Pee Wee Reese #1

Shortstop

Updated October 2024

Posted October 2022

Party Box 101

Pee Wee Reese #1
1940-Brooklyn-1958

Pee Wee Reese
Number Retired on July 1, 1984
Harold Pee Wee Reese played 16 seasons at shortstop for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1940-42, 1946-58) and was a member of seven Brooklyn pennant-winning teams, including the World Championship club of 1955. A 10-time National League All-Star, Reese appeared in more games at shortstop (2,014) than any player in franchise history and is also the Dodgers' all-time leader in runs scored (1,338) and walks (1,210). His leadership qualities were recognized by Manager Walter Alston, who appointed "The Little Colonel" as team captain. Reese was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Harold Peter Henry "Pee Wee" Reese (July 23, 1918 – August 14, 1999) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers from 1940 to 1958.
Pee Wee Reese:
A ten-time All-Star, Reese contributed to seven National League championships for the Dodgers
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Pee Wee ReeseReese's nickname originated in his childhood, as he was a champion marbles player (a "pee wee" is a small marble)

Reese was born in Ekron, Meade County, Kentucky, and raised there until he was nearly eight years old, when his family moved to Louisville.
In high school, Reese was so small that he did not play baseball until his senior year, at which time he weighed only 120 pounds and played just six games as a second baseman.
He graduated from DuPont Manual High School in 1935, where he played for a legendary HS coach, Ralph Kimmel.
By 1938, Reese was the minor league Louisville Colonels' regular shortstop and one of the top prospects in the minors, and so impressed Boston Red Sox farm director Billy Evans that he recommended the Red Sox buy the team.
Reese stayed in Louisville for the rest of the 1939 season, and was called up to Brooklyn in time for the 1940 season.
Reese's rookie season in 1940 was curtailed by a broken heel bone that limited him to 84 games in what had looked to be a promising season (.272 batting average with 58 runs scored).
In 1941, he hit .229 and led the league with 47 errors.
It was in the 1942 campaign that he truly established himself, making the National League All-Star team for the first of ten consecutive years and leading National League shortstops in both putouts and assists.

Pee Wee ReeseLike many players of his era, he missed three seasons due to military service. Reese enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and shipped out to fight in the Pacific theater of World War II.

Upon his return in 1946, Reese immediately righted the ship as the Dodgers battled the St. Louis Cardinals in a tight pennant race. The two teams ended the season tied for first place and met in the 1946 National League tie-breaker series. It was the first playoff tiebreaker in Major League Baseball history. The Cardinals won the first two games of the best-of-three-game series to capture the National League pennant.
In 1949, Reese had his only league lead in a significant batting category, topping all National Leaguers with 132 runs scored.
Reese became the Dodgers' team captain in 1950.
In 1951, he had his career high in RBI, with 84.
In 1952, he led the National League in stolen bases with 30.
The 1953 Dodgers won the National League pennant with a mark of 105–49 for a .682 winning percentage. Reese was a mainstay for the team, with 108 runs scored and a .271 batting average.
In 1954, Reese batted .309, the only season he hit over .300. Though 36 years old, he was still going strong during the 1955 season, scoring 99 runs. In that year, the Dodgers won their first World Series.
In 1957, Reese yielded his starting role to another black ballplayer, Charlie Neal.
In 1957, Reese yielded his starting role to another black ballplayer, Charlie Neal.
He coached for the Dodgers in the 1959 season, earning a second World Series ring.

Career statistics:
In a 16-year major league career, Reese played in 2,166 games, accumulating 2,170 hits in 8,058 at bats for a .269 career batting average along with 126 home runs, 885 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .366. He retired with a .962 fielding percentage. In 44 World Series games, he batted .272 (46-for-169) with 20 runs, 2 home runs and 16 RBI.
Broadcasting Career
Following his retirement as a player, Reese enjoyed considerable success as a baseball play-by-play announcer and color commentator.
Later Life
In his later years, Reese was employed at Hillerich & Bradsby, makers of Louisville Slugger baseball bats. He battled prostate and lung cancer during the final years of his life, and died on August 14, 1999, at his Louisville home. He is interred at Resthaven Memorial Park Cemetery in Louisville.

Pee Wee ReeseLike many players of his era, he missed three seasons due to military service. Reese enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and shipped out to fight in the Pacific theater of World War II.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pee_Wee_Reese