Rube Walker
| Rube Walker | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Catcher | |||
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Born: May 16, 1926 Lenoir, North Carolina | |||
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Died: December 12, 1992 (aged 66) Morganton, North Carolina | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 20, 1948, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| June 15, 1958, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .228 | ||
| Home runs | 35 | ||
| RBI | 192 | ||
| Teams | |||
Albert Bluford "Rube" Walker (May 16, 1926 – December 12, 1992) was an American Major League Baseball catcher and longtime pitching coach.
Career
A native of Lenoir, North Carolina, Walker was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent in 1944. He made his Major League Baseball debut with the Cubs on April 20, 1948, and appeared in his final game on June 15, 1958. As a Brookyn Dodger, he was behind the plate when Bobby Thomson hit the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" on October 3, 1951, substituting for Hall of Famer Roy Campanella, who was nursing an injury.
After retiring as an active player in June 1958, Walker served out the season as a Los Angeles Dodgers coach. He then was a minor league manager in the Dodgers' and New York Yankees' farm systems from 1959 through 1964. After 1965 he was a pitching coach for the Washington Senators, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves, working closely with managers Gil Hodges, Yogi Berra and Joe Torre, among others. Walker was the Mets pitching coach for 14 seasons from 1968 through 1981 including the 1969 World Champion "Amazin'" Mets. As the Mets' pitching coach, he supervised Hall of Famers Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan. Walker scouted for the Braves and St. Louis Cardinals after his coaching career ended.
The book Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings (2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine. Walker is prominent in many of these stories.
His younger brother, Verlon "Rube" Walker, was nicknamed after him; Verlon was a longtime minor league catcher and manager, and served for 10 years (from 1961 until his death in March 1971) as a coach for the Cubs.
Death
Rube Walker died from lung cancer on December 12, 1992, in Morganton, North Carolina at age 66. He is interred at Blue Ridge Memorial Park in Lenoir, North Carolina.
Popular culture
In the 1985 film Mask, Rocky Dennis states he is in need of Rube "Ruby" Walker baseball card to complete his 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers set.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Rube Walker at Find a Grave
- BaseballLibrary.com
- The Deadball Era obituary
| Preceded by Sid Hudson |
Washington Senators Pitching Coach 1965–1967 |
Succeeded by Sid Hudson |
| Preceded by Harvey Haddix |
New York Mets Pitching Coach 1968–1981 |
Succeeded by Bill Monbouquette |
| Preceded by Cloyd Boyer |
Atlanta Braves Pitching Coach 1982–1984 |
Succeeded by Johnny Sain |
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