Marshall Bridges
Encyclopedia
Marshall Bridges was an American
professional baseball
player who pitched
in the Major Leagues
from 1959-1965 for the St. Louis Cardinals
, Cincinnati Reds
, New York Yankees
and Washington Senators
. He was born in Jackson, Mississippi
.
A strong left-handed pitcher blessed with an excellent fastball
, Bridges broke into the majors with St. Louis in 1959
, posting a 6-3 won/lost record and a 4.26 earned run average
, striking out
76 hitters in 76 innings. Used almost exclusively as relief pitcher
throughout his seven-season career, Bridges' best season came in 1962 while a member of the Yankees, anchoring the world champions'
relief staff while recording a team-leading 18 saves to go with an 8-4 record and a 3.14 earned run average. However, that same season he also became the first American League
pitcher to produce a World Series grand slam home run when Chuck Hiller
of the San Francisco Giants
got hold of one in Game 4.
One of the era's most colorful characters, Bridges' nickname, as recorded in the Baseball Encyclopedia was "Sheriff". He was known as a teller of tall tales and an instigator or victim of elaborate practical jokes. During 1963
spring training
in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida
, bar, a disagreement between Bridges and a female patron resulted in her shooting him in the leg. The resulting negative publicity annoyed the image-conscious Yankee brass and may have been a major factor in them selling his contract to last-place Washington on November 30, 1963. His recovery from the gunshot wound was apparently complete, but Bridges never regained the dominance that he had shown in 1962.
The 1965 Senators were Bridges' last stop in his major league career. His lifetime totals include a won/lost record of 23-15, 25 saves, an ERA of 3.75 and 302 strikeouts in 345+ innings pitched.
Bridges died of cancer on September 3, 1990, at the age of 59 at the University of Mississippi Medical Center
in Jackson.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who pitched
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in the Major Leagues
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...
from 1959-1965 for 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...
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and Washington Senators
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. He was born in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
.
A strong left-handed pitcher blessed with an excellent fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
, Bridges broke into the majors with St. Louis in 1959
1959 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago White Sox ; Larry Sherry, MVP*All-Star Game , July 7 at Forbes Field: National League, 5-4*All-Star Game , August 3 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: American League, 5-3...
, posting a 6-3 won/lost record and a 4.26 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, striking out
Strike Out
Strike Out, , North American Harness racing championStrike Out was born in 1969 at Castleton Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and is by Bret Hanover out of the mare Golden Miss....
76 hitters in 76 innings. Used almost exclusively as relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
throughout his seven-season career, Bridges' best season came in 1962 while a member of the Yankees, anchoring the world champions'
1962 World Series
The 1962 World Series matched the defending American League and World Series champions New York Yankees against the National League champion San Francisco Giants, who had won their first NL pennant since 1954 and first since moving from New York in 1958, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in a...
relief staff while recording a team-leading 18 saves to go with an 8-4 record and a 3.14 earned run average. However, that same season he also became the first American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
pitcher to produce a World Series grand slam home run when Chuck Hiller
Chuck Hiller
Charles Joseph Hiller was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. As a Major Leaguer, he primarily played second base. He batted left-handed, threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed . Hiller attended the University of St...
of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
got hold of one in Game 4.
One of the era's most colorful characters, Bridges' nickname, as recorded in the Baseball Encyclopedia was "Sheriff". He was known as a teller of tall tales and an instigator or victim of elaborate practical jokes. During 1963
1963 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers beat New York Yankees ; Sandy Koufax, MVP*All-Star Game, July 9 at Municipal Stadium: National League, 5–3; Willie Mays, MVP-Other champions:*College World Series: USC...
spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, bar, a disagreement between Bridges and a female patron resulted in her shooting him in the leg. The resulting negative publicity annoyed the image-conscious Yankee brass and may have been a major factor in them selling his contract to last-place Washington on November 30, 1963. His recovery from the gunshot wound was apparently complete, but Bridges never regained the dominance that he had shown in 1962.
The 1965 Senators were Bridges' last stop in his major league career. His lifetime totals include a won/lost record of 23-15, 25 saves, an ERA of 3.75 and 302 strikeouts in 345+ innings pitched.
Bridges died of cancer on September 3, 1990, at the age of 59 at the University of Mississippi Medical Center
University of Mississippi Medical Center
University of Mississippi Medical Center is the health sciences campus of the University of Mississippi and is located in Jackson, Mississippi...
in Jackson.