Jack Rothrock

Jack Huston Rothrock

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11½", Weight 165 lb.
• High School Polytechnic High School (Long Beach)
• Debut July 28, 1925
• Final Game October 2, 1937
• Born March 14, 1905 in Long Beach, CA USA
• Died February 2, 1980 in San Bernardino, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jack Rothrock was a member of the Gas House Gang who played all nine positions in his 11-year career in the majors. He came up as an infielder, and while he eventually became an outfielder, he continued to fill in as needed in the infield. Lifetime, he had 311 games in right field, 194 in center field, 138 in left field, 78 at shortstop, 63 at second base, 48 at third base, 38 at first base, and 1 game apiece at catcher and pitcher. In his one game as a pitcher, he gave up no hits and no runs in 1 inning of work.

Most of his career was spent with the Boston Red Sox from 1925 to 1932. Not a strong hitter, his peak was in 1929 when he hit .300, which was the highest average among the regulars on the team. The team, however, had the lowest team batting average in a league that hit .284 that season. He was also 4th in the league in stolen bases in 1929.

He was with the Chicago White Sox for 39 games in 1932, and then the White Sox sold him to Toronto. In 1933, he played in 126 games with the Columbus Red Birds, one of the great minor league teams that won 101 games. Rothrock led the team with a .347 batting average. He also hit .454 with 15 RBI in eight games in the Junior World Series.

In 1934 and 1935, he was with the St. Louis Cardinals. Oddly enough, for a guy who hadn't played in the majors in 1933, in 1934 he led the league in games and at-bats. He was 7th in runs scored, 8th in doubles, 8th in stolen bases, and 10th in walks.

In the 1934 World Series, the lineup was always the same: Pepper Martin, then Jack Rothrock, followed by Frankie Frisch and Joe Medwick. Rothrock batted only .233, but led the team with 6 RBI, partly on the strength of his 3 doubles and a triple.

Rothrock worked as a minor league manager in 1941 and again from 1947 to 1950.

Notable Achievements

• NL At Bats Leader (1934)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1934)
• Won one World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1934

Further Reading

• Bill Nowlin: "Jack Rothrock", in Charles F. Faber, ed.: The 1934 St. Louis Cardinals: The World Champion Gas House Gang, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 205-210. ISBN 978-1-933599-731

Related Sites

• Jack Rothrock at the SABR Bio Project