Johnny Keane
| Johnny Keane | |
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| Manager | |
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Born: November 3, 1911 St. Louis, Missouri |
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Died: January 6, 1967 (aged 55) Houston, Texas |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 749 |
| Win–loss record | 398–350 |
| Winning % | .532 |
| Teams | |
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As manager |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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As manager
John Joseph Keane (November 3, 1911 — January 6, 1967) was an American manager in Major League Baseball. Keane participated in one of the strangest turns of events in baseball history in 1964, his final season at the helm of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Keane never played in the Major Leagues. He was a shortstop in the Cardinals' minor league system but suffered a head injury after being hit by a pitch. He began his managing career in 1938 in the Cardinals' organization, working his way from Class D (then the lowest rung on the ladder) to Triple-A, where he spent a decade as manager of top St. Louis farm clubs. His career win-loss record as a manager in the minor leagues was 1,357–1,166 (.538) over 17 seasons.
Keane finally reached the Major Leagues in 1959, when he was appointed to the Cardinal coaching staff. He replaced Solly Hemus as manager on July 6, 1961. In his 3½ seasons as Cardinal pilot, he compiled a record of 317–249 (.560) and his crucial, positive role in mentoring young Cardinal players, especially star pitcher Bob Gibson, is chronicled in the David Halberstam book October 1964.
In August 1964, with Cardinals seemingly out of the race, team owner August "Gussie" Busch became convinced (possibly by Branch Rickey, whom he had hired as a consultant) that only a thorough housecleaning of Cardinal management would bring him the pennant he had craved since he bought the team in 1953. On August 17, he fired (or accepted the resignations of) almost every senior St. Louis front office executive. Keane was temporarily spared, but Busch was rumored to be secretly negotiating with Leo Durocher (then a coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers) to become manager at the close of the 1964 season.
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