Reese, Jimmie

James Hymie Solomon

In a celebrity exhibition game, songwriter Harry Ruby was pitching to NY Giants catcher Harry Danning. Since they were both Jewish, Danning called out signals to Ruby in Yiddish. In that game, Reese got four hits. Danning said to him, "I didn't know you were so good." Reese replied, "You didn't know I was Hymie Solomon." We hope this story, from Total Baseball, is true.

During his time with the Yankees, Reese was Babe Ruth's roommate. Jimmy remarked that he usually roomed with Ruth's suitcase, since the Babe liked to party so much he was rarely in his room. Reese became well-known, much later, as the oldest, and one of the wisest, coaches in the major leagues.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. October 1, 1904 - d. June 13, 1994

Career Highlights:
Reese was first involved in baseball as a mascot, and then batboy, of a minor league team in Los Angeles from 1917-1923. In the late 1920s, he played in the minors until he was purchased by the New York Yankees in 1929. Jimmy first saw action in the majors the following season, when he played second base for the Yankees and hit a terrific .346 in 77 games. That year, he was also roomed on the road with Babe Ruth, who occasionally took Jimmie out with him at night (until management intervened).

In 1931, Reese could not repeat his hitting success of the previous season, and batted only .241. The following year, he played for the St. Louis Cardinals, and hit .314 in 90 games. That was his last year in the majors; he finished with a career .278 batting average, over 232 games. Reese then managed in the minors for a number of years before scouting and coaching in the major leagues. His total professional baseball career, in all capacities, lasted a remarkable 70 years!

Career Dates:
Reese played with the New York Yankees, 1930-31, and the St. Louis Cardinals, 1932.

Position:
Second base. Played 5 games at third base during his rookie year.

Physical description:
5'11-1/2", 165 pounds
Throws right, bats left

Career Statistics:
Games: 232
Batting Avg.: .278
Slugging Avg.: .373

At-bats: 742
Hits: 206
Doubles: 39
Triples: 4

Home Runs: 8
Home Run %: 1.1
Runs: 123
RBI: 70

BB: 48
Strike Outs: 37
Stolen Bases: 7

Pinch Hitting
At-bats: 33
Hits: 15

Fielding Statistics
Put-outs: 475
Assists: 493
Errors: 24
Double-plays: 118

Total Chances per Game: 5.2
Fielding Avg: .976

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