Heinie Manush (1964)


Date of Birth: 7/2/1901
Date of Death: 5/12/1971
Birthplace: Tuscumbia, Alabama

Heinie Manush came from a baseball family, with four brothers who played professional baseball. One older brother, Frank, played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908. By the time he was seven years old, the younger Manush had decided he wanted to become a professional baseball player. He had his first chance at semi-pro ball in 1919. A year later, he was playing professional baseball with the Pacific Coast League. In 1921, he played in the Western Canada League. That year, he signed with the Detroit Tigers. He played in the minors in 1922.

Detroit Tigers

In 1923, Manush joined the Tigers, playing in 109 games with them. He batted .334 with 103 hits, 20 doubles, and 54 RBIs. The following season, he didn't play as well, finishing the 1924 season with 122 hits, 24 doubles, 68 RBIs, and a .289 batting average in 120 games. In 1925, he played in only 99 games and he batted .302 with 84 hits.

In 1926, Manush won the American League batting title with a career high .378 batting average. He had 188 hits, 35 doubles, a career high 14 home runs, and 86 RBIs in 136 games. His batting average dropped to .298 in 1927. He finished that season with 177 hits, 31 doubles, 18 triples, and 90 RBIs in 151 games.

St. Louis Browns

The Tigers traded Manush to the St. Louis Browns on December 13, 1927. He led the American League in hits with 241 and doubles with 47 in 1928. He again batted a career high .378, and he had also had career highs in games played (154), hits (241), triples (20), and stolen bases (17). He had 108 RBIs in 1928.

In 1929, Manush led the AL in doubles wtih 45. He also had 204 hits, 81 RBIs, and a .355 batting average in 142 games.

Washington Senators

The Browns traded Manush to the Washington Senators on June 13, 1930. He finished the season with 194 hits, a career high 49 doubles, 12 triples, 94 RBIs, and a .350 batting average in 49 games with the Browns and 88 games with the Senators. The following season, he batted .307 with 189 hits, 41 doubles, and 70 RBIs in 146 games.

Manush had career highs in home runs (14) and RBIs (116) in 1932. He also had 214 hits, 41 doubles, 14 triples, and a .342 batting average in 149 games. In 1933, he led the AL in hits and triples. He had 221 hits, 32 doubles, 17 triples, 95 RBIs, and a .336 batting average in 153 games. He continued to play well in 1934, finishing with a .349 batting average in 137 games. He had 194 hits, 42 doubles, 11 triples, 11 home runs, and 89 RBIs that season.

Manush's batting average dropped to .273 in 1935. He played in just 119 games that year and he had 131 hits, 26 doubles, and 56 RBIs.

Boston Red Sox

Manush was traded to the Boston Red Sox on December 17, 1935. He played in just 82 games with them in 1936. He batted .291 with 91 hits. The Red Sox released him on September 27, 1936.

Brooklyn Dodgers

Manush signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers on December 8, 1936. He played in 132 games in 1937, and he batted .333. He had 155 hits, 25 doubles, and 73 RBIs.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Manush off waivers on May 15, 1938. That season, he batted jlust .250 in 17 games with the Dodgers and 15 games with the Pirates.

After playing in 10 games with the Pirates in 1939, Manush was released on June 7th.

MLB Records

  • Led AL in hits (2 times)
  • Led AL in doubles (2 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Manush in 17 seasons (1923-1939) in the major leagues include:

  • 10 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 241 in 1928
  • 9 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 49 in 1930
  • 8 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 20 in 1928
  • 10 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .378 in 1926 and 1928

Career batting statistics for Manush include:

  • 2,008 games played
  • 2,524 hits
  • 491 doubles
  • 160 triples
  • 110 home runs
  • 114 stolen bases
  • 1,183 RBIs
  • 345 strikeouts to 506 walks
  • .330 batting average
  • .377 on-base percentage
  • .856 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Manush as a left fielder include:

  • 1,381 games played
  • 54 errors
  • 76 assists
  • 2,875 putouts
  • .982 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Manush became a player-manager in the minors, joining the Piedmont League from 1940 through 1943. In 1944, he played and managed in the Eastern League, and in 1945, he finished his career playing and managing in the Carolina League.

In the late 1940s, Manush was a scout for the Boston Braves. He held that position until 1948.

Manush returned to the Senators to coach in 1953 and 1954.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Heinie Manush
ESPN - Heinie Manush
Baseball Reference - Heinie Manush

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