Robert Boden Scheffing (August 11, 1913 – October 26, 1985) was an American professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player,
coach,
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and front-office executive. Nicknamed "Grumpy", the native of
Overland, Missouri, is most often identified with the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
, for whom he played as a
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
(1941–42, 1946–50), coached (1954–55), and managed (1957–59). Scheffing threw and batted right-handed; he was listed as tall and .
Playing career
He started playing baseball at
Ritenour High School. His professional career began in 1935 in the
St. Louis Cardinals' farm system, but he was unable to crack the Major Leagues until he was selected by the Cubs in the 1940
Rule 5 draft. En route, he spent the 1939 season as the 25-year-old playing manager of the
Washington Red Birds of the Class D
Pennsylvania State Association. He also served in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
between 1943 and 1945 in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
's
Pacific Theatre.
Over the course of his eight-year MLB playing career, Scheffing
batted .263 with 357
hits in 517
games
A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...
with the Cubs,
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
(1950–51) and Cardinals (1951).
Manager of Cubs and Tigers
As a full-time manager, Scheffing led the
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...
of the
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
to 107 victories and the 1956 PCL championship, and was promoted to skipper of the parent Cubs the following season. In three full years at the Cubs' helm, Scheffing compiled a 208–254 (.450)
record. His
1957 team finished 62–92 and tied for seventh place in the eight-team
National League, but his
1958 and
1959
Events
January
* January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
clubs won 72 and 74 games respectively and finished tied for fifth place each season.
Scheffing also spent 2
years (1961–June 16, 1963) as manager of the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
. Taking over a sixth-place
team
A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal.
As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to in ...
, he led the
1961 Tigers to 101 victories and second place in the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
. Although the Tigers eventually finished eight games out of first place, they led the league until July 25 and battled the world champion
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
for the
pennant until a devastating three-game sweep at
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...
in early September. The
1962 Tigers, handicapped by
Al Kaline
Albert William Kaline ( ; December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "Mr. Tiger", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. For most of his career, Kali ...
's prolonged absence due to a broken collarbone, won 16 fewer games than 1961's team, and finished fourth. Then the
1963 club got off to a poor start (24–36) and was in ninth place in the ten-team league when Scheffing was replaced on June 18 by
Chuck Dressen
Charles Walter Dressen (''pronounced:'' DREE-sen) (September 20, 1894Dressen's birthdate has been revised from 1898, as was commonly reported in '' The Sporting News' Baseball Register'' and ''Macmillan's Baseball Encyclopedia'', to 1894 by both ...
. Although Scheffing's mark with the Tigers was 210–173 (.548), his career managerial record fell nine games short of .500, at 418–427 (.495).
As a
coach, Scheffing also served with the
St. Louis Browns (1952–53) and
Milwaukee Braves
The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves. After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966 they were rename ...
(1960, under Dressen), in addition to his tenure with the Cubs.
Mets' general manager
After working as a Detroit scout and radio broadcaster, Scheffing succeeded
Eddie Stanky as player personnel director with the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
in December 1965. He was promoted to
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
on January 19, , five days after the death of his predecessor
Johnny Murphy. The Mets won the
National League pennant during his tenure, then fell in a seven-game
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
to the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
.
Scheffing's tenure as Mets general manager is most noted for his trade in which
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Ryan pitched for the New Yo ...
was one of four players sent to the
California Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
for
Jim Fregosi on December 10, . Ryan went on to set the all-time career
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...
record and earn a place in the
Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
, while Fregosi struggled in New York. Scheffing was replaced by
Joe McDonald as Mets' GM on October 2, 1974, although he continued in the organization as a
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
.
He died in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
, at the age of 72.
Ex-Manager Scheffing dies at 72
/ref>
See also
* 1961 Detroit Tigers season
References
External links
Baseball Reference
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scheffing, Bob
1913 births
1985 deaths
Albany Travelers players
Baseball coaches from Missouri
Baseball players from St. Louis County, Missouri
Chicago Cubs coaches
Chicago Cubs managers
Chicago Cubs players
Cincinnati Reds players
Columbus Red Birds players
Decatur Commodores players
Detroit Tigers announcers
Detroit Tigers managers
Detroit Tigers scouts
Greensburg Red Wings players
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Los Angeles Angels (minor league) managers
Major League Baseball catchers
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Milwaukee Braves coaches
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New York Mets executives
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Rochester Red Wings players
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United States Navy personnel of World War II
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20th-century American sportsmen