Pip Koehler
Horace Levering Koehler
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 10", Weight 165 lb.
- School Pennsylvania State University
- Debut April 22, 1925
- Final Game September 12, 1925
- Born January 16, 1902 in Gilbert, PA USA
- Died December 8, 1986 in Tacoma, WA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Horace Levering "Pip" Koehler went to Pennsylvania State University, where he played under manager Hugo Bezdek, who had managed the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also played basketball. He then taught high school physical education for a couple of years in Wilkes-Barre, PA and played semi-pro ball. He made it to the bigs with the New York Giants in 1925 on the strength of a good spring training. After one appearance, he was sent to the Reading Keystones of the International League but came back to the majors in mid-August. He made 11 more appearances, 9 of them as a pinch-runner.
After the season, he was sent by the Giants to the Toledo Mud Hens to complete a deal by which they had obtained Earl Webb earlier in the season. He played 8 years in the American Association, and also played and coached professional basketball. In spite of spending the bulk of his brief major league career as a pinch-runner, he was not a great base stealer. His career-high was 20, in 1926, against 13 caught stealing. He was mainly an outfielder, although he also played some infield, mainly at third base. He played baseball through 1942.
As a minor league manager, he managed 9 seasons, some as a player-manager. That's how he came to manage a club in Tacoma, WA, where he would later settle. After being fired as a minor league manager by the Cincinnati Reds' organization in 1948, he worked as a scout in the Pacific Northwest, then as an employee of the Knights of Columbus. In 1963, former teammate Rosy Ryan, who was now general manager of the Tacoma Giants of the Pacific Coast League, hired him as the team's business manager, a position he occupied for a decade. He died of a heart attack in 1986 and was laid to rest in Calvary Cemetery in Tacoma.
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1935 | Portsmouth (VA) Truckers | Piedmont League | 67-72 | 5th | Atlanta Crackers | ||
1936 | Portsmouth Cubs | Piedmont League | 66-77 | 5th | Chicago Cubs | ||
1938 | Akron Yankees | Middle Atlantic League | 66-62 | 4th | New York Yankees | Lost League Finals | |
1939 | Akron Yankees | Middle Atlantic League | 69-61 | 3rd | New York Yankees | Lost in 1st round | |
1940 | Akron Yankees | Middle Atlantic League | 73-54 | 1st | New York Yankees | League Champs | |
1941 | Tacoma Tigers | Western International League | 58-76 | 5th | none | ||
1942 | Tacoma Tigers | Western International League | 77-64 | 2nd | none | none | |
1947 | Ogden Reds | Pioneer League | 77-61 | 3rd | Cincinnati Reds | ||
1948 | Ogden Reds | Pioneer League | 29-40 | -- | Cincinnati Reds | -- | replaced by Bobby Mattick (32-25) July 18 |
Further Reading[edit]
- Clifford Blau: "Leg Men: Career Pinch-Runners in Major League Baseball", in The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 38, Number 1 (Summer 2009), pp. 70-81.
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