Edward Martin Herrmann (August 27, 1946 – December 22, 2013) was an American

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player born in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

, the California Angels, the Houston Astros and the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

from 1967 through 1978. He batted left and threw right handed.

Major league career

Herrmann was contracted as an amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the Milwaukee Braves in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

, and was then drafted from the Braves by the Chicago White Sox later that year. While playing for the Evansville White Sox in , he led the Southern League in

putouts In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or '' fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

, assists and in fielding percentage. Herrmann made his Major League Baseball debut for the White Sox at the age of 20 on September 1,

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

. He returned to the minor leagues in , before rejoining the White Sox in

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

, replacing

Duane Josephson Duane Charles Josephson (June 3, 1942 – January 30, 1997) was an American catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox in parts of eight seasons spanning 1965–1972. Listed at 6' 0", 190 lb., he batt ...

as their starting catcher. Herrmann had his best season offensively in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

when he posted a .283

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 19

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 52

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

. In

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

, Herrmann led the American League in

intentional walk In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by ''IBB'', is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the ...

s with 19, and led all American League catchers in baserunners caught stealing and in caught stealing percentage, as the White Sox battled the Oakland Athletics for the

American League West The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams curr ...

Division championship, coming from eight and a half games behind on July 17 to take first place on August 20, before finishing the season five and a half games behind the eventual world champion Athletics. In a game against the Oakland Athletics on June 24,

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

, Herrmann hit a three-run home run, a two-run double and a two-run single, for a total of seven runs batted in, one short of the White Sox team record of eight. Herrmann developed a reputation as one of the best

knuckleball A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow. This cha ...

catchers in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

from his work with such knuckleball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

s as

Hoyt Wilhelm James Hoyt Wilhelm (July 26, 1922 – August 23, 2002), nicknamed "Old Sarge", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, California Angel ...

Wilbur Wood Wilbur Forrester Wood Jr. (born October 22, 1941) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In a 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he pitched for the Boston Red Sox (1961–64), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1964–65), and the Chi ...

and Eddie Fisher. Wood won twenty or more games for four consecutive years between 1971 and 1974 with Herrmann as his catcher. Unfortunately for Herrmann, trying to catch the unpredictable knuckleball pitch also contributed to his leading American League catchers four times in passed balls allowed. In , Herrmann was selected to be a member of the American League All-Star team. Herrmann had a contract dispute with the White Sox during spring training in , and after ten years with the White Sox organisation, he was traded to the New York Yankees on April 1 of that year. He served as a third-string catcher for the Yankees during the

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

season, working behind

Thurman Munson Thurman Lee Munson (June 7, 1947 – August 2, 1979) was an American professional baseball catcher who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees, from 1969 until his death in 1979. A seven-time All-Star, Mun ...

and ahead of

Rick Dempsey John Rikard Dempsey (born September 13, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player.1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

by the California Angels. Herrmann played only a half season with the Angels during which he platooned alongside right hand hitting catcher

Andy Etchebarren Andrew Auguste Etchebarren (June 20, 1943 – October 5, 2019) was an American professional baseball player and minor league manager. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball as a catcher in and then from through , most notably as a mem ...

. In June

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, Herrmann was traded to the Houston Astros, where he replaced Milt May as the Astros' starting catcher. Herrmann was the Astros catcher on July 9, when

Larry Dierker Lawrence Edward Dierker (born September 22, 1946) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher, manager, and broadcaster. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964 to 1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Loui ...

threw a no-hitter against the

. He worked as back up catcher to

Joe Ferguson Joseph Carlton Ferguson Jr. (born April 23, 1950) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Arkansas. Early year ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

, posting a .291 batting average in 56 games. Herrmann was purchased by the Montreal Expos in 1978 where he was a reserve catcher, working behind Gary Carter. He retired at the end of the season.

Career statistics

In an eleven-year major league career, Herrmann played in 922 games, accumulating 654 hits in 2,729

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

for a .240 career batting average along with 80 home runs and 320 runs batted in. He posted a .987 career fielding percentage. Herrmann was the grandson of former major league player Marty Herrmann.

Post-retirement

After leaving the major leagues, Herrmann continued to work in baseball as a baseball scout for the Kansas City Royals, also serving as a tutor,

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

of youth teams ranging in age from 13 through college. He also coached four travel teams to national championships. Besides, he participated in charity golf tournament events year-round for the Anaheim Angels, the Chicago White Sox, along with other major charities. During the same period, he collaborated as a year-round coach fo
Del Mar Powerhouse
and th
North County Cobras
as well as a volunteer fo
The Rock Academy
Warriors baseball team. In addition, he served as Chapter President for the Non-Profi
Christian Motorcyclists AssociationWings of Eagles, Chapter 498
in North San Diego County, California since January, 2013. Herrmann died in 2013 at the age of 67, following a long battle with prostate cancer.Chicago Tribune – Ex-White Sox catcher Ed Herrmann dies at 67
/ref>

References

External links

, o
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics

Ed Herrmann's Website

Ed Herrmann interview at www.whitesoxinteractive.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herrmann, Ed 1946 births 2013 deaths Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American League All-Stars Baseball players from San Diego California Angels players Chicago White Sox players Clinton C-Sox players Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from prostate cancer Evansville White Sox players Hawaii Islanders players Houston Astros players Kansas City Royals scouts Lynchburg White Sox players Major League Baseball catchers Montreal Expos players New York Yankees players Richmond Braves players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela