Johnny Pesky, a member of the Red Sox as a player, manager, coach, broadcaster and beloved team ambassador, has passed away at the age of 92.
Pesky played for the Sox from 1942-52, missing three seasons serving in the military during World War II. He managed the team from 1963-64 and briefly again in 1980.
This season Pesky’s 61st season with the club in some capacity and 44th in a row.
Born John Michael Paveskovich in Portland, Ore., Pesky was signed by the Red Sox in 1940 and made his major league debut in 1942, hitting .331 and finishing third in the MVP voting.
Pesky was a career .313 hitter with the Red Sox before playing for the Tigers and Senators. In all, he played in 1,270 major league games and hit .307 with a .394 on-base percentage. He was an All-Star in 1946.
A left-handed hitter who threw right-handed, Pesky was a tough man for pitchers to strike out. He was the first AL player to score 6 runs in a 9 inning game. As a hitter, he specialized in getting on base, leading the American League in base hits three times - his first three seasons in the majors, in which he collected over 200 hits each year — and was among the top ten in on base percentage six times while batting .307 in 4,745 at bats as a Major Leaguer. He was also an excellent bunter who led the league in sacrifice hits in 1942.
Pesky has his No. 6 retired by the Red Sox in 2008. He appeared regularly at team events, including the 100th anniversary of Fenway Parks opening in April.
Pesky was a close friend of Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio and Ted Williams. A statue of those four men called “Teammates” is outside of Fenway Park’s Gate B.
---------------------------------------
Wont be the same without you dude. Thanks for the memories.