Rufus James Marshall (born May 25, 1931) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player,

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 ...

and

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 ...

. He spent five full years 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

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

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 c ...

and pinch hitter for five teams from through . Then he played in Japan (with the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...

) from 1963 to 1965. After his playing career, Marshall managed the Chicago Cubs (1974–76) and the Oakland Athletics (1979) but never enjoyed a winning season in either post. His career big-league managing record was 229–326 ( .413) and his 1979 A's squad lost 108 of 162 games (.333).

Playing career

Born in

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

, and raised in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, he threw and batted

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

and was listed as tall and . Marshall attended

Long Beach State University California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

. After beginning his professional career in 1950, he was a productive hitter during his minor league days in the Pacific Coast League of the 1950s, leading the PCL in

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 (31) and

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 ...

(123) as a member of the 1954 Oakland Oaks. Marshall appeared in 410 MLB games over five seasons (1958–62) and batted .242 with 206 hits and 29 home runs. He recorded a career .994 fielding percentage, committing only nine errors in 1,602

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

. He was part of the first interleague trade (without waivers) in baseball history when he was dealt by the Cubs with

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 ...

Dave Hillman 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 eigh ...

for first baseman Dick Gernert on November 21, 1959. In addition to the Cubs, he played for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

and Pittsburgh Pirates. He never appeared in an official game for the Red Sox, who traded him (in a waiver deal) to the Giants for

Al Worthington during spring training in 1960. During his three full seasons in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

, Marshall hit 78 home runs in 408 games.

Management career

Marshall became a minor league manager in the Cubs' organization in 1968. After handling Triple-A assignments from 1971 to 1973, he was promoted by the Cubs to MLB third-base coach on the staff of

Whitey Lockman Carroll Walter "Whitey" Lockman (July 25, 1926 – March 17, 2009) was a left-handed hitting first baseman and outfielder, coach, manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball. Playing career Born in Lowell, North Carolina, Lockman ...

for . On July 25, with Chicago at 41–52, he replaced Lockman as manager. The Cubs went 25–44 over the remainder of the season to finish at 66–96, sixth and last in the

National League East Division The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Along with the American League Central it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title. The division was created when the National Leag ...

. Marshall then led the Cubs to successive 75–87 seasons in and , the Cubs finishing in fifth and then in fourth place. His contract was not renewed, and he was replaced by

Herman Franks Herman Louis Franks (January 4, 1914 – March 30, 2009) was a catcher, coach, manager, general manager and scout in Major League Baseball. He was born in Price, Utah, to Italian-American immigrant parents and attended the University of Utah. Pl ...

on November 24, 1976. He managed at Triple-A for 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 ...

and Oakland organizations in 1977–78 before landing his second MLB command with the 1979 Athletics. Marshall concluded his managerial career in minor league baseball during the 1980s, working for 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 ...

(1984) and

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 ...

(1986). After his managerial career ended, Marshall scouted the United States for Japanese league teams. He remains in the game as the senior advisor for Pacific Rim operations of the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

References

External links

*
Jim Marshall
- Baseballbiography.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Jim 1931 births Living people Albuquerque Dukes players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Arizona Diamondbacks executives Arizona Diamondbacks scouts Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Illinois Baseball players from Long Beach, California Buffalo Bisons (minor league) managers Chicago Cubs coaches Chicago Cubs managers Chicago Cubs players Chunichi Dragons players Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball third base coaches Memphis Chickasaws players Minor league baseball managers Nashville Sounds managers Nashville Vols players New York Mets players Oakland Athletics managers Oakland Oaks (baseball) players People from Danville, Illinois Pittsburgh Pirates players San Antonio Missions managers San Francisco Giants players Vancouver Mounties players Wenatchee Chiefs players