Page 239 - 1975 BoSox

232 ’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL
Just before the 1960 season started, Zimmer was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Lee Handley, Johnny Goryl, and Ron Perranoski, plus $25,000 in cash. Zimmer was appointed the captain of his new club and raised his batting average to .258. e Cubs nished seventh among eight teams.
In 1961, the year Cubs owner Philip Wrigley unveiled his “College of Coaches,” Zimmer overcame the un- settled atmosphere and batted .252 with 13 homers. Zimmer, who had been vocal in his criticism of the College of Coaches, was left unprotected in the post- season expansion draft, and was selected by the brand- new New York Mets.
Playing for the Mets was a homecoming for Zimmer. e team had a number of former Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants players, along with Casey Stengel, the legendary Yankees manager. At this stage of his career, Zimmer approached spring training as a time to get into shape. He did not feel it necessary to make an impression. Admittedly his stint with the Mets was a disaster: 4-for-52, with one RBI. His tenure with the Mets was little more than a month. In May, he was traded to Cincinnati for Cli Cook and Bob Miller.
e Reds used Zimmer as a backup third baseman and shortstop. He became an expensive commodity for the team and when the season ended, general manager Bill DeWitt sent him a contract with a 20 percent pay cut for 1963, commenting that the Reds could not a ord to have a utility player making $19,000 a year. en on January 24 Zimmer was traded to the Dodgers for minor leaguer Scott Breeden. Cincinnati replaced him with a younger player named Pete Rose.
Zimmer’s second time in Los Angeles was short. On June 24, ve months after his arrival, the Dodgers dealt him to the Washington Senators, with whom he played his last 21⁄2 years as a major leaguer. Gil Hodges, his old Brooklyn Dodgers teammate, was his manager. He hit a home run in his rst game, and during his stay with the Senators he added two more positions to his résumé. In 1964 he played a few games in the out eld, and near the end of the season, Hodges
wanted to pinch-hit for his catcher, Mike Brumley, and asked Zimmer if he could catch. Zimmer re- sponded honestly: “Well, I caught in fast-pitch softball in Cincinnati when I was a kid, but that was the extent of it, sure!”8 So Zimmer pinch-hit and caught the last four innings of the game. After the season, Hodges suggested he take catching seriously and recommended going to the Instructional League that fall.
Zimmer wound up catching in 33 games behind Brumley and Doug Camilli in his last big-league season, 1965, while lling in at third and second, too. After the season Hodges told Zimmer that Washington was dropping him from the 40-man roster to make room for a younger player, but that the door was open to him to compete at spring training. Zimmer’s pride did not allow him to consider the o er. A couple of weeks later, his old friend Al Campanis called him with an opportunity to play in Japan.
e Toei Flyers o ered Zimmer $30,000, which was $9,000 more than he was making as a major leaguer. Zimmer hit seven home runs the rst two weeks. en he broke his toe. He played through the injury but tore up his shoulder trying to make the throw from shortstop. at was it. His Far East career ended with a .182 average and 9 home runs in 87 games.
Zimmer was out of baseball until Dodgers executive Buzzie Bavasi came to his rescue. He o ered Zimmer a chance to instruct at spring training. At the same time the Reds o ered him the manager’s job at Double-A Knoxville. e salary was $8,000,well under what Zimmer was accustomed to. He was hesitant at rst, then realized that he had no job. e Reds prom- ised to increase his salary to $12,000 the following season. Zimmer started out as the player manager in Knoxville, then was promoted to manager of Triple-A Bu alo, where future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench was his catcher. Zimmer hit his last professional home run while at Bu alo.
Zimmer went to Puerto Rico after the season to work on his managerial skills. His team, the San Juan Senadores, was lled with major-league talent that included Tony Taylor, Pat Dobson, Rick Wise, and