Evers, "Johnny" (John J.)
Baseball
b. July 21, 1881, Troy, NY
d. March 28, 1947
Although a fiery, scrappy player who was on five pennant-winning teams, Evers is probably in the hall of fame only because he was the second baseman in the famous Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance double-play combination. The three of them entered the hall of fame together as a gesture to history.
Evers joined the Cubs late in the 1902 season and became the team's starting second baseman the following year. The Cubs won three consecutive pennants, 1906 through 1908, and Evers played a key role in the third pennant with his head rather than his bat or glove.
At the time, a runner on first often didn't bother to advance to second base when the winning run scored. Evers, a student of the rules, knew that the runner could be forced out at second if he failed to advance in that situation.
In a September game, the New York Giants apparently beat the Cubs 2-1 in the bottom of ninth, but Fred Merkle, who was on first base, trotted off the field without touching second. Evers called for the ball and finally got it after much confusion. When he touched second base, Merkle was called out and the run disallowed. Fans then stormed onto the field and the game couldn't be continued.
The Cubs and Giants ended in a tie and the game was replayed, the Cubs winning 4-2. Then they beat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series for the second year in a row. They won a fourth pennant in 1910, but Evers missed the World Series because of a broken leg.
Evers' best season was 1912, when he batted .341, a remarkable aberration; his second best average was an even .300 in 1908. After managing the Cubs to a third-place finish in 1913, he was traded to the Boston Braves and he promptly won the NL's most valuable player award. He batted .438 in Boston's four-game sweep of the Philadelphia As in the World Series.
Released by the Braves in 1917, Evers finished the season with the Philadelphia Phillies, then retired as a player, although he played one game in 1922 and another in 1929, when he was coaching.
Evers managed the Cubs once more for part of the 1921 season, and he was manager of the Chicago White Sox in 1924. He also served as a coach and scout with several teams and as a minor league manager and executive.