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John Beverley Gooch (November 9, 1897 – May 15, 1975) was an American professional baseball player, coach, minor league manager and scout.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1921 to 1933, most prominently for the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was a member of the 1925 World Series winning team. He also played for the Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox.[1] After his playing career ended, Gooch continued to work as a baseball coach and minor league manager. In 1972, Gooch was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.[2]
| Johnny Gooch | |
|---|---|
_LCCN2014718714.jpg) | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: November 9, 1897 Smyrna, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| Died: May 15, 1975 (aged 77) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 9, 1921, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 12, 1933, for the Boston Red Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .280 |
| Home runs | 7 |
| Runs batted in | 293 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
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Born in Smyrna, Tennessee, Gooch began his professional baseball career in 1916 at the age of 18 with the Talladega Tigers of the Georgia–Alabama League.[3][4] He didn't play professionally in 1917 or 1918 as he returned to help on the family farm after his oldest brother had died in a drowning accident and his second oldest brother had been called into military service during World War I.[3] Gooch was also called into military service and was aboard a train heading to the service when news of the Armistice broke.[3]
In 1918, Gooch tried out to play for the New Orleans Pelicans but didn't make the team.[3] Despite this setback, the eager Gooch continued to show up for the team's practices.[3] His eagerness to play finally convinced the Pelicans to sign him to a contract.[3] He was sent to play in Cleveland and then to Mobile, where he was released.[3] The Birmingham Barons then signed him after The Barons’ manager, Carlton Molesworth, remembered his dedication during one of his team's visits to play in Mobile.[3] It was in Birmingham where Gooch first played with future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Pie Traynor, and the two men developed a lifelong friendship.[3] In 1920, he posted a .288 batting average in 136 games for the Barons.[4]
Gooch made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 9, 1921 at the age of 22.[1] Gooch had his best season offensively in 1922 when veteran catcher Walter Schmidt, held out for more pay and didn't play until August.[3] He posted a career-high .329 batting average in 105 games, and collected an extra-inning six-hit game, two four-hit games, and eight three-hit games.[1] He also had 102 assists defensively, third best in the league.[5] In 1925, he played as a backup catcher to Earl Smith while posting a .298 batting average along with 30 runs batted in to help the Pirates win the National League pennant.[1] The Pirates then went on to defeat the Washington Senators in the 1925 World Series.[6] He appeared in three games of series and went hitless in 3 at bats.[7]
Gooch played in 101 games in 1927 and had a career-high 48 runs batted in, as the Pirates once again won the National League championship.[1] However, they faced the powerful New York Yankees led by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the 1927 World Series and were defeated in four straight games.[8] In 1928, the Pirates acquired future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Burleigh Grimes, who was the last pitcher allowed to throw the spitball in the major leagues.[9] Pirates manager, Donie Bush chose Gooch to be Grimes' personal catcher, due to his previous experience at catching the tricky spitball.[9]
After spending six and a half years with the Pirates, Gooch was traded in June 1928 along with Joe Harris to the Brooklyn Robins in exchange for Charlie Hargreaves, as the Pirates were seeking a right-handed batter.[10] It was also reported that he had fallen out of favor with the Pirates because of a salary dispute during the off-season.[10] News reports surfaced in January 1929 that Gooch wasn't happy in Brooklyn after having spent so many years in Pittsburgh, and was contemplating retirement.[11] That April, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Val Picinich.[1] He experienced a rejuvenation by hitting for a .300 batting average in 92 games for the seventh-place Reds.[1] After one more season with the Reds where his batting average dropped to .243, he was traded to the Nashville Volunteers in the Southern Association for Joe Cicero.[1] He posted a .334 batting average in 117 games during the Volunteers' 1932 season.[1] In January 1933, he returned to the major leagues when his contract was bought by the Boston Red Sox.[12] Gooch's playing time was diminished when the Red Sox acquired catcher Rick Ferrell in May.[3] He appeared in 37 games for the Red Sox and played in his final major league game on September 12, 1933, at the age of 37.[1]
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In an eleven-year major league career, Gooch played in 805 games, accumulating 662 hits in 2,363 at-bats for a .280 career batting average along with 7 home runs, 293 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .342.[1] He had a career fielding percentage of .973.[1]
Gooch was hired by the Cincinnati Reds to be a player-manager for the Durham Bulls of the Piedmont League in December 1935.[13] He was credited with helping young pitcher Johnny Vander Meer cure the wildness of his pitching.[14] Vander Meer went on to become the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to pitch two consecutive no hitters.[14] Gooch was then hired as the manager for the Mount Airy Reds of the Bi-State League.[15] In January 1937, the Pirates hired Gooch to be their pitching coach, at the urging of his old friend, Pie Traynor, who was then managing the Pirates.[16] In October 1939, the Pirates released him as a coach, then immediately rehired him as a scout.[17] The Pirates then named him to be the manager for their minor league affiliate, the Hutchinson Pirates of the Western Association for the 1941 season.[18] His final year in baseball was 1942, as a player-manager for the Bluefield Blue-Grays in the Mountain State League.[3]
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After retiring from baseball management, Gooch opened a baseball bat factory in Nashville.[3] In 1972, Gooch was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.[2]
Gooch died on May 15, 1975, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 77.[3]
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