Wally Judnich
Encyclopedia
Walter Franklin Judnich (January 24, 1916 - July 10, 1971) was a center fielder
in Major League Baseball
who played for three different teams between and . Listed at 6' 1", 205 lb., Judnich batted and threw left-handed
. In baseball books, he is known indistinctly as Wally or Walt Judnich. A native of San Francisco, California
and graduate of Mission High School
, Judnich entered the majors in 1940 with the St. Louis Browns
, playing for them five years (1940–42, 1946–47) before joining the Cleveland Indians
and Pittsburgh Pirates
(1949).
Basically a contact, line-drive hitter, Judnich was a fine outfielder with a strong throwing arm. But he was one of many major leaguers who saw his baseball career truncated after his stint in the US Army Air Force
during World War II
. When he came back after discharge, he was 29 years old and no longer at the top of his game.
In his rookie
season with the Browns, Judnich posted career-numbers in home run
s (24), RBIs
(89), and runs scored
(97), while hitting a .303 batting average
to become one of only seven players in the American League
to reach the .300 mark in the season; ranking 6th behind Ted Williams
(.356), Johnny Pesky
(.331), Stan Spence
(.323), Joe Gordon (.322) and George Case
(.320), and surpassing Joe DiMaggio
(.305). After his heroics, Judnich was considered in the American League MVP
vote.
In , Judnich enjoyed another good season batting .284 with 14 homers, 40 doubles
, 83 RBIs and 90 runs in a career-high 146 games. Then, in he hit 17 home runs (7th in AL) with 82 RBIs and a .313 average (a career-high), being nominated again to the American Leaague MVP honors. After that, he served in military for the next three years (1943–45).
Judnich was released from the USAAF in time for the start of the season with the Browns, when he hit .262 with 15 homers and 72 RBIs in 132 games. The next year he went .258, 18, 64 in 144 appearances, and was traded to Cleveland before the season.
With the Indians, Judnich was part of a very congested outfield that included Larry Doby
, Dale Mitchell
and Thurman Tucker
, between nine others. He did, however, manage to get a World Series
ring as part of the 1948 Cleveland Indians World Champions, playing 49 games in the outfield and 20 at first base
, as a backup. He also made 10 appearances for Pittsburgh in 1949, his last major league season.
In a seven-season career, Judnich was a .281 hitter (782-for-2786) with 90 home runs and 420 RBIs in 790 games, including 424 runs, 150 doubles, 29 triples
, 20 stolen base
s, a .369 on-base percentage, and a solid 1.30 walk-to-strikeout ratio
(385-to-298). In four postseason games, he hit .077 (1-for-13) with a run and one RBI.
Following his majors career, Judnich played for many years in the Pacific Coast League
, including stints with the San Francisco Seals, Seattle Rainiers
, and Portland Beavers
.
Judnich died in Glendale, California
, at the age of 55.
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played for three different teams between and . Listed at 6' 1", 205 lb., Judnich batted and threw left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
. In baseball books, he is known indistinctly as Wally or Walt Judnich. A native of San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and graduate of Mission High School
Mission High School (San Francisco, California)
Mission High School is a public high school in the San Francisco Unified School District San Francisco, California.Serving grades 9-12, Mission is the oldest high school on its original site in San Francisco; it has been on 18th Street, between Dolores and Church, since 1896...
, Judnich entered the majors in 1940 with the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, playing for them five years (1940–42, 1946–47) before joining the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(1949).
Basically a contact, line-drive hitter, Judnich was a fine outfielder with a strong throwing arm. But he was one of many major leaguers who saw his baseball career truncated after his stint in the US Army Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. When he came back after discharge, he was 29 years old and no longer at the top of his game.
In his rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season with the Browns, Judnich posted career-numbers in home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s (24), RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
(89), and runs scored
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
(97), while hitting a .303 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
to become one of only seven players in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
to reach the .300 mark in the season; ranking 6th behind Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
(.356), Johnny Pesky
Johnny Pesky
John Michael Pesky , nicknamed "The Needle" and "Mr. Red Sox", was a Major League Baseball shortstop, third baseman, and manager. During a 10-year career, he played in 1942 and from 1946-1954 for three different teams. He missed all of the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons while serving in World War...
(.331), Stan Spence
Stan Spence
Stanley Orville Spence was a Major League Baseball center fielder who played from through for the Boston Red Sox , Washington Senators and St. Louis Browns . Spence batted and threw left-handed...
(.323), Joe Gordon (.322) and George Case
George Case
George Washington Case was an American left and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Washington Senators...
(.320), and surpassing Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
(.305). After his heroics, Judnich was considered in the American League MVP
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
vote.
In , Judnich enjoyed another good season batting .284 with 14 homers, 40 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 83 RBIs and 90 runs in a career-high 146 games. Then, in he hit 17 home runs (7th in AL) with 82 RBIs and a .313 average (a career-high), being nominated again to the American Leaague MVP honors. After that, he served in military for the next three years (1943–45).
Judnich was released from the USAAF in time for the start of the season with the Browns, when he hit .262 with 15 homers and 72 RBIs in 132 games. The next year he went .258, 18, 64 in 144 appearances, and was traded to Cleveland before the season.
With the Indians, Judnich was part of a very congested outfield that included Larry Doby
Larry Doby
Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Doby was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball....
, Dale Mitchell
Dale Mitchell (baseball)
Loren Dale Mitchell was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1946 through 1956, Mitchell played for the Cleveland Indians and Brooklyn Dodgers...
and Thurman Tucker
Thurman Tucker
Thurman Lowell Tucker was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for nine seasons in the American League with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians. In 701 career games, Tucker recorded a batting average of .255, had 24 triples, 9 home runs, and 179 runs batted in...
, between nine others. He did, however, manage to get a World Series
1948 World Series
The 1948 World Series matched the Cleveland Indians against the Boston Braves. The Braves had won the National League pennant for the first time since the "Miracle Braves" team of . The Indians spoiled a chance for the only all-Boston World Series by winning a one-game playoff against the Boston...
ring as part of the 1948 Cleveland Indians World Champions, playing 49 games in the outfield and 20 at first base
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
, as a backup. He also made 10 appearances for Pittsburgh in 1949, his last major league season.
In a seven-season career, Judnich was a .281 hitter (782-for-2786) with 90 home runs and 420 RBIs in 790 games, including 424 runs, 150 doubles, 29 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 20 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s, a .369 on-base percentage, and a solid 1.30 walk-to-strikeout ratio
Walk-to-strikeout ratio
In baseball statistics, walk-to-strikeout ratio is a measure of a hitter's plate discipline and knowledge of the strike zone. Generally, a hitter with a good walk-to-strikeout ratio must exhibit enough patience at the plate to refrain from swinging at bad pitches and take a base on balls, but he...
(385-to-298). In four postseason games, he hit .077 (1-for-13) with a run and one RBI.
Following his majors career, Judnich played for many years in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, including stints with the San Francisco Seals, Seattle Rainiers
Seattle Rainiers
The Seattle Rainiers, originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels, were a minor league baseball team in Seattle, Washington, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903-06 and 1919-68...
, and Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
.
Judnich died in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, at the age of 55.