American baseball player and manager (1900-1985)
Baseball player
Ossie Bluege
|
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|
Third baseman
/
Manager
|
Born:
(
1900-10-24
)
October 24, 1900
Chicago
, Illinois, U.S.
|
Died:
October 14, 1985
(1985-10-14)
(aged 84)
Edina, Minnesota
, U.S.
|
Batted:
Right
Threw:
Right
|
|
April 24, 1922, for the Washington Senators
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|
July 13, 1939, for the Washington Senators
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|
Batting average
| .272
|
---|
Home runs
| 43
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Runs batted in
| 848
|
---|
Managerial record
| 375?394
|
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Winning %
| .488
|
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|
As player
As manager
|
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Oswald Louis Bluege
(
; October 24, 1900 ? October 14, 1985) was an American
third baseman
,
manager
,
coach
and front-office executive in
Major League Baseball
who spent his entire playing career with the
Washington Senators
franchise from 1922 to 1939. He would remain on the team's payroll in key on- and off-field capacities until 1971, long after it became the
Minnesota Twins
. Bluege was the last surviving member of the Senators'
1924 World Series
championship team, the franchise's only world champion before it relocated to Minnesota in 1961. He threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 162 pounds (73 kg).
Early life
[
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]
Bluege was born in
Chicago
and raised in the city's
Goose Island
area. A younger brother,
Otto
, an infielder, played in 109 games for the 1932?1933
Cincinnati Reds
and had a 13-year playing career in professional baseball. Ossie Bluege, a graduate of the Luther Institute of Business Administration in 1915, found a job as an accountant at
International Harvester
.
[1]
He honed his baseball skills as a member of local sandlot teams.
Playing career
[
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]
Bluege was discovered by baseball promoter
Joe Engel
, who operated the
Chattanooga Lookouts
of the
Southern Association
and scouted for Washington owner
Clark Griffith
. He made his Major League debut on April 24, 1922, and played his final game on July 13, 1939, spending his 18-year, 1,867-game playing career with the Senators. In addition to the 1924 world champions, Bluege also was the team's starting third baseman for its
pennant-winning
1925
and
1933
editions. Bluege was chiefly known for his defensive ability, leading
American League
third basemen in
double plays
in three different seasons. His moonlighting, off-season job earned him the nickname "The Accountant" from teammates. Bluege's only
All-Star
appearance, in 1935, came in a year which saw him primarily play shortstop for Washington.
In his 18-year major league career, spanning 1,867 games, Bleuge posted a .272
batting average
(1,751-for-6,440) with 883
runs
, 276
doubles
, 67
triples
, 43
home runs
, 848
RBI
, 140
stolen bases
, 723
base on balls
, .352
on-base percentage
and .356
slugging percentage
. He finished his career with a .961
fielding percentage
. In 17 games played during his three World Series, he hit .200 (12-for-60) with five runs scored and five runs batted in.
Coach, manager, executive
[
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]
After retiring in 1939, Bluege coached for Washington (1940?1942) before taking over as manager of the Senators from 1943 through 1947. He compiled a career managerial record of 379?394, with two second-place finishes (in
1943
and
1945
). In 1948, Bluege was named the club's
farm system
director, where his greatest scouting coup was a young
Harmon Killebrew
. In 1958 he became the Senators'
comptroller
?the team's chief accountant?shortly before the club's relocation to
Minneapolis?Saint Paul
as the
Minnesota Twins
. He remained the Twins' comptroller until his retirement in 1971, having served the organization for 50 years.
Bluege died of a stroke in 1985 in
Edina, Minnesota
, ten days before his 85th birthday. The previous week, he had attended a ceremony in Washington, D.C., at halftime of a
Washington Redskins
football game, where Bluege was honored by being inducted in the Washington stadium's "Hall of Stars".
See also
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References
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External links
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]