Jimmy Dykes
| Jimmy Dykes | |||
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| Third baseman / Second baseman / Manager | |||
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Born: November 10, 1896 Philadelphia, Philadelphia |
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Died: June 15, 1976 (aged 79) Philadelphia, Philadelphia |
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| MLB debut | |||
| May 6, 1918, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 1, 1939, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .280 | ||
| Hits | 2,256 | ||
| Home runs | 108 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,071 | ||
| Managerial record | 1,406–1,541 | ||
| Winning % | .477 | ||
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As player As manager |
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
As player
As manager
James Joseph Dykes (November 10, 1896 – June 15, 1976) was an American third and second baseman, manager and coach in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox from 1918 to 1939. He batted over .300 five times and led the American League in assists once at second base and twice at third base, ending his career sixth in AL history in games at third base (1,253), and seventh in putouts (1,361), assists (2,403), total chances (3,952) and double plays (199). When he retired, he ranked eighth in AL history in games played (2,282), and ninth in at bats (8,046). He holds the Athletics franchise record for career doubles (365), and formerly held team marks for career games and at bats. He went on to become the winningest manager in White Sox history with 899 victories over 13 seasons, though his teams never finished above third place; he later became the first manager in history to win 1,000 games without capturing a league pennant.
Born in Philadelphia, Dykes played for three local teams at age 16 in 1913. The first was "his father's Penn Street Boys Club"; the second one paid 50 cents a game plus carfare (to Ardmore on the Main Line); the third paid $1 a game. By 19 he played in the Delaware County League, which the major leagues declared an outlaw league a few years later, for infringing their control of the professional sport.
Dykes began his major league career on May 6, 1918, as a second baseman for the Athletics, and served in the wartime Army after the season ended. He spent most of 1919 in the minor leagues after reporting out of shape in spring training, but quickly became one of manager Connie Mack's favorite players with his defensive versatility and easygoing manner, and remained with the club for the next 14 years, primarily at third base. With powerful wrists and reputedly the sport's best throwing arm, he took advantage of Shibe Park's friendly dimensions to finish among the league leaders in home runs in 1921 and 1922, and batted .312, .323, and .324 in 1924, 1925 and 1927. He was named team MVP in 1924 and placed eighth in the league MVP vote in 1927. In one 1927 game, he played every position except catcher and left fielder, even appearing as a relief pitcher. In 1929, he batted .327 and was ninth in the American League in slugging average as the Athletics won their first pennant in 15 years. He capped the season by hitting .421 in the World Series against the Chicago Cubs; in Game 4, he had two hits and three runs batted in in a 10-run seventh inning as Philadelphia overcame an 8-0 deficit, and they won the Series in five games.
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