John Donald "Spider" Jorgensen (November 3, 1919 – November 6, 2003) was a
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
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), ...
who played from
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
through
1951
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the United ...
for the
Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
(1947–50) and
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
(1950–51). Jorgensen made his MLB debut for the Dodgers on April 15, 1947, the same day teammate
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
broke the professional
baseball color line
The color line, also known as the color barrier, in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Major League Baseball and its affiliated Minor Leagues until 1947 (with a few notable exceptions in the 19th century before the li ...
.
Born in
Folsom, California
Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is commonly known for Folsom State Prison, the song "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash, as well as for Folsom Lake. The population was 80,454 at the 2020 census.
Folsom is pa ...
, Jorgensen graduated from
Folsom High School
Folsom High School is a public secondary school in the western United States, located in Folsom, California, a suburb east of Sacramento. Established in 1922, it is a part of the Folsom Cordova Unified School District.
School history
The firs ...
in 1936 and attended
Sacramento City College
Sacramento City College (SCC) is a public community college in Sacramento, California. SCC is part of the Los Rios Community College District and had an enrollment of 25,307 in 2009. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community ...
from 1937 to 1938. His nickname, Spider, originated from his time at Folsom High School, according to ''Baseball Digest'' writer Phil Elderkin. Elderkin wrote in 1998 that Jorgensen wore a pair of black shorts with a vertical orange stripe on the sides while playing basketball, which prompted a teacher to tell the students that Jorgensen reminded him of a black widow spider he killed in a woodshed. The nickname, while random, stuck with Jorgensen.
In 1940, Jorgensen participated in a Brooklyn Dodgers’ tryout camp in San Mateo, California. He impressed scouts Tommy Downey and Bill Svilich so much that, after graduating from Sacramento City College in 1941, he was offered a contract with the Dodgers. At age 21, he was assigned to the Dodgers’ Santa Barbara team in the Class C California League. In his first pro season, Jorgensen appeared in 140 games and batted .332 with nine home runs and 43 doubles, earning the league's Most Valuable Player award and helping Santa Barbara win the league championship.
Two months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, Jorgensen paused his baseball career and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to the Army Air Corps, eventually reaching the rank of technical sergeant, while serving at duty stations in Idaho, Arizona, and Texas. While in Texas, Jorgensen met Lenore Jones, whom he married in October 1946. Lenore had two children from a previous marriage, and the couple had a daughter, Jonel. Jorgensen and Lenore were married until her death in 1995.
Discharged from the U.S. Army in 1945, Jorgensen returned to professional baseball with the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers' Class AAA affiliate. While in Montreal, Jorgensen played in the same infield as
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
and future Dodgers general manager
Al Campanis
Alexander Sebastian Campanis (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Σεβαστιανός Καμπάνης; November 2, 1916 – June 21, 1998) was an American executive in Major League Baseball (MLB). He had a brief major league playing career, as a ...
, who played second base and shortstop, respectively. In 117 games with the Royals, Jorgensen batted .293 and recorded 71 RBIs.
Jorgensen participated in the Dodgers' spring training in Cuba in 1947, but believing he would begin the season with the Royals, Jorgensen sent his glove, bats and spikes to Syracuse, New York, where the Royals would begin the season. However, injuries to infielders Cookie Lavagetto and Arky Vaughan led the Dodgers to keep Jorgensen on the major-league Opening Day roster. Without any of his equipment, Jorgensen was in danger of not playing. Jorgensen's Montreal teammate Robinson, who was also making his debut that day, lent his glove to Jorgensen.
“I came into Ebbets Field on Opening Day, scared to death," Jorgensen later told writer Phil Elderkin. "I didn’t think I was going to play. I didn’t have any equipment with me. My glove, bats, everything else went to Syracuse because the Montreal club opened up there. Then Jackie comes over and says ‘Here, use my second base glove.’ He was going to play first base. So I used his glove and borrowed a pair of spikes and I'm in the lineup. So I really didn't have time to get nervous.”
While his debut was overshadowed by Robinson's, Jorgensen drew a walk and drove in a run in three at-bats. Two days later, on April 17, 1947, Jorgensen had arguably the best game of his career when he recorded a home run and two doubles for six combined RBIs. 1947 would be Jorgensen's only MLB season as a regular, batting .274, drove in 67 runs, with a team-high eight triples. Jorgensen also played in each of the seven games of the
1947 World Series
The 1947 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Yankees won the Series in seven games for their 11th World Series championship in team history. Yankees manager Bucky Harris won the Series for the first time ...
against the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
, recording four hits and three RBIs.
During the subsequent winter, though, Jorgensen bruised his arm using a hunting rifle. He permanently damaged his arm by throwing too aggressively during spring training, leading his career to quickly decline. Despite manager
Leo Durocher
Leo Ernest Durocher (French spelling Léo Ernest Durocher) (; July 27, 1905 – October 7, 1991), nicknamed "Leo the Lip" and "Lippy", was an American professional baseball player, manager (baseball), manager and coach (baseball), coach. He playe ...
telling the media Jorgensen would likely be the starting third baseman in 1948,
Billy Cox
William Cox (born October 18, 1941) is an American bassist, best known for performing with Jimi Hendrix. Cox is the only surviving musician to have regularly played with Hendrix: first with the experimental group that backed Hendrix at Woodstoc ...
started at third while Jorgensen became a reserve. Jorgensen batted .300 in 90 at-bats in 1948, but after further tests on his arm and shoulder in June, Jorgensen was left in St. Louis and eventually sent to the Dodgers' American Association farm team in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jorgensen returned to the Dodgers' roster as a reserve in 1949, batting .269 in 134 at-bats. He played in his second World Series in
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022.
* January 2 – Luis ...
, but only recorded two hits in 11 at-bats.
On May 17, 1950, the Dodgers sold Jorgensen to the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. He would play only 24 games with the Giants, recording five hits in 37 at-bats. He played 64 games for the Giants' Class AAA Minneapolis Millers, batting .330 in 215 at-bats. Jorgensen would make his final major-league appearance on June 30, 1951, when he flied out as a pinch hitter. The next day, the Giants traded Jorgensen to the
Oakland Oaks of the
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
. In 267 major-league games, Jorgensen batted .266, hit nine home runs and recorded 107 RBIs. He played with the Oaks until 1955, when the team relocated to Vancouver and became the
Vancouver Mounties
The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1956– 62 and – 69. Its home field was Capilano Stadium. During the Mounties' first tw ...
. He played with the Mounties through the 1958 season, at which time he became a coach.
In 267 games over five seasons, Jorgensen posted a .266
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 ...
(201-for-755) with 97
runs, 9
home runs
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 ...
, 107
RBI and 106
bases on balls
A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...
. He recorded a .940
fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...
primarily as a third baseman and several games as a right fielder. In 11 World Series games, he batted .194 (6-for-31) with 2 runs and 3 RBI.
After several seasons coaching around the country, Jorgensen returned to his home in Sacramento, where he coached the
Fair Oaks American Legion, a team that won the North Division championship in 1967.
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker Jr. (born June 15, 1949) is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in the MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the L ...
, who became a successful major-league player and manager, was a member of that team.
"In all the time he coached us, I never knew Spider played for the Dodgers," Baker said in the 2004 book ''How To Be Like Jackie Robinson''. "I knew he was a terrific coach, but he never once mentioned he was a former player."
For the last 30 years of his life, Jorgensen worked as a major-league scout for the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
,
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
, and
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 ...
, the latter of which he was a scout for more than two decades. At the time of his death, Jorgensen was still scouting locally for the Cubs.
In 1996, Jorgensen was in the first class of inductees into the
Sacramento City College
Sacramento City College (SCC) is a public community college in Sacramento, California. SCC is part of the Los Rios Community College District and had an enrollment of 25,307 in 2009. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community ...
Athletic Hall of Fame.
On November 6, 2003, Jorgensen died in a hospital in
Rancho Cucamonga, California
Rancho Cucamonga ( ) is a city located just south of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest in San Bernardino County, California, United States. About east of Downtown Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga is the 28th ...
, just three days after his 84th birthday. He is inurned at Lakeside Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Folsom.
In the film ''
42'', Jorgensen was portrayed by actor Jamie Ruehling.
External links
Spider Jorgensen- Baseball Biography
*
Spider Jorgensen Biography , Society for American Baseball Research
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jorgensen, Spider
Brooklyn Dodgers players
New York Giants (NL) players
Major League Baseball third basemen
Chicago Cubs scouts
Kansas City Royals scouts
Philadelphia Phillies scouts
Baseball players from California
Sacramento City Panthers baseball players
1919 births
2003 deaths
Minor league baseball managers
Santa Barbara Saints players
Montreal Royals players
St. Paul Saints (AA) players
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players
Oakland Oaks (baseball) players
Vancouver Mounties players
Great Falls Electrics players
People from Folsom, California
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Panama