately played 644 games atfirst base, 642 atsecond, 463 at shortstop, and 49 atthird. Twice he led theAmerican League infielding percentage, at second base in 1960 (.986), and at first base in 1961 (.995). He was not a good base stealer: in 1952 he set the record for most attempted steals with no successes, at 10. In his career he stole 37 bases and was caught 51 times.
In five seasons with Boston, Runnels never hit less than .314 (1959), winning twobatting crowns in1960 (.320) and1962 (.326), and just missed the 1958 American League Batting Crown by six points to his teammateTed Williams on the final day of the1958 season (.328 to .322). On August 30, 1960, in a double-header against theTigers, Runnels hit 6-for-7 in the first game (including a game-winningRBI–double in the 15th inning) and 3-for-4 in the second, tying a Major League record for hits in a double-header (9). In 1962, Runnels played in his third All-Star Game for the American League and hit a home run off thePhiladelphia Phillies'Art Mahaffey.[2] He went on to win the American League batting title that year. But after the season, Runnels was traded to theHouston Colt .45s (forerunners of theAstros) in exchange for outfielderRomán Mejías.[3] Runnels was released by Houston early in the1964 season.
Runnels was a career .291 hitter (1854-for-6373) with 49 home runs, 630 RBI, 876runs, 282 doubles, 64triples, 37stolen bases, and a .375on-base percentage in 1799 games. He was selected anAll-Star in 1959, 1960 and 1962. He alsocoached for the Red Sox in 1965–1966, serving as an interimmanager for the last 16 games of the1966 season. Under Runnels, the Sox played .500 baseball and escaped last place by one-half game. However, he was replaced byDick Williams for the1967 season.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BOS | 1966 | 16 | 8 | 8 | .500 | 9th in AL | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 16 | 8 | 8 | .500 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
After leaving Major League Baseball, Runnels returned to his native state and opened a sporting goods store inPasadena, Texas He helped found and operate a co-ed camp, Camp Champions inMarble Falls, Texas, which is still in existence.[4]
After suffering a stroke while golfing on May 17, 1991, Pete Runnels died three days later at Bayshore Hospital in Pasadena, Texas. He was buried at Forest Park East Cemetery in Houston.[5]
Runnels was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.[6] He was also inducted into theBoston Red Sox Hall of Fame in November 2004.[1]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Boston Red Soxfirst-base coach 1965–1966 | Succeeded by |