Junior Walsh

James Gerald Walsh

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut September 14, 1946
• Final Game September 9, 1951
• Born March 7, 1919 in Newark, NJ USA
• Died November 12, 1990 in Olyphant, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Junior Walsh spent twelve seasons in professional baseball after signing as an amateur free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates before the 1941 season. The stocky right-hander remained with the Pittsburgh organization the entire run of his pro baseball career.

The 22-year-old pitcher was assigned to the Oil City Oilers of the Pennsylvania State Association, where he went 16-10 with a 3.83 ERA while pitching 207 innings his first year out.

Walsh spent the next two seasons (1942-1943) with three different teams, winning 18 games and losing 22 before entering the United States Military in 1944 and 1945, during World War II. During these two seasons, Walsh set a single-game strikeout record of 16 for the Hutchinson Pirates of the Western Association in 1942, and one of 18 for the York White Roses of the Interstate League in 1943.

Back and ready for baseball in 1946, Junior spent the season with the York club again and also with the Albany Senators of the Eastern League, going 7-12 with a 4.33 ERA overall. He was then called up for a late-season look by the major league Pirates. He appeared in 4 games, pitching 10 innings and came away with an 0-1 record.

York and Albany were Walsh's home again in 1947 and he responded with a 12-6 record with a 2.52 ERA while pitching 161 innings in the split season year. Walsh split time between the Indianapolis Indians and the big league Pittsburgh club in 1948 and 1949, winning 19 and losing 6 over the two years for Indianapolis, but going just 2-4 for in the same years for the Forbes Field club.

Walsh stayed with the Pittsburgh team all of 1950 and 1951, with no trips to the minors. During this time, he was used exclusively in relief, going 2-5, walking more batters than he was striking out. This ended his time in the big leagues with a five-season record of 4-10 while appearing in 89 games.

Walsh, now 33 years old, dropped back to the minors and spent the next four seasons (1952-1955) in the Pacific Coast League, where he won 44 times with 35 losses. In 1956, he finished out his pro baseball career with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League with no decisions in two games. This brought his minor league stats to a 116-91 record with a 3.31 ERA while pitching 1,736 innings.

While pitching at Hollywood of the PCL, where he was a 16-game winner in 1953, he had a role as an extra in the baseball film Angels in the Outfield. Walsh passed away on November 12, 1990 in Olyphant, PA, where he was retired from a trucking company.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• BR Minors page