Gerald Holmes "Gee" Walker (March 19, 1908 – March 20, 1981) was a

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), ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

. During his fifteen-year career he played with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

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 p ...

, Washington Senators,

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. Walker played in 1,784 major league games over 15 seasons with a career batting average of .294, with 1,991 hits, 124 home runs and 998 RBI. He had 223

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s, finishing nine times among the top ten for the season. He played for the Tigers in two

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

;

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

when they lost to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, and

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

when they beat the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Early years

Born in

Gulfport, Mississippi Gulfport is the second-largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. Along with Biloxi, Gulfport is the co-county seat of Harrison County and the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan ...

, Walker attended the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

and was a member of the Class of 1930. He played both football and baseball at Ole Miss, and is in both the

Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Jackson, Mississippi. The hall of fame was established in 1961 and is currently located in a museum that displays the achievements of Mississippi athletes. The museum opened on July 4, 19 ...

and the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame.

Career

Gee — a fiery competitor and a clown — became a favorite in Detroit. His antics earned him the moniker "The Madman from Mississippi." He hit .300 or better in five of his first seven seasons. Though regularly among the league leaders in stolen bases, he could also be inattentive and overzealous on the basepaths. He once tried to steal a base during an intentional walk. In the 1934 World Series, he was picked off first while arguing with the Cardinal bench. Earlier that year, on June 30, he was picked off base twice in the same inning. After

Hank Greenberg Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...

singled, Walker reached on an error but was caught off base when the catcher threw to first. Greenberg tried to draw a throw by running to third base and was thrown out, with Walker taking second base. Moments later, with Walker standing six feet off the bag, the pitcher threw to second base and Walker was tagged out. Detroit manager

Mickey Cochrane Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detro ...

was so angered by Walker's inattention that he suspended Walker for 10 days and fined him $20. In 1936, Walker hit .353 — the highest batting average of his career and 6th highest in the American League. He also hit 55 doubles — second only to his teammate

Charlie Gehringer Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, general manager, and team vice president, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for t ...

. In 1937, Walker began the season on fire. On

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

, he

hit for the cycle In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League Ba ...

— the only player to accomplish that feat on Opening Day. He did it in reverse order (called an "unnatural cycle") – starting with a home run, followed by triple, then a double and finally a single. He continued his hot hitting with a 27-game streak in April and May, and his fast start put him in the 1937 All-Star Game, although he did not appear in the game. He ended 1937 with a career-high 18 HR, 113 RBIs and .335 average. Despite Walker's strong performance that year, the Tigers (reportedly unhappy with his antics) traded him after the season. They sent two of their most popular players, Walker and

Marv Owen Marvin James Owen (March 22, 1906 – June 22, 1991) was an American baseball player, manager, coach and scout. A native of northern California, Owen played both baseball and football at Santa Clara University. He made his Major League Baseb ...

, to the White Sox for

Vern Kennedy Lloyd Vernon Kennedy (March 20, 1907 – January 28, 1993) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinna ...

Tony Piet Anthony Francis Piet, born Anthony Francis Pietruszka (December 7, 1906 – December 1, 1981) was an infielder in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1938. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, and Detroit Tigers ...

and

Dixie Walker Fred E. "Dixie" Walker (September 24, 1910 – May 17, 1982) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and minor league manager. He played as a right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1949. Although Walker was a fi ...

. The trade caused an uproar with Tiger fans, and owner Walter Briggs was forced to issue an announcement from his Miami home that "the deal was made with my approval." Walker continued to hit well for several years afterward, but was traded four more times. In December 1939, he was traded to the Washington Senators for

Pete Appleton Peter William Appleton (May 20, 1904 – January 18, 1974), born Peter Jablonowski and sometimes known as "Jabby" and the "Polish Wizard,"("Jabby") was an American baseball player, scout, and manager. Appleton played college baseball for the Univ ...

and

Taffy Wright Taft Shedron "Taffy" Wright (August 10, 1911 – October 22, 1981) was a professional baseball player. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1949, primarily as a right fielder. Early life Wright was born in Tabor City, N ...

. In December 1940, he was traded to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

for

Doc Cramer Roger Maxwell "Doc" Cramer (July 22, 1905 – September 9, 1990) was an American center fielder and left-handed batter in Major League Baseball who played for four American League teams from 1929 to 1948. Career A mainstay at the top of his team ...

and then sent to the

. While playing for the

in 1942, in the second game of a doubleheader against the

on May 30, Walker collided in the outfield with fellow Mississippi native

Harry Craft Harry Francis Craft (April 19, 1915 – August 3, 1995) was an American Major League Baseball player and manager. Born in Ellisville, Mississippi, he was a center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds from 1937 to 1942. Craft attended Mississippi Colleg ...

, and both were unable to finish the game. Their injuries led to the major league debut of Clyde Vollmer the next day.

Later years

After retiring as a player, Walker served for a year as a coach for the

, in 1946. Walker died in 1981 at Mississippi State Hospital in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, one day after his birthday, at age 73 after a long illness. He was survived by four sons, a daughter and two brothers, one of whom,

Hub Walker Harvey Willos "Hub" Walker (August 17, 1906 – November 26, 1982) was an American baseball outfielder. He played professional baseball from 1929 to 1945, including five seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers (1931, 1935, 1945) ...

, was also a former major league outfielder, with Detroit and Cincinnati.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Gee 1908 births 1981 deaths Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Cleveland Indians players American football halfbacks Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds coaches Cincinnati Reds players Detroit Tigers players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Ole Miss Rebels baseball players Ole Miss Rebels football players Minor league baseball managers Fort Smith Twins players Evansville Hubs players Sacramento Solons players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Wheeling Stogies players All-Southern college football players American League All-Stars Sportspeople from Gulfport, Mississippi Sportspeople from Hattiesburg, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi Baseball coaches from Mississippi Baseball players from Mississippi

Early years

Career

Later years

See also

References

Further reading

External links