Ossie Bluege

Ossie Bluege
Third baseman / Manager
Born: (1900-10-24)October 24, 1900 Chicago, Illinois
Died: October 14, 1985(1985-10-14) (aged 84) Edina, Minnesota
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 24, 1922, for the Washington Senators
Last MLB appearance
July 13, 1939, for the Washington Senators
MLB statistics
Batting average	.272
Home runs	43
Runs batted in	848
Managerial record	375–394
Winning %	.488
Teams
As player Washington Senators (1922–1939) As manager Washington Senators (1943–1947)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (1935) World Series champion (1924)

Oswald Louis Bluege (/ˈbluːɡiː/; October 24, 1900 – October 14, 1985) was an American third baseman, manager and coach in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Washington Senators from 1922 through 1939. He was a member of the Senators' 1924 World Series championship team, the franchise's only title before moving to Minnesota in 1961. He was the last surviving member of that 1924 team.

Bluege was born in Chicago and raised in the city's Goose Island area. He apparently did not attend high school, instead finding a job and playing baseball for local sandlot teams. He threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 162 pounds (73 kg). A younger brother, Otto, an infielder, played in 109 games for the 1932–33 Cincinnati Reds and had a 13-year playing career in professional baseball.

Ossie Bluege was discovered by baseball promoter Joe Engel, who managed the Chattanooga Lookouts at Engel Stadium. He made his Major League debut on April 24, 1922 and played his final game on July 13, 1939, spending his entire 17-year playing career with the same team, then continuing with the club in managerial and executive positions.

Bluege batted .272 in his career, but was chiefly known for his defensive ability, leading American League third basemen in double plays in three different seasons. His moonlighting job earned him the nickname "The Accountant" from teammates. Bluege's only All-Star appearance, in 1935, came in a year which saw him primarily play shortstop for Washington.

In an 18-year major league career spanning 1867 games, Bleuge posted a .272 batting average (1751-for-6440) with 883 runs, 276 doubles, 67 triples, 43 home runs, 848 RBI, 140 stolen bases, 723 base on balls, .352 on-base percentage and .356 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .961 fielding percentage. In three World Series (1924,'25 and '33) he hit .200 (12-for-60) with 5 runs and 5 RBI in 17 games.

After retiring in 1939, Bluege managed in the minors for two years, then coached for Washington (1941–42), before taking over as manager of the Senators from 1943 to 1947. He compiled a career managerial record of 379–394, with two second-place finishes (in 1943 and 1945). In 1948, Bluege was named the club's farm system director, where his greatest scouting coup was a young Harmon Killebrew. In 1958 he became the Senators' comptroller, shortly before its relocation to Minneapolis–Saint Paul as the Minnesota Twins. He remained the Twins' comptroller until his retirement in 1971, having served the organization for 50 years.

Bluege died of a stroke in 1985 in Edina, Minnesota, ten days before his 85th birthday. The previous week, he had attended a ceremony in Washington, D.C., at halftime of a Washington Redskins football game, where Bluege was honored by being inducted in the Washington stadium's "Hall of Stars."

See also

• List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
• Ossie Bluege at Find a Grave