Johnny Evers

John Joseph Evers
(Crab or Trojan)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 125 lb.

• Debut September 1, 1902
• Final Game October 6, 1929
• Born July 21, 1881 in Troy, NY USA
• Died March 28, 1947 in Albany, NY USA

Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1946

BR page

Biographical Information

The nephew of Tom Evers and brother of Joe Evers, Johnny Evers was part of the famous Tinker to Evers to Chance double play combination with the Chicago Cubs of the 1900s and was known for his great glove and fiery demeanor. He and longtime middle-infield mate Joe Tinker did not speak to each other for several years as teammates.

Evers is supposedly the player who realized Fred Merkle didn't touch second base during the infamous game between the New York Giants and Cubs during the 1908 NL pennant run. The play went on to be known as Merkle's Boner, as it cost New York the pennant. The game officially ended in a tie and because of that the Cubs and Giants finished with the same record. The Cubs then defeated the Giants in a one-game playoff at the end of the season.

Evers was player-manager with the Cubs in 1913. In 1920, he was a Giants coach. After returning to the Cubs as manager in 1921, he spent the next two years across town as a Chicago White Sox coach before managing the team for part of the 1924 season. He later served as General Manager of the Albany Senators for a time.

"I never learned to shut the clubhouse door in a lost ball game. I took it home with me and played it over again all night." Johnny Evers.

Notable Achievements

• NL MVP (1914)
• Won three World Series with the Chicago Cubs (1907 & 1908) and the Boston Braves (1914)
• Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1946

Preceded by Frank Chance

Chicago Cubs Manager 1913

Succeeded by Hank O'Day

Preceded by Fred Mitchell

Chicago Cubs Manager 1921

Succeeded by Bill Killefer

Preceded by Kid Gleason

Chicago White Sox Manager 1924

Succeeded by Eddie Collins

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1913	Chicago Cubs	National League	88-65	3rd	Chicago Cubs
1921	Chicago Cubs	National League	41-55	--	Chicago Cubs		Replaced by Bill Killefer on August 4th
1924	Chicago White Sox	American League	51-72	8th	Chicago White Sox		Replaced by Ed Walsh on May 15 Replaced Ed Walsh (1-2) and Eddie Collins (14-13) on June 22

Further Reading

• David Rapp: Tinker to Evers to Chance: The Chicago Cubs and the Dawn of Modern America, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 2018. ISBN 978-0226415048
• David Shiner: "Johnny Evers", in Bill Nowlin, ed.: The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series Champions, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2014, pp. 59-63. ISBN 978-1-933599-69-4
• Dennis Snelling: Johnny Evers: A Baseball Life, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2014. ISBN 978-0-7864-7591-9

Related Sites

• Johnny Evers at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Manager page
• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Johnny Evers