Former Cardinals player and manager Solly Hemus, the last big-league manager alive who had managed in the 1950s and the last Cardinals player-manager in 1959, died at age 94 on Monday in Houston. He had been in ill health.
Solomon Joseph Hemus, a 5-foot-9, hard-nosed infielder, had a lifetime batting mark of .273 in an 11-season career with the Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies from 1949-59.
After he was traded to the Phillies in May 1956, Hemus wrote a letter to Cardinals owner Gussie Busch saying how proud he had been to be a Cardinal. After the 1958 season, Busch re-acquired Hemus and named him player/manager.
My thoughts go out to his family and friends.
Hemus posted a career .390 OBP, making him a rather good offensive player for the shortstops of the day. He did not become a regular until his age 28 season, one reason his playing career was short. His prime was almost over before he really got started. The 1952 season was his best, as he led the league in runs scored.
He had less luck as a manager, going 190-192 in 2 1/2 seasons.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2xPeYSu
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