Calvin Coolidge Ermer (November 10, 1923 – August 8, 2009) was an American second baseman, manager,

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and

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in Major League Baseball. He was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, the youngest of seven children, attended Patterson High School, and served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. As a player, Ermer threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed .

Longtime employee of Senators and Twins

Ermer played in the minor leagues from 1942 to 1951, losing three seasons (1943–1945) to wartime military service. Most of Ermer's 60-plus-year career in baseball was spent as an employee of the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

and its predecessor franchise (before

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

), the Washington Senators. His only major league game as a player, on September 26, 1947, came with Washington; he was hitless in three at bats against

Bill McCahan William Glenn McCahan (June 7, 1921 – July 3, 1986) was an American professional baseball baseball, player and right-handed pitcher in the Major League Baseball, Major Leagues with the History of the Philadelphia Athletics, Philadelphia Athleti ...

of the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

at Griffith Stadium, and handled seven fielding chances flawlessly as a second baseman. Washington won the game, 4–3. Ermer also played and managed in the club's

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, handling Senators/Twins farm clubs over five different decades, beginning with the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

in 1947 and ending with the Toledo Mud Hens in 1985. He also served as a skipper in the minor league systems of the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

and New York Yankees, and in 1958 won '' The Sporting News'' Minor League Manager of the Year award while with the

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

, then a farm team 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 of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. His minor league teams won championships in 1947 and 1958.

Major league manager

On June 9, 1967, Ermer was promoted from the Twins' Triple-A affiliate, the Denver Bears 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 replace Minnesota manager Sam Mele. Under Ermer, the Twins won 66 of 112 games and jumped into a four-team American League pennant race (with the Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox) that went down to the season's final weekend. Needing only one win in two games at Boston's Fenway Park to clinch a tie for the championship, the Twins lost both contests to the Red Sox, who became improbable league champions. Ermer was brought back for

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, but a big off-season trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers backfired,

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 private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

slugger Harmon Killebrew suffered a serious hamstring injury during the 1968 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, nearly ending his career, and the Twins tumbled to 79–83 and a seventh-place finish. At season's end, Ermer was fired and replaced by his former coach Billy Martin. It was Martin's first big-league managing assignment.

Late career

The Twins' job (his final record: 145–129, .529) was his only Major League managerial opportunity, but Ermer also served as an MLB coach for the Baltimore Orioles (1962),

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

(1970–1972) and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

(1977). He ultimately returned to the Twins to manage their Triple-A farm club, then the Toledo Mud Hens, from 1978–1985 before spending many years as a Minnesota scout. As a minor league pilot, Ermer won 1,906 games, losing 1,728 (.524) over 26 seasons. Cal Ermer died at age 85 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on August 8, 2009. Almost a year before, on August 30, 2008, the Chattanooga Lookouts (which he managed from 1952–1857 and led to the 1952 Southern Association pennant) dedicated their press box to Ermer. He had met and married Gloria Williams (Miss Chattanooga and Miss Tennessee of 1952) and had two sons, David and Michael. He lived in Chattanooga for 57 years. Ermer was also soccer coach for the University of Baltimore and managed baseball teams in the winter leagues. He was buried in Chattanooga's National Cemetery.

References

External links

*
Chattanooga Lookouts history page featuring images of Cal
:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ermer, Cal 1923 births 2009 deaths Baltimore Orioles coaches Baltimore Orioles scouts Baseball coaches from Maryland Baseball players from Baltimore Birmingham Barons managers Burlington Bees players Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players Chattanooga Lookouts managers Hagerstown Owls players Jacksonville Tars players Major League Baseball third base coaches Milwaukee Brewers coaches Milwaukee Brewers scouts Minnesota Twins managers Minnesota Twins scouts Oakland Athletics coaches Orlando Senators players Sportspeople from Chattanooga, Tennessee Savannah Indians players Toledo Mud Hens managers United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Orlando Nationals players