John Joseph Lipon (November 10, 1922 – August 17, 1998) was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

for the Detroit Tigers,

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

and

Cincinnati Redlegs Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

over the course of nine seasons (1942; 1946; 1948–1954). The native of

Martins Ferry, Ohio Martins Ferry is a city in Belmont County, Ohio, United States, on the Ohio River across from Wheeling, West Virginia. It is the largest city in Belmont County. The population was 6,915 as of the 2010 census. It is most known as the birth place o ...

, threw and batted

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

, stood tall and weighed . He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during World War II in the Pacific Theater of Operations, as an aviation machinist's mate, third class.

Playing career

Like many at his position, Lipon was never known for his power and was not an exceptional fielder, either. One of the most memorable moments of his playing career was in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

, when Bob Feller of the Indians threw his third career no-hitter, but lost the shutout when Lipon reached on an error, stole second base, advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw, and scored on a sacrifice fly. In

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

, Lipon was part of a trade to the Red Sox that included longtime star

Johnny Pesky John Michael Pesky (born John Michael Paveskovich; February 27, 1919 – August 13, 2012), nicknamed "The Needle" and "Mr. Red Sox", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He was a shortstop and third baseman during a ...

going to the Tigers. His playing time diminished, and in the 1953 season, he was sold to the

. In 1954, the Browns moved east to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, but Lipon was quickly traded to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. Before playing a game for the White Sox, however, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He had one

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

at-bat before he was farmed to the new

Havana Sugar Kings The Havana Sugar Kings were a Cuban-based minor league baseball team that played from 1946 to 1960. From 1954 until 1960, they belonged in the Class AAA International League, affiliated with Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. Their home ...

of the International League. He played in the high minors several years, evolving into a player/coach.

As manager and coach

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

, Lipon became a minor league manager, beginning at the Class D level with the

Selma Cloverleafs The Selma Cloverleafs were a baseball team based in Selma, Alabama. The original Cloverleafs played in the Southeastern League and Alabama–Florida League at various times between 1928 and 1962. Independent League In 2002 a new version of the t ...

of the

Alabama–Florida League The Alabama–Florida League was a low-level circuit in American minor league baseball that existed from 1936 through 1939 and 1951 through 1962. In 1940–1941 and from 1946–1950. The absence of clubs based in Florida caused the league to chan ...

in the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

' organization. Lipon spent 30 of the next 34 years as a manager in the Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh Pirates farm systems, winning 2,185 games and losing 1,987 (.524). He spent part of the 1961 season as manager of the Triple-A

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

of the International League, and his success as skipper of the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

of the Pacific Coast League in the mid-1960s earned him a promotion to the Indians' coaching staff, where he served from 1968 to 1971. Lipon's only chance at a Major League managing job came during the 1971 season, when Cleveland fired

Alvin Dark Alvin Ralph Dark (January 7, 1922 – November 13, 2014), nicknamed "Blackie" and "The Swamp Fox", was an American professional baseball shortstop and manager. He played fourteen years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston/Milwaukee Bra ...

on July 29 with 59 games left and Lipon was named to finish the season as interim pilot. But the Indians went only 18–41 (.305) under him, good for last place in the

American League East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...

, 43 games behind the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. Lipon returned to managing in the minors the next season with the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

, and continued for the next two decades. He retired from managing after the 1992 season. His last club, the

Lakeland Tigers Lakeland is primarily a toponym. It may refer to: Places Australia * Lakeland, Queensland Canada * Lakeland (electoral district), a federal electoral district in Alberta * Lakeland County, a former municipal district in Alberta * District of ...

of the Florida State League, won its division's second-half championship. In 1992 he was presented with the

King of Baseball King of Baseball was a ceremonial title awarded annually from 1951 to 2019 by Minor League Baseball to recognize an individual for their longtime dedication and service to professional baseball. It was awarded during baseball's Winter Meetings ...

award given by Minor League Baseball at the yearly Baseball Winter Meetings.

Tommy John Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians, ...

played under Lipon in Charleston and Portland. "Lipon was an excellent manager," John recalled. "He treated players like adults. When we'd go to Hawaii, he'd tell us to have fun, enjoy the sights, the ocean, the beaches. He encouraged us to be ourselves. He was an excellent handler of men, and I never understood why he didn't get the chance to manage in the big leagues." Lipon died in Houston, Texas, at the age of 75.

Managerial record

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lipon, Johnny 1922 births 1998 deaths Baseball players from Ohio Beaumont Exporters players Boston Red Sox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) managers Caribbean Series managers Charleston Indians players Cincinnati Redlegs players Cleveland Indians coaches Cleveland Indians managers Columbus Jets players Dallas Rebels players Detroit Tigers players Havana Sugar Kings players Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third base coaches Mobile Bears players Muskegon Reds players People from Martins Ferry, Ohio Portland Beavers managers St. Louis Browns players Selma Cloverleafs players Toledo Mud Hens managers Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) managers United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy sailors American expatriate baseball players in Cuba American expatriate baseball people in the Dominican Republic