Wes Westrum: The Second Manager in Mets History (1964) & Former New York Giants Catcher (1947-1957)

Wesley Noreen Westrum was born on November 28, 1922, in Clear brook, Minnesota. Located 250 miles from Minneapolis, the town had a population of just 425 people.

He played high school football as a fullback & was already in pro baseball as a teen.

The five-foot eleven catcher was signed by the New York Giants in 1941.

World War II: Westrum was drafted in 1943, spending most of his time working security at Green Haven prison in Poughkeepsie, NY. The maximum-security facility held military prisoners. 

Family: He met his future wife Josephine while in Poughkeepsie & the two lived in Dutchess County, New York after they got married. 

 He returned making his MLB debut in 1947 as the Giants backup catcher to Walker Cooper for two seasons. 

During the 1947 season, the popular Mel Ott was replaced by the hated Leo Durocher as manager. Lei the Lip had managed the Brooklyn Dodgers, his switch heated up the rivalry even more. In 1949 for the fifth place Giants, he split time with Cooper & Ray Mueller slowly taking over the position.

In 1950 he became the Giants regular catcher & set a record by making just one error in 680 chances. He was also tops in fielding (.999%) games played (139) & assists (71). Westrum was an excellent defensive catcher, with a strong accurate throwing arm. He threw out over 50% of would-be base stealers six different times. From 1950-1954 he was among the catching leaders in games caught, put outs assists & caught stealing.

That year Westrum hit a career high 23 HRs with 71 RBIs & a .236 batting average. He was never a big hitter but had a good eye & drew a lot of walks which led to good on base percentages. In 1950 he posted a .371% on base % (fourth best in the league). The previous year he had posted a .385%.

Three HR Day: On June 24th, 1950, he had a career day at the plate, collecting four hits with three HRs in a win over the Reds at the Polo Grounds. He just missed a fourth HR, which would have been an inside the parker, instead he settled for a triple.

1951 Giants Pennant Season: In 1951 the Giants made an amazing comeback going 42-15 from August to the end of the season, to tie with the Brooklyn Dodgers for a three-game playoff.

Wes Westrum Day: On August 13th, Dutchess County held a day in his honor at the Polo Grounds & presented him with a car. That became the turning point in the Giants season, at that point they were 13 games behind Brooklyn & now went on a 14-game win streak, cutting the lead to five games.

On the season, Westrum hit 20 HRs with 70 RBIs & 104 walks, posting a .418 on base % although he batted just .219. At the start of the season, he broke his hand & missed over a month of action for the year. 

1951 Play Off: Westrum went hitless in the three game playoff series with the Dodgers. In the 8th inning of the final Game #3, he was pinch hit for by Bill Rigney. The next inning Bobby Thompson won the pennant with the most famous walk off HR in MLB history.

Westrum & Bobby Thompson during the World Series

Quotes- Eddie Stanky: "He's a great guy for our pitchers to have back there. He gives them a lot of confidence. I say he's the most underrated guy on the team".

1951 World Series: In Game #1 of the 1951 World Series, he collected two hits. In the top of the 6th, he singled off Allie Reynolds & scored on Alvin Dark's three run HR in the 5-1 win. He collected a hit in each of the last two games as well. Overall, he went 4-17, drawing five walks while playing in all six games of the subway series loss.

 All Star: Katt caught over 100 games for four straight seasons. Over the next two seasons, he made two consecutive All Star appearances, primarily for his outstanding defensive skills. 

In 1952 he threw out 62% of runners trying to steal, second best in the league to Roy Campanella's 64%. He led the NL with double plays turned (11) for the second straight year. He also led the NL in passed balls (13) thanks to knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm on the Giants staff. 

That year he hit 14 HRs with 11 doubles & 43 RBIs batting .220, playing in just 112 games due to a broken finger then thumb injury. 

In 1953 he hit 12 HRs with 30 RBIs playing in just 107 games, leading the league with a 53% caught stealing. That year the Giants fell to fifth place but rebounded to win it all the next season.

1954 World Championship Season: Westrum was behind the plate 98 times, while sharing time with Ray Katt (82 games). That season he batted a lowly .187 only gathering twelve extra base hits with 8 HRs & 27 RBIs in 246 at bats.

1954 World Series: In Game #1 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians, Westrum singled off Bob Lemon in his first two at bats.  The Giants won the game on Dusty Rhodes walk off HR. 

In Game #3 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Westrum singled in the 5th inning, driving in Hank Thompson putting the Giants ahead 5-0. 

In Game #4 he hit a sac fly in the 2nd inning & a Cleveland error allowed Monte Irvin to score. 

In the 5th, he added another sac fly scoring Hank Thompson with the Giants 7th run in their four-run inning. They went on to win the game 7-4 & sweep the favored Indians for the Championship.

After the Championship: The injuries, breaks & fractures too their toll on the battered catcher. By 1955 he was more in a backup role to Ray Katt. In 1956 Bill Sarni was the Giants main catcher & Valmy Thomas in 1957.

Westrum stayed with the Giants through their last season in New York in 1957 playing in 63 games batting just .165. He was the starting catcher for the last Giants game played at the Polo Grounds on September 29, of that year as a battery mate to Johnny Antonelli.

As the Giants left New York & moved West they offered Westrum the backup catcher's spot but really wanted him to coach. He decided to take the coaching position & retire as a player after an eleven-year career.

In 919 games he batted .217 with 503 hits 59 doubles 96 HRs 315 RBIs 489 walks with a .356 on base % & .729 OPS. 

Defensively Westrum threw 49% of runners attempting to steal. He led the league twice in that category & came in second place two other seasons. Overall, he has the 23rd best caught stealing percentage of all time. He also led the NL twice in double plays, turning 82 in his career.

Trivia: On the first Sports Illustrated magazine cover in 1954, Westrum is the catcher behind the plate as Milwaukee Braves slugger Eddie Mathews is swinging at a pitch in Milwaukee's County Stadium.

Coaching Career: Westrum did go West with the Giants to San Francisco, being offered the spot of third string catcher or coach. He & his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona at this time where he worked for the Highway Department in the off season.

At age 34 he chose coaching position & became a Giants coach from 1958 through the 1963 season. 

Coaching Trade: After the 1963 season, Mets coach Cookie Lavagetto was recovering from an illness & asked to be moved closer to his home in Oakland, California. After management & team discussions the the two coaches agreed to a trade which brought Westrum back to New York, this time with the new Mets franchise.

Mets Career: In 1964 he became a Mets first base coach in the new Shea Stadium. His catcher abilities made him sharp to pitchers tipping off their pitches & base runners getting ready to steal. He would relay these signals to his players through physical signs.

He was also one of the first pitching coaches in the game who was a former catcher & not an actual pitcher. In July 1965 he replaced Mets player/coach Warren Spahn who spent a brief time period in New York at the end of his career. 

 In August of 1965 the aging Mets manager Casey Stengel broke his hip and had to step down from the manager's position due to his health.

Westrum was named his replacement as the second manager in Mets history. He certainly wasn’t the most popular choice, but Stengel had promised him the job & made sure he was held true to his word.

At the time everyone expected the job to go to popular Mets coach, Yogi Berra. Berra had managed just a year before & seemed much better suited for the position. 

Unlike the amusing talkative Casey Stengle, Westrum was quiet & had problems with the press right away. Westrum wasn’t an educated man, so they ate him up when he used his malapropisms. 

He once said after a classic Casey Stengel speech “boy they really broke the molding when they made him”. Another time after a tight game in St. Louis he said, “that was a real cliff dweller". 

The Mets finished 19-48 under his watch the rest of the way in 1965, once again finishing in last place. In 1966 the team improved to a ninth-place finish going 66-95. It was the first time in their brief five-year history they did not finish last.

In 1967 Westrum’s Mets went 57-94 falling back to the National League last place spot. But there were a few bright spots, and some hope for the future.

That season the Mets brought up Tom Seaver, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Ron Swoboda had hit a few dramatic HRs early on & was being billed as a slugger. Tommy Davis hit .302 in his one season in New York. Ed Kranepool, as well as Jerry Buchek, also put in solid seasons.

Westrum also played an important role in tutoring a young Jerry Grote in his early days as a Met catcher. Grote had a chip on his shoulder with a bad attitude in those early years, Westrum not only helped Grote with tips in catching behind the plate, but also in how to adjust his attitude. In those days, Grote had a real chip on his shoulder & his manager. 

Quotes- Wes Westrum: "If he ever learns to control himself, he might become the best catcher in baseball."

Late in 1967, the word leaked out that Gil Hodges, who was managing the Washington Senators was going to replace Westrum the following year. Westrum was not happy, rather than be fired, he resigned, with just eleven games left to go in the 1967 season. The Mets were 57-94 under Westrum that year finishing last in tenth place. 

Mets Manager Stats: Westrum’s career record as Mets manager was 142-237 with a .375 winning percentage.

He was replaced by coach Salty Parker to finish out the year. 

Post Mets Career- Giants: Westrum went back to coach for the San Francisco Giants through the late sixties & early seventies. He got another chance to manage in June 1974 replacing Charlie Fox. The Giants went 38-48 the rest of the way finishing fifth.

In 1975 his Giants finished in third place one game under .500 (80-81) an improvement of eight
more wins.

Westrum was replaced by his former Giants battery mate Bill Rigney. 1976 was Rigney's second go around as Giant manager. In his managerial career Westrum posted a .415 winning percentage.

He then became a scout for the Atlanta Braves organization from 1977-1994. 

Family & Dutchess County NY: Westrum & his wife lived in Dutchess County, New York when he was a player with the Giants. 

After his playing days he became a deputy Sheriff there. He also coached youth sports at the YMCA. 

In his later years he lived between Mesa, Arizona & his hometown of Clear brook, Minnesota. 

Wes Westrum Museum: In 1990 his friends set up a small museum of his baseball mementos at the American Legion post in Clearbrook. It lasted until 2007.

Passing: Wes Westrum passed away in Clearbrook in 1992 at age 79.