| Rube Walker | |
|---|---|
 As pitching coach of the Mets | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1926-05-16)May 16, 1926 Lenoir, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: December 12, 1992(1992-12-12) (aged 66) Morganton, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 20, 1948, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 15, 1958, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .227 |
| Home runs | 35 |
| Runs batted in | 192 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Albert Bluford "Rube" Walker (May 16, 1926 – December 12, 1992) was an AmericanMajor League Baseball catcher and longtimepitching coach.
A native ofLenoir, North Carolina, Walker battedleft-handed, threwright-handed and was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 170 pounds (77 kg) during his playing career. He was signed by theChicago Cubs' organization in 1944 and spent four full years in theirfarm system, where he was the All-Star catcher in the Class BThree-I League (1946) and theDouble-ASouthern Association (1947).
He made his major league debut with the Cubs on April 20, 1948, and spent 11 years in theNational League as a second-string catcher. He appeared in 608games played over that span, and his 50 games started as a catcher with the1950 Cubs were the most of his big-league career. The following season, onJune 15, 1951, he was involved in a blockbuster trade with theBrooklyn Dodgers, in which the league-leading Dodgers obtained the Cubs' sluggingoutfielder,Andy Pafko. But when injury sidelined Brooklyn'sHall of Fame catcher,Roy Campanella, Walker was behind the plate in the deciding game of the1951 National League tie-breaker series on October 3,1951, whenBobby Thomson hit the "Shot Heard 'Round the World," costing the Dodgers thepennant.
Walker then backed up Campanella for the next six seasons, the Dodgers' last years in Brooklyn. Over that time, they won four National League titles but Walker appeared in only oneWorld Series, in1956 against theNew York Yankees. He wenthitless in twoat bats as apinch hitter. The previous season, Walker was a member of Brooklyn's onlyworld championship team; that year he appeared in 48 regular-season games as Campanella's backup andbatted .252.
After retiring as an active player in June 1958, Walker served out the season as aLos Angeles Dodgers' coach. He finished his MLB career with 360 hits, including 69doubles and 35home runs. He batted .227 lifetime.
Walker then was aminor leaguemanager for six seasons. He helmed the unaffiliatedHouston Buffs of theAmerican Association for part of 1959, then managed atDouble-A in the Dodgers' and Yankees'farm systems from 1960 through 1964. After1965 he was a pitching coach for theWashington Senators,New York Mets andAtlanta Braves, working closely with managersGil Hodges,Yogi Berra andJoe Torre, among others.
Walker was the Mets' pitching coach for 14 seasons, from 1968 through 1981, including service on the1969 World Champion "Amazin'" Mets. He also served as the club's emergency manager from September 25–29,1968, after Hodges suffered a mildheart attack and went on medical leave for the final four games of the season; under Walker, the Mets were 2–2. As the Mets' pitching coach, he supervisedHall of FamersTom Seaver andNolan Ryan. Walker scouted for the Braves andSt. Louis Cardinals after his coaching career ended.
The bookCarl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings (2004) includes short stories fromthe former Dodger pitcher. Walker is prominent in many of these stories.
A younger brother,Verlon "Rube" Walker, was nicknamed after him; Verlon was a minor league catcher and manager who served for ten years (from 1961 until his death in March 1971) as a coach for the Cubs.
Rube Walker died fromlung cancer on December 12, 1992, inMorganton, North Carolina at age 66. He is interred at Blue Ridge Memorial Park, Lenoir, North Carolina.
In the 1985 filmMask,Rocky Dennis states he is in need of a Rube "Ruby" Walker baseball card to complete his 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers set.
| Preceded by | Washington SenatorsPitching Coach 1965–1967 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | New York MetsPitching Coach 1968–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Atlanta BravesPitching Coach 1982–1984 | Succeeded by |