Pie Traynor

{{Short description|American baseball player, broadcaster, and manager (1898–1972)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Pie Traynor

|position=Third baseman

|image=Traynor-Pie-bain.tif

|caption=Traynor in 1925

|width=225

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{birth date|1898|11|11}}

|birth_place=Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|1972|3|16|1898|11|11}}

|death_place=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 15

|debutyear=1920

|debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=August 14

|finalyear=1937

|finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.320

|stat2label=Hits

|stat2value=2,416

|stat3label=Home runs

|stat3value=58

|stat4label=Runs batted in

|stat4value=1,273

|teams=

As player

Pittsburgh Pirates ({{mlby|1920}}–{{mlby|1935}}, {{mlby|1937}})

As manager

Pittsburgh Pirates ({{mlby|1934}}–{{mlby|1939}})

|highlights=

|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

|hoftype = National

|hofdate=1948

|hofvote=76.9% (eighth ballot)

}}

Harold Joseph "Pie" Traynor (November 11, 1898 – March 16, 1972) was an American third baseman, manager, scout and radio broadcaster in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career between 1920 and 1937 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.{{cite web |title=Pie Traynor |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/traynpi01.shtml |access-date=October 27, 2010 |publisher=Baseball Reference}} Traynor had a .320 career batting average, batting over .300 ten times with seven seasons with over 100 runs batted in (RBI). With home runs limited by playing in Forbes Field, the most difficult park for power hitting in the National League (NL), he compensated by reaching double digits in triples eleven times, leading the league in 1923. He batted .346 in the 1925 World Series to help the Pirates take their first championship in 16 years.

Traynor led NL third basemen in putouts seven times, in double plays four times, and in assists three times; his 41 double plays in 1925 were an NL record until 1950, and his 226 putouts that year remain the highest NL total since 1905. He set major league records for career double plays (303) and games (1,863) at third base which were broken in 1945 and 1960 respectively, and which remained NL records until Eddie Mathews broke them in 1964 and 1965; his 2,289 putouts remain the NL record, and his 3,521 assists were the league record until Mathews passed him in 1964. Traynor was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1948, becoming the initial third baseman elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Following World War II, Traynor was often cited as the greatest third baseman in major league history. In recent years, his renown has diminished, with the modern-era careers of third basemen including Mathews, Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt, and George Brett moving to the forefront in the memories of baseball fans;{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7DIDAAAAMBAJ&q=pie+traynor+baseball+digest&pg=PA87 |title=Pie Traynor Greatest of the Third Basemen |author=Kaese, Harold |date=June 1972 |magazine=Baseball Digest |access-date=October 27, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113123540/https://books.google.com/books?id=7dIDAAAAMBAJ#v=onepage&q=pie%20traynor%20baseball%20digest&f=false |archive-date=January 13, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}{{cite book |author=James |first=Bill |author-link=Bill James |title=The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract |publisher=Free Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-684-80697-5 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/newbilljameshist00jame/page/554 554]}}{{Cite web |last=Holmes |first=Dan |date=2023-04-30 |title=In 1969, Experts Thought These Were the Greatest Third Basemen |url=https://baseballegg.com/2023/04/30/in-1969-experts-thought-these-were-the-greatest-third-basemen/ |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Baseball Egg |language=en-US}} however, he is still widely regarded as the top third baseman in the National League prior to 1950.

Early life

Traynor was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, to parents who had emigrated from Canada.{{sabrbio|85500ab5|James Forr|October 30, 2010}} He received his nickname as a child in Somerville, Massachusetts, because he frequented a grocery store and often asked for pie. The store owner called him "Pie Face", which was later shortened to Pie by his friends.

In 1919, he played in what is now the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). Playing for both the Falmouth and Oak Bluffs town teams, he batted .447 for Falmouth and had a combined batting average of .322 for the two teams. In 2009, he was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame.{{cite web |last=Garner, Jr. |first=John |date=19 January 2006 |title=CCBL Legends Special : Pie Traynor |url=https://ism3.infinityprosports.com/ismdata/2012030201/std-sitebuilder/sites/201201/www/en/news/league/index.html?article_id=692 |access-date=August 30, 2019 |publisher=Cape Cod Baseball League |via=infinityprosports.com}}{{cite web |title=Class of 2009 Elected to Cape League's Hall of Fame |url=https://ism3.infinityprosports.com/ismdata/2012030201/std-sitebuilder/sites/201201/www/en/news/league/?article_id=206 |access-date=August 30, 2019 |publisher=Cape Cod Baseball League |via=infinityprosports.com}}

Playing career

Traynor began his professional baseball career in 1920 as a shortstop for the Portsmouth Truckers of the Virginia League.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=trayno001har |title=Pie Traynor Minor League Statistics |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 27, 2010 }} He was asked by a Boston Braves scout to work out with the team at Braves Field, but the scout forgot to tell Braves manager George Stallings. Stallings ran Traynor off the field, telling him not to return.{{cite magazine |author=Graham, Frank |date=October 1954 |title=On Seeing Pie Traynor Again |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5TIDAAAAMBAJ&q=pie+traynor+baseball+digest&pg=PA79 |access-date=October 27, 2010 |magazine=Baseball Digest}}{{Cite news |last=Kieran |first=John |date=1934-07-12 |title=Sports of the Times; A Rolling Pie Gathers No Moss. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/12/archives/sports-of-the-times-a-rolling-pie-gathers-no-moss.html |access-date=2025-03-13 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}

Traynor made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the age of 21 on September 15, 1920, appearing in 17 games that season. He appeared in 10 games for the Pirates in 1921, but spent the majority of the season playing for the Birmingham Barons. He posted a .336 batting average in 131 games for the Barons, but he committed 64 errors as a shortstop.

Traynor became the Pirates' regular third baseman in 1922, hitting for a .282 batting average with 81 runs batted in (RBI). Following the advice of Rogers Hornsby, he began using a heavier bat in 1923 and blossomed into one of the best hitters in the National League (NL). He hit above .300 for the first time with a .338 batting average along with 12 home runs and 101 runs batted in. With tutoring provided by teammate Rabbit Maranville, his defense also began to improve, leading National League third basemen in putouts and assists.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1923-fielding-leaders.shtml |title=1923 National League Fielding Leaders |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 30, 2010 }}

In 1925, Traynor posted a .320 average with six home runs, 106 runs batted in and led the league in fielding percentage as the Pirates won the NL pennant by {{fract|8|1|2}} games over the New York Giants.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1925-fielding-leaders.shtml |title=1925 National League Fielding Leaders |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 30, 2010 }} In the 1925 World Series, he hit .346 including a home run off future Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson as the Pirates defeated the Washington Senators in a seven-game series.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1925_WS.shtml |title=1925 World Series |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 27, 2010 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/traynpi01.shtml#batting_postseason::none |title=Pie Traynor Post-Season Batting Statistics |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 26, 2010 }} Traynor ended the season eighth in Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award balloting.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1925.shtml#NLmvp |title=1925 Most Valuable Player Award Balloting Results |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 27, 2010 }} His 41 double plays in 1925 set an NL record for third basemen that stood for 25 years.

The Pirates won the pennant again in 1927 with Traynor hitting .342 with five home runs and 106 runs batted in, but they lost to the New York Yankees in the 1927 World Series.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1927_WS.shtml |title=1927 World Series |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 30, 2010 }} In November of that year, members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America selected him as the third baseman for the 1927 all-star major league team.{{cite news |title=Baseball Scribes Name All-Stars Of 1927 Season |work=Beaver Falls Tribune |page=14 |date=November 30, 1927 |access-date=April 5, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iJtkAAAAIBAJ&pg=3040,3412520&dq=pie+traynor&hl=en}} Traynor hit .337 and produced a career-high 124 runs batted in during the 1928 season despite hitting only three home runs and finished in sixth place in the NL MVP Award balloting. He continued to be a cornerstone for the Pirates, posting a .356 batting average in 1929.

Traynor hit for a career-high .366 average in 1930. A different baseball was used in MLB in 1931, and Traynor's batting average decreased to .298. Despite the decline in his average, Traynor supported the use of the new ball, saying that the 1930 ball had caused too large of an advantage for hitters and had led to lopsided games that had ultimately decreased interest in the sport.{{cite book |last1=Hample |first1=Zack |author-link=Zack Hample |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=psLACnN8CYMC&pg=PA123 |title=The Baseball: Stunts, Scandals, and Secrets Beneath the Stitches |date=2011 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |isbn=9780307742087 |page=123 |access-date=August 12, 2016}} In 1933 MLB held its inaugural All-Star Game and, Traynor was selected as a reserve player for the NL team.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALS/ALS193307060.shtml |title=1933 All-Star Game |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 27, 2010 }}{{cite news |title=Baseball Stars Meet In 'Game Of Century' At Chicago Tomorrow |agency=Associated Press |work=The Evening Independent |page=6 |date=July 5, 1933 |access-date=April 5, 2011 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gpwLAAAAIBAJ&pg=3208,1694221&dq=pie+traynor&hl=en}}

Traynor's last full season was in 1934 when he hit over .300 for the ninth time in ten seasons, and was named as the starting third baseman for the NL in the 1934 All-Star Game.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NLS/NLS193407100.shtml |title=1934 All-Star Game |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 27, 2010 }} During the 1934 season, his throwing arm was injured in a play at home plate, and his defense began to suffer as a result. That June, he became the Pirates' manager. After playing in only 55 games in 1935, Traynor was a full-time manager in 1936. He played his final game on August 14, 1937, scoring the game-winning run as a pinch runner in the ninth inning.{{Cite web |title=Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Box Score: August 14, 1937 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN193708140.shtml |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

Career statistics

File:Pie Traynor.jpg

In a 17-year major league career, Traynor played in 1,941 games, accumulating 2,416 hits in 7,559 at bats for a .320 career batting average along with 58 home runs, 1,273 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .362. He retired with a .946 fielding percentage. Traynor reached a high of 12 home runs in 1923. He hit more doubles and triples, with 371 doubles and 164 triples lifetime and leading the league in triples in 1923, with 19. He hit over .300 ten times and had over 100 runs batted in (RBI) in a season seven times. Traynor accumulated 6 five-hit games and 39 four-hit games in his MLB career.{{cite web|url=https://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/T/PX_trayp101.htm|title=Pie Traynor Top Performances at Retrosheet|website=retrosheet.org|accessdate= April 25, 2024}} His seven seasons with more than 100 RBI is tied for second among major league third basemen, behind Mike Schmidt's 9 seasons.{{Cite web |title=Most Seasons With 100 Rbi By A Primary Third Baseman Since 1901 |url=https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/most-seasons-with-100-rbi-by-a-primary-third-baseman-since-1901 |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=StatMuse |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Major League Leaders - Third basemen |url=https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&season=2024&month=0&season1=1871&ind=1&team=0&rost=0&players=0&pos=3b&sortcol=7&sortdir=default&pagenum=1&pageitems=300 |website=FanGraphs}} He had 208 hits in 1923, the last Pirate infielder with 200 or more hits until shortstop Jack Wilson, who had 201 hits in 2004. Traynor struck out only 278 times in his career.

Traynor was considered the best fielding third baseman of his era, leading the National League in fielding percentage once, double plays four times, assists three times, and putouts seven times. His 2,289 putouts ranks fifth all-time among third basemen.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/PO_3b_career.shtml |title=Career Leaders & Records for Putouts as Third Baseman |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 31, 2010 }} His 1,863 games played at third base was a major league record that stood until 1960 when Eddie Yost surpassed it.{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gy0DAAAAMBAJ&q=eddie+yost+baseball+digest&pg=PA61 |title=17 Years At Third Base! |author=Middlesworth, Hal |date=October 1960 |work=Baseball Digest |access-date=October 25, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=September 2013}} Traynor is the only MLB player to steal home plate in an All-Star Game.{{Cite web |title=1934 All-Star Game |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1934as.shtml |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Baseball Almanac}} Traynor finished in the top ten in NL MVP Award voting six times during his career.

Managing career

Traynor became the Pirates' player-manager during the 1934 season.{{cite news |title=Harold (Pie) Traynor, Veteran Star of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Named Manager to Succeed George Gibson |work=The St. Petersburg Times |page=8 |date=19 June 1934 |access-date=21 January 2016 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19340619&id=Fi9PAAAAIBAJ&pg=6575,972537&hl=en}}{{Cite web |last=Zerby |first=Jack |title=June 19, 1934: Pie Traynor replaces George Gibson as Pirates manager |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-19-1934-pie-traynor-replaces-george-gibson-as-pirates-manager/ |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Society for American Baseball Research}} He retired as an active player after the 1937 season, but continued as the Pirates' manager.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=trayno001har#standard_managing::none |title=Pie Traynor Manager Statistics |publisher=Baseball Reference |access-date=October 27, 2010 }} Traynor almost won another pennant as a manager in 1938, as the Pirates led the NL for most of the season before faltering to the Chicago Cubs in the famous "Homer in the Gloamin'" game at Wrigley Field.{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070720&content_id=2099223&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=ch |title=Homer in the Gloamin |work=mlb.com |access-date=October 27, 2010 }} The loss of the pennant devastated Traynor. He seemed to lose confidence in his team, and after a sixth-place finish in 1939, he resigned after five seasons as the manager of the Pirates.

Post-retirement and legacy

{{MLBBioRet

|Image = Pirates_20.png

|Name = Pie Traynor

|Number = 20

|Team = Pittsburgh Pirates

|Year = 1972

|}}

After spending time as a scout for the Pirates, Traynor eventually took a job as a sports director for Pittsburgh radio station KQV in 1944. His radio broadcasts became popular with Pittsburgh sports fans and he remained at the job for 21 years. Traynor retired from broadcasting in 1965. In 1948, Traynor was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, being the first third baseman to be chosen by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.{{cite web |title=Pie Traynor |url=http://baseballhall.org/hof/traynor-pie |access-date=October 27, 2010 |website=Baseball Hall of Fame |publisher=}} In 1969, as part of the observance of the centennial of professional baseball, Traynor was named the third baseman on MLB's all-time team. In 1971, he threw out the first pitch of Game 3 of the 1971 World Series at Three Rivers Stadium. He died in 1972 in Pittsburgh, not long after the Pirates moved into Three Rivers Stadium. His #20 was retired posthumously at the Pirates home opener{{Cite web|url=https://www.memorabilia.expert/shop/1972-pirates-retire-20-pie-traynor-a-photo-tribute/|title=1972 - Pirates Retire #20 (Pie Traynor) - A Photo Tribute - Memorabilia Expert}} on April 18, 1972.{{cite web |url=http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Obits_T/Traynor.Pie.Obit.html |title=Pie Traynor New York Times Obituary |publisher=TheDeadBallEra.com |access-date=October 30, 2010 |archive-date=November 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123194437/http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Obits_T/Traynor.Pie.Obit.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/pit/history/retired_numbers.jsp |title=Pittsburgh Pirates Retired Numbers |work=mlb.com |access-date=October 27, 2010 }} Traynor was buried in Homewood Cemetery in Pittsburgh.

In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 70th on its list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and he was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.{{cite web|url=http://archive.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/ |title=100 Greatest Baseball Players |publisher=sportingnews.com |access-date=October 27, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227144518/http://archive.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/ |archive-date=February 27, 2009 }}{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_history_moreinfo.jsp |title=The Major League Baseball All-Century Team |work=mlb.com |access-date=October 27, 2010 }} Baseball historian Bill James ranked Traynor 15th all-time among third baseman in his New Historical Baseball Abstract in 2001.

The television series The Simpsons made a brief visual reference to Traynor in the 1992 episode "Homer at the Bat." Mr. Burns slotted Traynor to play third base for his nuclear power plant's all-star softball team, but his assistant Smithers points out that all the players he selected have long since retired and died.{{Cite web |title=Homer at the Bat |url=https://frinkiac.com/caption/S03E17/400126 |website=Frinkiac}}{{Cite web |last=Sherlock |first=Ben |date=2020-08-07 |title=The Simpsons: 10 Classic Moments In "Homer At The Bat" |url=https://screenrant.com/simpsons-best-classic-moments-homer-bat-episode/ |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}} Traynor was also mentioned by Mr. Burns in the 1990 episode "Dancin' Homer."{{Cite web |title="Dancin' Homer" |url=https://frinkiac.com/caption/S02E05/539514 |website=Frinkiac}}

The sketch comedy series Second City Television (SCTV) contains a character of a burlesque dancer named "Honey Pie" Traynor, in likely homage to Traynor.

References

External links

{{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|traynor-pie}}
{{baseballstats|mlb=123446|espn=18582|br=t/traynpi01|fangraphs=1013165|brm=trayno001har|retro=T/Ptrayp101}}
{{baseball-reference manager|traynpi01}}
{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|85500ab5}}
{{find a Grave|3695}}

{{Succession box| before = Bob Meusel | title = Hitting for the cycle| years = July 7, 1923 | after = Baby Doll Jacobson}}