Editor's Note: Refer also to our web page on Congressman JD Hayworth. Ray Hayworth is JD's grandfather.
Click here to read the obituary of Ray Hayworth. Use your "back arrow" to return to this page. Ron Haworth, editor.
Ray Hayworth, The Oldest
Tiger
He played for and against
Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Walter Johnson
Bygone baseball by C.
Philip Francis
I
can’t remember that particular Detroit Tigers game, but I had to be about eight
years of age in the mid-1930’s when I purchased a 22-inch wooden Louisville
Slugger bat inscribed with the name of Tiger catcher Ray Hayworth. Most of
one’s childhood toys are broken, lost, or somehow discarded, and while memories
may remain – the playthings have long disappeared.
Some
15 years ago after retirement I began a baseball library for my Chatter from the
Dugout columns, and along the way occasionally added items of baseball
memorabilia. Unbelievably one of my first pieces of baseball bits
for my personal museum was that 65-year-old 22-inch wooden bat with the name of
the barely visible name of Ray Hayworth. But where was it all those years;
apparently in the daughter’s toy box and later among our granddaughter’s
accumulation of playthings. .
I
had long forgotten that bat, but delighted to have it back. Then not long
after that I saw an ad for a special Ray Hayworth autographed baseball for $28
postpaid. It wasn’t long before that 22-inch wooden bat was able to join
the recently acquired new Ray Hayworth autographed baseball to make a new
baseball marriage. Although the name of Ray Hayworth may not be well known
to fans he was the oldest Detroit Tiger ballplayer until his death on September
25, 2002 at the age of 98.
Raymond Hall Hayworth was born January 29, 1904 in High Point, North Carolina,
and went on to spend fifteen years in the major leagues primarily as a backup
catcher. He left prep school to sign with the Detroit Tigers in 1925, went
to spring training with the Tigers in 1926, and opened the season with Triple-A
Toronto. After several games the Detroit backstop, Johnny Bassler, broke
his leg so Ray was called up appearing in 12 games hitting .273. Bassler
was the regular Tiger catcher throughout much of the 1920’s, and one of the few
who preferred to play in the Pacific Coast League rather than the big leagues.
He was a fine catcher, a .300 hitter, and usually near to the top in MVP voting.
Ty
Cobb was the manager of the sixth place Tigers in 1926, hit .339 in 79 games,
and his last year with the Detroit club. In one of Ray’s first games in
the majors he went to bat against Walter Johnson who was near the end of his
long career. Later in the game Cobb sent himself in to pitch-hit for the
young receiver, and doubled to win the game. Surprisingly Ray began his
major league career with and against three baseball legends who were among the
first five members to be selected to the Hall of Fame in 1936 – Cobb, Johnson,
and Babe Ruth. Hayworth soon was sent down, and did not return until three
years later.
He
continued to share the catching duties until 1933 when he became the starting
catcher. The following season, however, he became the substitute for newly
obtained player-manager Mickey Cochrane after Detroit paid $100,000 and one
player to the Philadelphia A’s. The new skipper platooned right-handed
Hayworth against lefties who said, “I always said that I’d rather be a backup on
a championship team than starting with a last-place club.” The team
morale was high, and in 1935 Ray had his highest batting average with .309 in 51
games.
Under Cochrane’s leadership the Tigers won pennants in his first two years, and
Detroit’s first ever World Series in 1935 over the Chicago Cubs. In the
1934 Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Ray was in one game with no at-bats,
and did not did appear in the 1935 Series as “Black Mike” Cochrane caught the
full six games.
In
1938 the Tigers sent Ray to the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he then had brief stops
with the New York Giants and St. Louis Browns before returning to Brooklyn where
he played his final game in 1945. He then started new careers as minor
league manager, scout, and major league executive. Ray had begun his
professional baseball life in 1923, and did not leave the game until 1973 –
fifty years later.
Hayworth was always considered a good defensive catcher, but just an ordinary hitter. In his 15 major league playing years Ray averaged about 45 games a year, hit a total of five home runs, and retired with a batting average of .265. Covering
executive. Ray had begun his professional baseball life in 1923, and
did not leave the game until 1973 – fifty years later.
Hayworth was always considered a good defensive catcher, but just an ordinary
hitter. In his 15 major league playing years Ray averaged about 45 games a
year, hit a total of five home runs, and retired with a batting average of .265.
Covering most of the 1931 and 1932 seasons Ray set a record when he had 439
chances without an error.
The
North Carolina native had been the oldest living Detroit Tiger ballplayer, and
also the last man to appear with Ty Cobb on the playing field. While Cobb
was hated by many, Hayworth says of his first big league skipper, “…he was still
a great manager and a real gentleman…but once he got onto that ballfield, watch
out! He played like a man possessed.” Ray said of The Bambino,
“I was behind the plate many times when the Babe was batting, and I can still
hear that ‘whoosh’ from his long powerful swing.”
There have been about 350 brother combinations in the past 100-plus years, and
one was Ray and brother Red who is eleven years younger. Red, also a
catcher, had two years in the majors, 1944 and 1945, both with the St. Louis
Browns, and has one unusual distinction. Red shared the squatters’ rights
behind the plate with catcher rookie Frank Mancuso in ’44 when the Browns won
their only pennant, yet it was Red who started each of the six World Series
games. The first freshman catcher to do so was Bill DeLancey of the
Cardinals in 1934 when they downed the Tigers in seven games.