Jerry Hairston (hairsje01)

Jerry Wayne Hairston Sr.

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Gardendale High School
• Debut July 26, 1973
• Final Game September 25, 1989
• Born February 16, 1952 in Birmingham, AL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Roland Hemond, White Sox general manager, learning that switch-hitting infielder Jerry Hairston was married in a ceremony at home plate before a winter league game: "I wonder on which side of the plate he stood." - Dan Hager in April 1975 Baseball Digest

Jerry Hairston played 14 seasons with the Chicago White Sox from 1973 to 1989. He did not have a lot of power or speed, but what he could do was pinch hit; he hit .258 (90 for 349) with 8 home runs as a pinch hitter. He hit a grand slam and 6 RBI on October 4, 1981 against the Minnesota Twins. The White Sox were down 12-5 in the 8th inning when Hairston's grand slam off Don Cooper made it 12-9; then in the 9th inning against John Verhoeven, Hairston's single scored 2 runs to give the White Sox the 13-12 win.

Hairston was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates by the White Sox in 1977. Just before the start of 1978, he was sold to the Alacranes de Durango in the Mexican League and played with them in 1978 and 1979, then with the Piratas de Campeche in 1980 and the Mexico City Reds in 1981. He returned to the White Sox at the end of the 1981 season, being sold again by Durango.

On April 15, 1983, Hairston foiled a perfect game bid by Milt Wilcox of the Detroit Tigers with a base hit with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, the fifth time in MLB history a perfect game bid was lost with one out to go. He came back for very short stints with the White Sox in September of 1988 and September of 1989 and got 1 hit in 5 at bats over the two years.

After his playing days were done, Hairston spent seven seasons as a manager in the Sox farm system (he had managed in Mexico in between major league stints). In 2006, he was the hitting coach of the Great Falls White Sox, and the next year he assumed the same role with the Bristol White Sox, a job he still had in 2010. In 2012, he was promoted to assistant hitting coach for the White Sox under new manager Robin Ventura and stayed in that position in 2013 as well. In 2017, he was listed as an assistant coach under Ventura's successor, Rick Renteria.

He is part of a three-generation family of major league baseball players which includes his father Sammy Hairston, his brother Johnny Hairston, and his sons Jerry Hairston Jr. and Scott Hairston In addition, another brother, Sam Hairston Jr., played in the minors, as did nephews Jason Hairston and John Hairston Jr.

Harold Baines and Ozzie Guillen played with both Jerry Sr. and Jerry Jr.; Minnie Minoso played with both Jerry and Sammy Hairston.

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1980	Piratas de Campeche	Mexican League		--	none		replaced by Arnoldo Castro
1999	AZL White Sox	Arizona League	23-33	7th	Chicago White Sox
2000	AZL White Sox	Arizona League	22-33	8th	Chicago White Sox
2001	AZL White Sox	Arizona League	23-33	6th	Chicago White Sox
2002	AZL White Sox	Arizona League	27-29	5th	Chicago White Sox
2003	Bristol White Sox	Appalachian League	33-33	6th	Chicago White Sox
2004	Bristol White Sox	Appalachian League	27-38	9th	Chicago White Sox
2005	Bristol White Sox	Appalachian League	30-36	6th	Chicago White Sox