Pete Runnels
Sweet-swinging Pete Runnels lost the 1958 American League Batting Crown to Red Sox teammate Ted Williams on the final day of the season when he went hitless against the Senators while Williams went 2-for-4. Runnels later won the 1960 and 1962 titles, capping a great run with Boston, for whom he hit .320 in five seasons. Runnels began his career as a shortstop with the Senators in 1951, but the batting titles he later won made people forget that he had a fine glove. A versatile player, Runnels played more than 400 games at first base, second base and shortstop.
Played For
Washington Senators (1951-1957)
Boston Red Sox (1958-1962)
Houston Astros (1963-1964)
Managed
Boston Red Sox (1966)
All-Time Rankings
Pete Runnels ranks #49 among the Top 50 all-time at 2B. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1962
Not a lot better than his 1958 or 1960 seasons, but better. He hit .326 with a career-best .456 slugging percentage and 10 homers. His 48 extra-base hits were the best of his career. Essentially, Runnels was a singles hitter.
Where He Played
All over the place: first base (644), second base (642), shortstop (463), third base (49). Like Greg Jefferies, Runnels was a great bat who couldn't find a spot to play defensively. His teams tried to hide him here and there, anything to get his stick in the lineup.
Born
James Edward Runnels was born on January 28, 1928, in Lufkin, TX.
Died
May 20, 1991, Pasadena, TX
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Primary Position: 2B
Primary Team: WS1
Major League Debut
July 1, 1951
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1951
Willie Mays
Mickey Mantle
Roy McMillan
Pete Runnels
Frank Thomas
Johnny Logan
Bob Friend
Rocky Bridges
Gil McDougald
Similar Players
Heinie Groh, Milt Stock and Ossie Bluege. Billy Goodman is a very good comp in many ways: he won a batting title, he didn't play one position for that long, and he played for the Red Sox. But Runnels was a far better defensive player than Goodman ever was. Also, Greg Jefferies was eerily similar.
Related Players
Ted Williams hit .403 over his last 55 games of the 1958 season to edge Runnels for the batting title... Albie Pearson was part of the trade that sent Runnels from the Senators to the Red Sox, on January 23, 1958. Pearson and Norm Zauchin, who also went to Washington for Runnels, never panned out in the Capitol. The two played a combined 286 games for the Senators before moving on.
Feats
On August 30, 1960, Runnels collected six hits in the first game of a doubleheader against the Tigers, including the game-winning double in the 15th inning. In the second game of the twinbill, Runnels banged out three more hits, tying a ML record for hits (nine) in a doubleheader.
Batting Feats
- August 30, 1960: 6 Hits...
Transactions
Runnels was a fine hitter his whole career, but his seven seasons in Washington's spacious Griffith Stadium masked the fact. When he got to the Red Sox in 1958, he was helped by advice from Ted Williams and others, who told him to just slap the ball into the holes... On November 25, 1962, the Red Sox traded Runnels, the defending AL batting champion, to the Houston Colt .45s for outfielder Roman Mejias. The move was a good one for Houston, as Runnels gave them a year of solid play, while Mejias failed to stick in Boston after one year of .227 hitting.
All-Star Selections
1959 AL
1960 AL
1962 AL
Replaced
Sam "Blackie" Dente as shortstop for the Nationals in 1951. Dente was a journeyman infielder, who played for five of the eight Al teams in his day. He had no power, no speed and rarely drew a walk. In the field, Dente committed 67 erros for Washington at shortstop in 1949-1950. After leaving the Senators, Dente was never a starter again.
Replaced By
In his last season as a semi-regular, Runnels played 70 games at first, 36 games at second base and three at third for the Astros in 1963. The next season he was essentially replaced by a group of young players.
Best Strength as a Player
Hitting for average, and versatility.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Hitting for power.
Learn More about Pete Runnels
Search Amazon.com for Books about Pete Runnels ⇒
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View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
