Background
Harry Heilmann was born on August 3, 1894 in San Francisco, California, United States. He was the son of Richard Heilmann, a German ironworker, and his Irish wife, Mary McVeigh Heilmann.
(Vintage, 1944 Major League Baseball Facts and Figures and...)
Vintage, 1944 Major League Baseball Facts and Figures and Official Rules. Features Player of the Year, 1943, Stan Musial!! 128 pages. Good condition for its age.
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(Categorized stats: scoring, batting, fielding, home runs,...)
Categorized stats: scoring, batting, fielding, home runs, standings, rules, etc. Also includes feature articles and photos of individual players. Phil Rizzuto (Player of the Year) graces the cover.
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baseball player radio announcer athlete
Harry Heilmann was born on August 3, 1894 in San Francisco, California, United States. He was the son of Richard Heilmann, a German ironworker, and his Irish wife, Mary McVeigh Heilmann.
Heilmann grew up south of the Market District, where he attended Catholic parochial schools. His formal education ended in 1911 with a year at St. Mary's College, then the leading producer of college-trained major league ballplayers.
While working as a bookkeeper, Heilmann was recruited by a former high school teammate to play semiprofessional baseball. He drove in the winning run in his debut, and as luck would have it, the game was seen by a professional scout, who signed Heilmann to a professional contract with Portland of the Pacific Coast League.
Heilmann played in 122 games in 1913 (primarily for Portland's Class B Northwestern League team), batting and throwing right-handed, and establishing a respectable batting average of . 305. He managed to save about $500 in wages, but that did not change his mother's derogatory opinion of his work, nor her belief that he was traveling in bad company.
Heilmann's performance did not go unnoticed, and his contract was purchased for $1, 500 by the Detroit Tigers of the American League. He was paid $2, 100 as a rookie in 1914, alternating between first base and the outfield, but hit only . 225 in sixty-seven games. When the Tigers would not raise his salary for the 1915 season, Heilmann refused to report and remained home in San Francisco. By mutual agreement he was optioned out to the local Pacific Coast League club, which paid him $5, 600, a substantial raise over his major league pay.
In San Francisco Heilmann demonstrated that he was ready for the big leagues by hitting . 314. He returned to the Tigers in 1916, signing for $4, 000 after a bitter salary dispute. He became a front-line player, batting . 282 in 1916 and . 281 in 1917, playing both first base and the outfield. Midway through the 1918 season he entered the military and served as a quartermaster at a West Coast army substation. Heilmann returned to the Tigers in 1919 and hit . 320, the first of twelve consecutive seasons at . 300 or better.
In 1921 Heilmann won the first of his four batting championships, hitting . 394. His titles came in alternate years from 1921 to 1927. His best mark was . 403 in 1923, an average since exceeded only by Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams. Heilmann attributed much of his success to the coaching of his manager, Ty Cobb, the best hitter for average in the history of the sport. Cobb had made a science of the art of hitting, and he taught Heilmann to grip the bat with his hands slightly spread and with his feet close together, thus giving him greater bat control. Cobb was an effective instructor, and the Tigers set several all-time league batting records in 1921, including most hits and singles and highest batting average (. 316).
In 1925 and 1927, Heilmann won his championships on the final day of the season, edging out Tris Speaker and Al Simmons, respectively. In both cases, "Old Slug" overtook his rivals in the first game of a doubleheader and ignored the warnings of teammates against playing the second game and jeopardizing his title. Heilmann ended each season with a flourish, going 2-for-3 in 1925, and finishing 1927 with a single, double, and home run.
In 1929 Tiger fans naturally looked forward to another Heilmann batting title. Although he did not win, he did hit a robust . 344. Apparently the Tiger management felt that he was too old, however, and he was sold to the Cincinnati Reds for $20, 000. Heilmann hit a solid . 333 for his new club. Nevertheless, he had began to suffer from the aches and pains of advancing age, and debilitating arthritis forced him to sit out the 1931 season. He tried to make a comeback a year later but appeared in only fifteen games, mainly as a pinch hitter. He retired in midseason.
After retiring from baseball, Heilmann sold insurance until the Great Depression ruined him. He tried various other ventures, including organizing a semiprofessional club that toured the smaller Michigan cities. In 1933 he ran for the post of city treasurer of Detroit against incumbent Charles Williams, who trounced him 138, 473 to 68, 695.
Heilmann resumed his association with baseball in 1934 when he was hired to broadcast the Tiger games over the radio. At first he was unpolished and spoke in slang, but he recognized his flaws and took lessons to improve his delivery. Subsequently he became a popular announcer for WXYZ, developing a calm and objective style and entertaining his listeners with his expertise and charming anecdotes. Heilmann retired in the summer of 1951 because of lung cancer.
(Categorized stats: scoring, batting, fielding, home runs,...)
(Vintage, 1944 Major League Baseball Facts and Figures and...)
(Ok conditino)
Heilmann was a big man, six feet tall and weighing 210 pounds. He was nicknamed "Slug" due to his lack of speed.
Heilmann married on October 5, 1920, Mary H. Maynes, commonly known as Mae. They had a daughter, Mary Ellen, and a son, Harry Jr. , and lived in Detroit.