- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: St. Louis
- Team: Browns (AL)
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Wesley Branch Rickey (1881-1965) didn’t live to see his 1967 entrance into the Hall of Fame as one of the legends in baseball’s executive ranks, but he did see the legacy of his pioneering efforts to end decades of shameful discrimination in the sport he loved. In the year of his death, one in five MLB players was African American. In his half-century in the front office, Rickey invented the farm system and had one of the keenest eyes for talent.
- In WWI Rickey commanded a chemical warfare unit that included Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson
- Hired Allan Roth as the first team statistician in 1947, thus becoming an early progenitor of sabermetrics
- Jackie Robinson eulogized Rickey as having done more for African Americans than anyone but Abraham Lincoln
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1967
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Detroit
- Team: Tigers
- League: American League
Robert Hayes Veach (1888-1925) took over in left field at Navin Field in Detroit on Sept 6, 1912 and held that post until 1924 when the Tigers traded him to the Red Sox. In his decade-plus as wingman to Ty Cobb, along with Harry Heilmann and Sam Crawford, Veach was part of the most potent outfield in history. Many, including Bill James, peg the 1915 Tigers’ outfield the best of all-time. Because he played somewhat in the shadow of these greats, and perhaps because the Tigers never won a World Series, this veteran with a lifetime .310 average and top-of-the-league production at the plate and in left, never made it to Cooperstown. As good as he was before the war years, 1919 was Veach’s pinnacle. He led the AL in hits, doubles and triples. Only Cobb bested his .355 average and only Ruth topped his 101 RBI and 279 total bases. In 1920 Veach became the first Tiger to hit for the cycle. From 1915 to 1922, nobody drove in more runs or had more extra-base hits than Bobby Veach.
- Playing for the Yankees in his final season, on Aug 9, 1925, Bobby pinch-hit for Ruth, the first time that had happened since Babe left the mound
- Veach ended his dazzling ML career with pennant-winning Washington that same year
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Athletics (AL)
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Herbert Jefferis Pennock (1894-1948) was one of the premier left-handers in baseball history, winning 240 games and helping the Yankees to four pennants from 1923-32. Connie Mack rued the day he let Pennock go to Boston in 1915, giving up on a talent that would result in a plaque at Cooperstown. The Sox, too, gave up on Herb, sending him as the last of the out-migration (11 starters) from Boston to New York in 1923. An immediate hit in the new stadium in the Bronx, Pennock’s easy-going manner and slow curves kept his team relaxed. He rarely faced the aces of his era but was used in tough spots and key match-ups. Pennock excelled under the pressure of World Series in the Big Apple. In perhaps his finest moment, Herb clinched NY’s first title in ‘23 on one day’s rest; an effort renowned umpire Billy Evans called “the greatest pitching performance I have ever seen.” More October glory would follow including decisive saves in his finale against the Cubs in ‘32.
- Pennock went on to a front-office career, ending with the Phillies in ‘47. He closed his tenure in infamy as he fought Branch Rickey bitterly to keep Jackie Robinson out of Philadelphia
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1948
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Detroit
- Team: Tigers
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Hugh Ambrose Jennings (1869-1928) became the premier ML SS for the Orioles in the mid-90s, hitting .401 in ’96. Nearly killed by an Amos Rusie quick-pitch, this survivor returned to be hit 46x in ’96. Irrepressibly good-natured and brilliant, Jennings was an attorney and manager after his playing days, guiding the volcanic Ty Cobb to his phenomenal career.
- Still holds record for being hit by pitch (287)
- Is credited with inventing the platoon system
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1945
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Athletics (AL)
- League: American League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. (1862-1956). An average catcher with strong leadership skills for 11 professional seasons (1886-1896), Mack then owned (1901-1954) and managed (1901-1950) the Philadelphia Athletics for half a century, establishing many managerial records and a unique place in the pantheon of baseball icons in the 20th century.
- 5x World Series Champion
- Most Managerial Wins: 3,731
- Most Managerial Losses: 3,948
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1937
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