| Vern Benson | |
|---|---|
 Benson in 1971 | |
| Third Baseman /Outfielder | |
| Born:(1924-09-19)September 19, 1924 Granite Quarry, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: January 20, 2014(2014-01-20) (aged 89) Salisbury, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 31, 1943, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 30, 1953, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .202 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Runs batted in | 12 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager
As coach
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Vernon Adair Benson (September 19, 1924 – January 20, 2014) was an Americaninfielder/outfielder,coach,scout and interimmanager inMajor League Baseball. During his playing career, he stood 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) tall, weighed 180 pounds (82 kg), batted left-handed, and threw right-handed.
Born inGranite Quarry, North Carolina, Benson attendedCatawba College in nearbySalisbury. He debuted in the Majors with thePhiladelphia Athletics in1943 and had a second trial with the Mackmen in1946, but most of his career would be spent in the organization of theSt. Louis Cardinals. While he appeared in only 46 games for St. Louis between 1951 and 1953, he was a fixture with the Cards'Rochester Red Wings andColumbus Red BirdsTriple-Afarm clubs as a player. Overall, Bensonbatted .202 in 104 MLBat bats over five seasons, with threehome runs and 12runs batted in. In his finestminor league season, 1951 at Columbus, he batted .308 with 18 home runs and 89 RBI.
He became a manager in the Redbird system in 1956 with theWinnipeg Goldeyes of the Class CNorthern League. On July 6, 1961, he was promoted from manager of theTriple-APortland Beavers to the Cardinals to serve as a Major League coach under new skipperJohnny Keane.
Benson worked with Keane through the Cards'1964 World Championship, then moved to theNew York Yankees when Keane switched to the Bombers (his1964 World Series opponent) in1965. But the Yankees were in a downward spiral at the time, finishing sixth in the '65American League race. Then they won only four of their first 20 games in1966, resulting in Keane's firing and Benson's resignation on May 7.
Two months later, on July 13, 1966, Benson returned to theNational League as a coach for fellow North CarolinianDave Bristol, newly appointed pilot of theCincinnati Reds. He spent the remainder of his MLB career in the Senior Circuit, as a coach for the Reds (through1969), the Cardinals again (1970–1975),Atlanta Braves (1976–77), andSan Francisco Giants (1980), working in the latter two posts under Bristol once again. He managed theSyracuse Chiefs, Triple-A affiliate of theToronto Blue Jays, in 1978–79. He won three playoff championships in the minor leagues, in: the Northern League (with Winnipeg) in 1957; theTexas League (withTulsa) in 1960; and theInternational League (with Syracuse) in 1979. After his on-field career ended, Benson returned to the Cardinals as ascout.
He also managed the Braves for one game in1977 under unusual circumstances. After the club lost 21 of its first 29 games, Dave Bristol was sent on a "scouting trip" on May 10 and replaced by the team's owner,Ted Turner, a world-classyachtsman and television executive who had no baseball experience. After Turner lost his only game as the team's skipper on the 11th, National League presidentChub Feeney told Turner that managers cannot own financial interest in a club. When Turner's appeal to CommissionerBowie Kuhn was turned down, Benson stepped in for one game—which he won, 6–1 over thePittsburgh Pirates on May 12—before Bristol was rehired for the remainder of the season.
Benson died on January 20, 2014, at the age of 89.[1]