Joe Gordon (2009)


Date of Birth: 2/18/1915
Date of Death: 4/14/1978
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
College: University of Oregon

Joe Gordon played baseball, football, and soccer at the University of Oregon before signing with the New York Yankees in 1936.

New York Yankees

Gordon played in the minor leagues for two seasons and joined the Yankees in 1938 as their full-time second baseman. In his first season in the major leagues, Gordon batted .255 with 117 hits, 24 doubles, 25 home runs, and 97 RBIs in 127 games. He followed that season with an even stronger one. He finished the 1939 season with 161 hits, a career high 32 doubles, 28 home runs, 111 RBIs, and a .284 batting average.

Gordon led the AL in games played in 1940. That year, he had career highs in hits, doubles, triples, and stolen bases. He batted .281 with 173 hits, 32 doubles, 10 triples, 18 stolen bases, 103 RBIs, and 57 strikeouts to 52 walks in 155 games.

Gordon again led the AL in games played in 1941. In 156 games, he had 162 hits, 26 doubles, 24 home runs, 87 RBIs, and a .276 batting average. He struck out 80 times and he walked 72 times.

In 1942, Gordon won the American League MVP award and the Sporting News MVP award. That season he batted a career high .322 with a career high 173 hits, 29 doubles, 18 home runs, and 103 RBIs in 147 games. The following season, he had a career high 98 walks to 75 strikeouts. He finished the 1943 season with 135 hits, 28 doubles, 17 home runs, 69 RBIs, and a .249 batting average in 147 games.

Gordon was out of baseball in 1944 and 1945, serving in the US army. When he returned to the Yankees in 1946, he played in 112 games, missing part of the season due to injuries. He batted only .210 that season and on October 11, 1946, the Yankees traded him to the Cleveland Indians.

Cleveland Indians

Gordon recovered from his injuries and in 1947, his first season with the Indians, he batted .272 with 153 hits, 27 doubles, 29 home runs, and 93 RBIs in 155 games.

In 1948, Gordon had career highs in home runs and RBIs. He finished the season with 154 hits, 21 doubles, 32 home runs, 124 RBIs, 68 strikeouts to 77 walks, and a .280 batting average in 144 games. His batting average dropped to .251 in 1949. That season, he had 136 hits, 18 doubles, 20 home runs, and 84 RBIs in 148 games.

Gordon struggled in his last season, batting just .236 in 1950. He finished the season with 87 hits, 19 home runs, and 57 RBIs in 119 games. He was released by the Indians on October 27, 1950.

Awards and MLB Records

Gordon was the first American League second baseman to hit 20 home runs in a season. In addition to being a power hitter, Gordon was an excellent fielder and he led the American League in assists four times and defensive double plays three times.

  • AL MVP in 1942
  • Sporting News MVP in 1942
  • Led AL in games played - 2 times

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Gordon in 11 seasons (1938-1943, 1946-1950) in the major leagues include:

  • 6 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 173 in 1940 and 1942
  • 7 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 32 in 1948
  • 4 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 124 in 1948

Career batting statistics for Gordon include:

  • 1,566 games played
  • 1,530 hits
  • 264 doubles
  • 253 home runs
  • 975 RBIs
  • .268 batting average
  • .357 on-base percentage
  • .823 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Gordon as a second baseman include:

  • 1,519 games played
  • 260 errors
  • 4,706 assists
  • 1,160 double plays
  • 3,600 putouts
  • .970 fielding percentage

Career postseason statistics for Gordon include:

  • 29 games played
  • 103 at-bats
  • 25 hits
  • 5 doubles
  • 4 home runs
  • 2 stolen bases
  • 16 RBIs
  • 17 strikeouts to 12 walks
  • .243 batting average

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Gordon was a player-manager in the minor leagues in 1951 and 1952. The following year, he returned to the major leagues as a scout for the Detroit Tigers. He stayed in that position through 1956 and then once again took a managerial position in the minor leagues.

In 1958, Gordon was hired as the manager of the Cleveland Indians. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers in the middle of the 1960 season, finishing the season as the Tigers new manager. In 1961, he was hired as manager of the Kansas City Athletics but he was fired halfway through the season by Charlie Finley, the owner of the Athletics. Following his firing, Gordon signed on with the Los Angeles Angels as a scout and minor league instructor. He stayed in that position through 1968. Gordon's last year in major league baseball was as manager of the Kansas City Royals in 1969. His statistics as a manager include 305-308 win-loss record for a .498 win percentage.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Joe Gordon
ESPN - Joe Gordon
Baseball Reference - Joe Gordon

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