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Walter Alston
| Walter Alston | |
|---|---|
 Alston in 1976 | |
| First baseman / Manager | |
| Born: December 1, 1911 Venice, Ohio, U.S. | |
| Died: October 1, 1984 (aged 72) Oxford, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 27, 1936, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 1936, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Games managed | 3,658 |
| Managerial record | 2,040–1,613 |
| Winning % | .558 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1983 |
| Vote | Veterans Committee |
Walter Emmons Alston (December 1, 1911 – October 1, 1984), nicknamed "Smokey", was an American baseball manager in Major League Baseball who managed the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers from 1954 through 1976, signing 23 one-year contracts with the team.[1] Regarded as one of the greatest managers in baseball history, Alston was known for his calm, reticent demeanor, for which he was sometimes referred to as "the Quiet Man."
Born and raised in rural Ohio, Alston lettered in baseball and basketball at Miami University in Oxford. A journeyman whose MLB playing career consisted of only one game–two innings played, and one at-bat with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1936–Alston spent 19 years in the minor leagues as a player, player-manager and non-playing manager. His service included a stint as manager of the 1946 Nashua Dodgers, the first U.S.-based integrated professional team in modern baseball. After six successful seasons as manager of Brooklyn's Triple-A teams, the St. Paul Saints and Montreal Royals, Alston was promoted to manage the Dodgers in 1954.
As a major league manager, Alston led Dodger teams to seven National League (NL) pennants and four World Series titles, including the only championship title won while the club was still in Brooklyn. After 23 seasons, Alston retired with over 2,000 career wins and had been selected as Manager of the Year six times. He also managed NL All-Star teams to seven victories. Alston's number 24 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977. In 1983, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame but was unable to attend his induction ceremony after suffering a heart attack that year and being hospitalized for a month. He never fully recovered and died in Oxford, Ohio, on October 1, 1984.[2]
- ^ Elderkin, Phil (October 5, 1984). "Walter Alston's 'one-year contract' added up to seven pennants". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- ^ "Alston dies at age 72". Milwaukee Sentinel. October 2, 1984. p. 2, part 2.[permanent dead link]
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