View source for Billy Herman

{{Short description|American baseball player and manager (1909–1992)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Billy Herman
|image=Billy Herman 1965.jpg
|caption=Herman with the Boston Red Sox in 1965
|position=[[Second baseman]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1909|7|7}}
|birth_place=[[New Albany, Indiana]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1992|9|5|1909|7|7}}
|death_place=[[West Palm Beach, Florida]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague=MLB
|debutdate=August 29
|debutyear=1931
|debutteam=Chicago Cubs
|finalleague=MLB
|finaldate=August 1
|finalyear=1947
|finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
|statleague=MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.304
|stat2label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat2value=2,345
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=47
|stat4label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=839
|stat5label=Managerial record
|stat5value=189–274
|stat6label=Winning %
|stat6value={{Winning percentage|189|274}}
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1931}}–{{mlby|1941}})
* [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] ({{mlby|1941}}–{{mlby|1943}}, {{mlby|1946}})
* [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]] ({{mlby|1946}})
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{mlby|1947}})
'''As manager'''
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{mlby|1947}})
* [[Boston Red Sox]] ({{mlby|1964}}–{{mlby|1966}})
|highlights=
* 10× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1934 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1934]]–[[1943 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1943]])
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1955}})
* [[Chicago Cubs#Cubs Hall of Fame|Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame]]
|hoflink=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype=National
|hofdate=[[1975 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1975]]
|hofmethod=Veterans Committee
}}
'''William Jennings Bryan Herman''' (July 7, 1909 – September 5, 1992) was an American [[second baseman]] and [[manager (baseball)|manager]] in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) during the 1930s and 1940s. He reached the [[World Series]] four times (1932, 1935, 1938, 1941) but lost each time. Known for his stellar defense and consistent batting, Herman still holds many [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) defensive records for second basemen and was inducted into the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1975.

==Biography==
{{Citations needed section|date=October 2021}}

===Early life===
Born in [[New Albany, Indiana]], in 1909, and named after [[William Jennings Bryan]], the three-time presidential candidate and statesman of the turn of the 20th century,<ref>[https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/d6297ffd Joseph Wancho, ''Billy Herman.''] [[Society for American Baseball Research]] Biography Project</ref> Herman attended [[New Albany High School (Indiana)|New Albany High School]].

===Baseball career===
Herman broke into the majors in {{Baseball year|1931}} with the [[Chicago Cubs]] and asserted himself as a star the following season, {{Baseball year|1932}}, by hitting .314 and scoring 102 runs. His first [[at-bat]] was memorable. Facing [[Cincinnati Reds]] pitcher [[Si Johnson]], Herman chopped a pitch into the back of home plate, which then bounced up and hit Herman in the back of the head, knocking him out.<ref>Mackin, Bob, "The Unofficial Guide to Baseball's Most Unusual Records", Greystone Books, 2004.</ref> A fixture in the Chicago lineup over the next decade, Herman was a consistent hitter and solid producer. He regularly hit .300 or higher (and as high as .341 in {{Baseball year|1935}}) and drove in a high of 93 [[run batted in|runs]] in {{Baseball year|1936}}. He also hit 57 doubles in both {{Baseball year|1935}} and {{Baseball year|1936}}.

[[File:BillyHermanGoudeycard.jpg|thumb|left|160px|A 1933 Goudey [[baseball card]] of Herman.]]
After a sub-standard offensive year in {{Baseball year|1940}}, Herman was traded to the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] in {{Baseball year|1941}}. He had one of his finest offensive season in {{Baseball year|1943}}, when he batted .330 with a .398 [[on-base percentage]] and 100 runs driven in.

Herman missed the {{Baseball year|1944}} and {{Baseball year|1945}} seasons to serve in World War II, but returned to play in {{Baseball year|1946}} with the Dodgers and [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]] (after being traded mid-season). At 37, he was considered prime [[manager (baseball)|managerial]] material by the new owners of the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]]. On September 30, 1946, Herman was traded to Pittsburgh with three marginal players ([[outfielder]] [[Stan Wentzel]], [[pitcher]] [[Elmer Singleton]] and [[infielder]] [[Whitey Wietelmann]]) for [[third baseman]] [[Bob Elliott (baseball)|Bob Elliott]] and [[catcher]] [[Hank Camelli]]. Herman was promptly named playing manager of the [[1947 Pittsburgh Pirates season|1947 Pirates]], but he was aghast at the cost—Elliott—the Pirates had paid for him. "Why, they've gone and traded the whole team on me", he said.<ref>Boston Braves Historical Association Newsletter, Vol. 19, No. 3, Autumn 2010</ref> Elliott won the {{baseball year|1947}} [[National League Most Valuable Player|NL Most Valuable Player]] award and led Boston to the [[1948 in baseball|1948 National League pennant]]. Herman's 1947 Pirates lost 92 games and finished tied for seventh in the NL, and he resigned before the season's final game. (His last appearance as a Major League player was on August 1 of that year.)

Herman then managed in the minor leagues and became a Major League [[coach (baseball)|coach]] with the Dodgers (1952–57) and Braves (now based in Milwaukee) (1958–59)—serving on five National League pennant winners in eight seasons. Then he moved to the [[American League]] (AL) as the third-base coach of the [[Boston Red Sox]] for five years (1960–64), before managing the Red Sox to lackluster records in {{Baseball year|1965}} and {{Baseball year|1966}}; his 1965 Boston club lost 100 games. After his firing by the Red Sox in September 1966, he coached for the [[California Angels]] (1967) and [[San Diego Padres]] (1978–79) and served in player development roles with the Padres and [[Oakland Athletics]].

Herman finished his 1,922-game big-league career with a .304 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]], 1,163 [[runs scored]], 2,345 [[hit (baseball)|hits]], 486 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], 82 [[triple (baseball)|triples]], 47 [[home run]]s, 839 [[runs batted in]], 737 [[bases on balls]] and 428 [[strikeout]]s. Defensively, he recorded an overall .968 [[fielding percentage]]. He won four NL pennants ({{Baseball year|1932}}, {{Baseball year|1935}}, {{Baseball year|1938}}, and {{Baseball year|1941}}) but no [[World Series]] championships as a player (although he was a coach on the [[1955 World Series]] champion Brooklyn Dodgers). His record as a Major League manager was 189-274 (.408). Herman holds the NL records for most [[putout]]s in a season by a second baseman and led the league in putouts seven times. He also shares the Major League record for most hits on opening day, with five, set April 14, 1936.

===Later life===
[[File:Billy Herman - San Diego Padres - 1978.jpg|thumb|180px|Herman in 1978]]
Herman moved to [[Palm Beach Gardens, Florida]] in 1968. He was inducted into the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in {{Baseball year|1975}}. He died of cancer in 1992.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|title=Billy Herman, 83; Ex-Cub and Dodger Was Hall of Famer|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/07/sports/billy-herman-83-ex-cub-and-dodger-was-hall-of-famer.html|access-date=October 30, 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 7, 1992}}</ref>

In 2013, the [[Bob Feller Act of Valor Award]] honored Herman as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the [[United States Navy]] during World War II.  According to his honorable discharge, he was awarded the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal.   He held the rank of Specialist (A) Third Class at the time of his separation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://actofvaloraward.org/hof-players/|title=WWII HOF Players – Act of Valor Award|access-date=2021-08-11|archive-date=2021-10-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008204152/https://actofvaloraward.org/hof-players/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Personal===
Herman's granddaughter is [[Cheri Daniels]], wife of former Indiana Governor [[Mitch Daniels]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.in.gov/gov/firstlady/|title=First Lady Janet Holcomb: Home|website=www.in.gov|date=7 October 2020}}</ref>

==Managerial record==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Games!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
|-
![[1947 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PIT]]|| {{mlby|1947}}
||153||61||92||{{Winning percentage|61|92}}|| resigned || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|PIT total || 153 || 61 || 92 || {{Winning percentage|61|92}} || || 0 || 0 || – ||
|-
![[1964 Boston Red Sox season|BOS]]|| {{mlby|1964}}
||2||2||0||{{Winning percentage|2|0}}|| 8th in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1965 Boston Red Sox season|BOS]]|| {{mlby|1965}}
||162||62||100||{{Winning percentage|62|100}}|| 9th in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1966 Boston Red Sox season|BOS]]|| {{mlby|1966}}
||146||64||82||{{Winning percentage|64|82}}|| fired || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|BOS total || 310 || 128 || 182 || {{Winning percentage|128|182}} || || 0 || 0 || – ||
|-
! colspan="2"|Total || 463 || 189 || 274 || {{Winning percentage|189|274}} || || 0 || 0 || – || 
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
* [[List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball doubles records]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball player-managers]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Honig, Donald (1975) [https://archive.org/details/baseballwhengras00honi/page/134 ''Baseball When the Grass Was Real: Baseball from the Twenties to the Forties Told by the Men Who Played It'']. New York: Coward, McGann & Geoghegan. pp.&nbsp;134–163. {{SBN|698-10660-1}}.

==External links==
*{{bbhof|herman-billy}}
*{{baseballstats|mlb=|espn=|br=h/hermabi01|fangraphs=1005692|brm=herman002wil}}
*{{baseball-reference manager|hermabi01}}
*{{findagrave}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190701132320/https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/billy-herman-oral-history-interview-1990-august-08-3 Billy Herman Oral History Interview (1 of 3) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection]
*[https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/billy-herman-oral-history-interview-1990-august-08-0 Billy Herman Oral History Interview (2 of 3) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701132321/https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/billy-herman-oral-history-interview-1990-august-08-0 |date=July 1, 2019 }}
*[https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/billy-herman-oral-history-interview-1990-august-08-2 Billy Herman Oral History Interview (3 of 3) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701132321/https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/billy-herman-oral-history-interview-1990-august-08-2 |date=July 1, 2019 }}

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box|title=[[Milwaukee Braves (1953–65)|Milwaukee Braves]] [[coach (baseball)|third-base coach]] | before=[[Connie Ryan]] |years=1958–1959 |after=[[George Myatt]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Boston Red Sox]] [[coach (baseball)|third-base coach]] | before=[[Jack Burns (first baseman)|Jack Burns]] |years=1960–1964 |after=[[Billy Gardner]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[California Angels]] [[coach (baseball)|third-base coach]] | before=[[Salty Parker]] |years=1967 |after=[[Rocky Bridges]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{1955 Brooklyn Dodgers}}
{{1975 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
{{Chicago Cubs HOF}}
{{Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame}}
{{Pittsburgh Pirates managers}}
{{Boston Red Sox managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herman, Billy}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:1992 deaths]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Indiana]]
[[Category:Boston Braves players]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox coaches]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox managers]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Dodgers coaches]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Dodgers players]]
[[Category:California Angels coaches]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:Dayton Aviators players]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Florida]]
[[Category:Louisville Colonels (minor league) players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball player-managers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball second basemen]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball third base coaches]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Braves coaches]]
[[Category:Minneapolis Millers (baseball) managers]]
[[Category:Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Minor league baseball managers]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
[[Category:New Albany High School (Indiana) alumni]]
[[Category:Oakland Athletics scouts]]
[[Category:Oakland Oaks (baseball) players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from New Albany, Indiana]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates managers]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players]]
[[Category:San Diego Padres coaches]]
[[Category:San Diego Padres scouts]]
[[Category:Vicksburg Hill Billies players]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]