Whitehead was traded to the Giants in December for first baseman/outfielder Phil Weintraub and pitcher Roy Parmelee. With a weak bat but a good glove at second base, he helped the Giants win two consecutive pennants in 1936 and 1937. In 1937, he led all second basemen in fielding percentage and putouts,[4] and he was named to the All-Star team for the second time.
Before the 1938 season, Whitehead suffered a nervous breakdown following an appendectomy. He sat out the entire season.[5] He came back in 1939 but hit poorly, and his behavior was erratic; he was suspended twice during the season[6] and reportedly assaulted a woman in North Carolina.[7] Nonetheless, Whitehead rejoined the Giants in 1940 and had a good season. His hitting numbers declined again in 1941, however, and he was sold to the International League's Toronto Maple Leafs.
In December 1942, Whitehead was inducted into the Army Air Force.[5] He spent three years out of professional baseball and returned for one more major league season in 1946, with the Pirates. He hit a career-low .220 and went back to the minors with the Jersey City Giants.[1] After two seasons in Jersey City, Whitehead retired.
Whitehead was married to the former Ruth Madre Lyon, and they had two children. He was the last surviving member of the St. Louis Cardinals' Gashouse Gang team that won the 1934 World Series. In 1981, he was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.[8]
burgess, whitehead, burgess, urquhart, whitey, whitehead, june, 1910, november, 1993, major, league, baseball, second, baseman, from, 1933, 1946, played, louis, cardinals, york, giants, pittsburgh, pirates, second, basemanborn, 1910, june, 1910tarboro, north, . Burgess Urquhart Whitey Whitehead June 29 1910 November 25 1993 was a Major League Baseball second baseman from 1933 to 1946 He played for the St Louis Cardinals New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates Burgess WhiteheadSecond basemanBorn 1910 06 29 June 29 1910Tarboro North Carolina U S Died November 25 1993 1993 11 25 aged 83 Windsor North Carolina U S Batted RightThrew RightMLB debutApril 30 1933 for the St Louis CardinalsLast MLB appearanceSeptember 29 1946 for the Pittsburgh PiratesMLB statisticsBatting average 266Home runs17Runs batted in245TeamsSt Louis Cardinals 1933 1935 New York Giants 1936 1937 1939 1941 Pittsburgh Pirates 1946 Career highlights and awards2 All Star 1935 1937 World Series champion 1934 Biography editWhitehead was born in Tarboro North Carolina He graduated from Augusta Military Academy in Fort Defiance Virginia in 1927 He attended the University of North Carolina and started his professional baseball career with the Class AAA Columbus Red Birds in 1931 He batted over 300 in each of the next three seasons 1 helping to lead the 1933 team to the American Association pennant 2 In 1934 and 1935 Whitehead was a utility infielder for the National League Cardinals He was a member of the 1934 World Series champion team and was friends with future Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean 3 Whitehead was selected to the All Star team in 1935 Whitehead was traded to the Giants in December for first baseman outfielder Phil Weintraub and pitcher Roy Parmelee With a weak bat but a good glove at second base he helped the Giants win two consecutive pennants in 1936 and 1937 In 1937 he led all second basemen in fielding percentage and putouts 4 and he was named to the All Star team for the second time Before the 1938 season Whitehead suffered a nervous breakdown following an appendectomy He sat out the entire season 5 He came back in 1939 but hit poorly and his behavior was erratic he was suspended twice during the season 6 and reportedly assaulted a woman in North Carolina 7 Nonetheless Whitehead rejoined the Giants in 1940 and had a good season His hitting numbers declined again in 1941 however and he was sold to the International League s Toronto Maple Leafs In December 1942 Whitehead was inducted into the Army Air Force 5 He spent three years out of professional baseball and returned for one more major league season in 1946 with the Pirates He hit a career low 220 and went back to the minors with the Jersey City Giants 1 After two seasons in Jersey City Whitehead retired In 924 games in nine seasons Whitehead posted a 266 batting average 883 for 3316 with 415 runs 17 home runs 245 RBIs and 150 bases on balls Defensively he recorded an overall 971 fielding percentage Whitehead was married to the former Ruth Madre Lyon and they had two children He was the last surviving member of the St Louis Cardinals Gashouse Gang team that won the 1934 World Series In 1981 he was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame 8 Whitehead died of a heart attack in 1993 9 References edit a b Burgess Whitehead Minor League Statistics amp History baseball reference com Retrieved 2010 10 28 1933 Columbus Redbirds minorleaguebaseball com Retrieved 2010 10 28 Burgess Whitehead Last of the Old St Louis Cardinals Gas House Gang Baseball Digest June 1992 p 67 Burgess Whitehead Biography Archived October 20 2012 at the Wayback Machine baseballlibrary com Retrieved 2010 10 28 a b Burgess Whitehead baseballinwartime com Retrieved 2010 10 28 Burgess Whitehead Chronology Archived October 20 2012 at the Wayback Machine baseballlibrary com Retrieved 2010 10 28 Lanctot Neil Negro League Baseball The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution University of Pennsylvania Press 2004 p 224 Burgess Whitehead 1981 Archived November 27 2010 at the Wayback Machine ncshof org Retrieved 2010 10 28 Burgess Whitehead Baseball Player 83 nytimes com Retrieved 2010 10 28 External links editCareer statistics and player information from Baseball Reference or Fangraphs Burgess Whitehead at Find a Grave nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Burgess Whitehead amp oldid 1153797598, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
