Del Bissonette
Encyclopedia
Adelphia Louis Bissonette (September 6, 1899 – June 9, 1972) was an American
first baseman
, manager
and coach
in Major League Baseball
.
Born in Winthrop, Maine, Bissonette attended Westbrook (Maine) Seminary, the University of New Hampshire
and Georgetown University
before signing a professional baseball contract with Valleyfield-Cap de la Madeleine in the Class B Eastern Canada League in 1922. A left-handed batting and throwing first baseman, Bissonette was an outstanding hitter, batting
.381 for York
of the Class A New York-Penn League
in 1925. In 1927, playing for the Buffalo Bisons
, Bissonette led the AA International League
in runs
(168), hits
(229), doubles
(46), triples
(20), home run
s (31), and runs batted in (167). His .367 batting average was nine points behind the IL's batting champion that season.
The following season
, Bissonette joined the Brooklyn Robins
— the once and future Dodgers — of the National League
and continued his lusty hitting, batting .320 with 25 home runs in 155 games. That season, he became only the third Major Leaguer to be intentionally walked with the bases loaded. Although he tailed off in , Bissonette rebounded in by driving in 113 runs and batting .336. It was his last productive season as a major league player. He suffered a tendon injury, missed the entire season with an illness, and was back in the International League by the middle of the campaign. In 604 games over all or parts of five seasons with Brooklyn, Bissonette batted .305 with 66 homers.
Bissonette turned to managing in the minor leagues
in 1937 and by 1942 he had joined the Boston Braves
farm system as pilot of their Class A Hartford
club of the Eastern League
. When Hartford won 99 games and the 1944 EL regular season pennant, Bissonette was promoted to a coaching job with Boston. After 93 games, with the Braves faltering and in seventh place in the National League, manager Bob Coleman
was fired and Bissonette took the helm for the remainder of the season. His Braves won 25 and lost 34 (.424), improving to sixth, but the team lured the highly successful Billy Southworth
from the St. Louis Cardinals
to be its 1946 manager, and Bissonette moved on to the Pittsburgh Pirates
, where he signed as a coach for .
By 1947, Bissonette was back in the minor leagues as a manager with the Portland Pilots
. He rose as high as the AAA Toronto Maple Leafs in 1949, but never managed again in the major leagues.
In the second edition of the Fireside Book of Baseball, the following verse immortalizes Bissonette:
The Dodgers have Del Bissonette;
No meal has he ever missed yet;
The question that rises
Is one that surprises:
Who paid for all Del Bissonette?
--L. H. Addington
Bissonette died at 72 in Augusta, Maine
, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
and coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
Born in Winthrop, Maine, Bissonette attended Westbrook (Maine) Seminary, the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
and Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
before signing a professional baseball contract with Valleyfield-Cap de la Madeleine in the Class B Eastern Canada League in 1922. A left-handed batting and throwing first baseman, Bissonette was an outstanding hitter, batting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.381 for York
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
of the Class A New York-Penn League
New York-Pennsylvania League (early 20th century)
The New York-Pennsylvania League of 1923 through 1937 was an American minor league baseball circuit.The forerunner to the modern Class AA Eastern League, it was a Class B circuit through 1932 and upgraded to Class A for the final five seasons of its existence. It is actually the second of three...
in 1925. In 1927, playing for the Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
, Bissonette led the AA International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
in runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
(168), hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(229), doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(46), triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
(20), home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s (31), and runs batted in (167). His .367 batting average was nine points behind the IL's batting champion that season.
The following season
1928 in baseball
-Champions:*World Series: New York Yankees over St Louis Cardinals -Awards and honors:*League Award** Mickey Cochrane, Philadelphia Athletics, C** Jim Bottomley, St. Louis Cardinals, 1B-Statistical leaders:-American League final standings:...
, Bissonette joined the Brooklyn Robins
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
— the once and future Dodgers — of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
and continued his lusty hitting, batting .320 with 25 home runs in 155 games. That season, he became only the third Major Leaguer to be intentionally walked with the bases loaded. Although he tailed off in , Bissonette rebounded in by driving in 113 runs and batting .336. It was his last productive season as a major league player. He suffered a tendon injury, missed the entire season with an illness, and was back in the International League by the middle of the campaign. In 604 games over all or parts of five seasons with Brooklyn, Bissonette batted .305 with 66 homers.
Bissonette turned to managing in the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
in 1937 and by 1942 he had joined the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
farm system as pilot of their Class A Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
club of the Eastern League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
. When Hartford won 99 games and the 1944 EL regular season pennant, Bissonette was promoted to a coaching job with Boston. After 93 games, with the Braves faltering and in seventh place in the National League, manager Bob Coleman
Bob Coleman
Robert Hunter Coleman was an American catcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. He also was one of the most successful managers in the history of minor league baseball, his career extending from 1919 through 1957.A native of Huntingburg, Indiana, Coleman played just three seasons in the...
was fired and Bissonette took the helm for the remainder of the season. His Braves won 25 and lost 34 (.424), improving to sixth, but the team lured the highly successful Billy Southworth
Billy Southworth
William Harrison Southworth was an American right fielder, center fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Playing in and and from to , he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Southworth managed in and from through...
from the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
to be its 1946 manager, and Bissonette moved on to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, where he signed as a coach for .
By 1947, Bissonette was back in the minor leagues as a manager with the Portland Pilots
Portland Pilots
The Portland Pilots were a Class-B minor league baseball team in Portland, Maine out of the New England League. Created in 1946 as the Portland Gulls, the Pilots lasted until 1949, when the New England League collapsed...
. He rose as high as the AAA Toronto Maple Leafs in 1949, but never managed again in the major leagues.
In the second edition of the Fireside Book of Baseball, the following verse immortalizes Bissonette:
The Dodgers have Del Bissonette;
No meal has he ever missed yet;
The question that rises
Is one that surprises:
Who paid for all Del Bissonette?
--L. H. Addington
Bissonette died at 72 in Augusta, Maine
Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the US state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine. The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota...
, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.