View source for Miller Huggins

{{Short description|American baseball player and manager (1878–1929)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Miller Huggins
|position=[[Second baseman]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|image=Miller Huggins by Bain.jpg
|width=240
|caption=Huggins with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1910
|bats=Switch
|throws=Right
|birth_date=March 27, 1878
|birth_place=[[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1929|9|25|1878|3|27}}
|death_place=[[New York City]], New York, U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=April 15
|debutyear=1904
|debutteam=Cincinnati Reds
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 13
|finalyear=1916
|finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.265
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=9
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=318
|stat4label=[[Stolen bases]]
|stat4value=324
|stat6label=Managerial record
|stat6value=1,413–1,134
|stat7label=Winning %
|stat7value={{winning percentage|1413|1134}}
|teams=
;As player
* [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{mlby|1904}}–{{mlby|1909}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1910}}–{{mlby|1916}})
;As manager
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1913}}–{{mlby|1917}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{mlby|1918}}–{{mlby|1929}})
|highlights=
*3× [[World Series]] champion ({{wsy|1923}}, {{wsy|1927}}, {{wsy|1928}})
* [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]] honoree
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[1964 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1964]]
|hofmethod=Veterans Committee
}}

'''Miller James Huggins''' (March 27, 1878<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/player/miller-huggins-116275|title=Miller Huggins Stats, Fantasy & News|website=[[MLB.com]]}}</ref>&nbsp;– September 25, 1929) was an American [[professional baseball]] player and [[manager (baseball)|manager]]. Huggins played [[second baseman|second base]] for the [[Cincinnati Reds]] (1904–1909) and [[St. Louis Cardinals]] (1910–1916). He managed the Cardinals (1913–1917) and [[New York Yankees]] (1918–1929), including the [[Murderers' Row]] teams of the 1920s that won six [[American League]] (AL) pennants and three [[World Series]] championships.

Huggins was born in [[Cincinnati]]. He received a degree in law from the [[University of Cincinnati]], where he was also [[captain (baseball)|captain]] on the [[Cincinnati Bearcats baseball|baseball team]]. Rather than serve as a lawyer, Huggins chose to pursue a professional baseball career. He played [[semi-professional]] and [[minor league baseball]] from 1898 through 1903, at which time he signed with the Reds.

As a player, Huggins was adept at getting on base. He was also an excellent fielding second baseman, earning the nicknames "Rabbit", "Little Everywhere", and "Mighty Mite" for his defensive prowess and was later considered an intelligent manager who understood the fundamentals of the game. Despite fielding successful teams for the Yankees in the 1920s, he continued to make personnel changes in order to maintain his teams' superiority in the AL. He was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame]] by the [[Veterans Committee]] in 1964.

==Early life==
Miller James Huggins was born on March 27, 1878,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jCIJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT138|title=New York Times Story of the Yankees: 382 Articles, Profiles and Essays from 1903 to Present|date=2012|publisher=Running Press|isbn=9781603763707|editor-last=Anderson|editor-first=Dave|location=New York|pages=138|language=en}}</ref>{{efn|Several other sources give his birth date as March 27, 1878 or 1879 or 1880. His [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/09/26/132737292.pdf ''New York Times'' obituary] states that he was born "on April 19, 1879, according to the family records".}} in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], where his father, an Englishman, worked as a grocer.<ref name=koppett83/> His mother was a native of Cincinnati. He had two brothers and one sister.<ref name=meriden/>

{{quote box|align=left|width=25%|quote="You can become a pleader or a player, not both. Try baseball. You seem to like it better."|source=&nbsp;–&nbsp;[[William Howard Taft]] to Huggins at the [[University of Cincinnati]]<ref name=cincy/>}}
Huggins attended [[Woodward High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)|Woodward High School]] and [[Walnut Hills High School]], both in Cincinnati.

==College career==
Huggins attended the [[University of Cincinnati]],<ref name=meriden/><ref name=cincy/> where he studied law and played [[college baseball]] for the [[Cincinnati Bearcats baseball]] team. A [[shortstop]], he was named [[captain (sports)|team captain]] of the Bearcats in 1900.<ref name=meriden/> Seeing him consumed with baseball, his law professors summoned him to justify why they should keep him in the law program.<ref name=cincy/>

Huggins' father, a devout [[Methodist]], objected to his son playing baseball on Sundays.<ref name=koppett83>{{cite book |title=The Man in the Dugout: Baseball's Top Managers and How They Got That Way|author-link=Leonard Koppett|first=Leonard|last=Koppett|year=2000|publisher=Temple University Press|isbn=1-56639-745-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TCdRaxPVmKQC&pg=PA83|page=83|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> But Huggins played [[semi-professional]] baseball in 1898 for the Cincinnati Shamrocks, a team organized by [[Julius Fleischmann]],<ref name=leadoff/> where he played under the pseudonym "Proctor" due to his father's opposition and his amateur status.<ref name=koppett83/><ref name=meriden/> In 1900, he played for Fleischmann's semiprofessional team based in the [[Catskill Mountains]], the Mountain Tourists, leading the team with a .400 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]].<ref name=koppett83/><ref name=meriden/>

After receiving his law degree from Cincinnati, Huggins realized that he could make even more money playing baseball,<ref name=koppett83/> and as such [[William Howard Taft]], one of Huggins' law professors, advised him to play baseball.<ref name=leadoff/><ref name=Smelser193>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pTWjVDU7AksC&q=miller+huggins+delayed+steal&pg=PA193|title=The Life That Ruth Built: A Biography|first=Marshall|last=Smelser|publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]]|year=1993|page=193|isbn=0-8032-9218-X|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> He was [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admitted to the bar]], but never practiced law.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/BBM/1913/bbm116l.pdf|title=Miller Huggins, the Midget Manager|first=J. R.|last=McDermott|page=63|journal=Baseball Magazine|publisher=Baseball Magazine Co.|volume=11|issue=6|date=October 1913|access-date=April 18, 2012}}</ref>

==Professional career==
===Minor leagues===
Huggins began his playing career in [[minor league baseball]] with the [[Mansfield Haymakers]] of the Class B [[Interstate League]] in 1899. He continued his minor league apprenticeship with the [[St. Paul Saints]] of the [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]] from 1901 through 1903.<ref name=leadoff/> After starting his career as an exclusively [[handedness|right-handed]] hitter, he began to bat from the left side in 1902 in response to his offensive struggles in the 1901 season while also moving to [[second base]] during his time at St. Paul.<ref name=meriden/>

[[File:Miller Huggins baseball card.jpg|right|upright|thumb|Miller Huggins' 1909 [[baseball card]]]]
Huggins handled 19 fielding chances, 11 [[putout]]s and nine [[assist (baseball)|assists]], without committing an [[error (baseball)|error]] in a game with the Saints in 1902; the previous [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) record being 18, set by [[Fred Dunlap]] in 1882.<ref name=nineteenchances>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19230110&id=7hQrAAAAIBAJ&pg=5097,1596000|title=Miller Huggins Holds a Fielding Record: Yankees' Manager Handled 19 Chances In One Game At Second Base Without An Error In 1902|newspaper=Reading Eagle|date=January 10, 1923|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> In 1903, he pulled off the first [[delayed steal]] in recorded baseball history.<ref name=cincy/> Fleischmann, part-owner of the [[Cincinnati Reds]] of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL), kept an eye on Huggins while he played for St. Paul.

===Cincinnati Reds (1904–1909)===
The Reds duly purchased his contract from the Saints before the [[1904 Cincinnati Reds season|1904 season]].<ref name=meriden/> He made his MLB debut on April 15, 1904,<ref name=nineteenchances/> and proved very adept at getting on base. He [[batting average (baseball)|batted]] .264 with the Reds that season and improved in the [[1906 Cincinnati Reds season|1906 season]], finishing with a .292 batting average and 41 [[stolen base]]s,<ref name=leadoff/> while spending considerable time developing his upper-body strength.<ref name=meriden/>

Although Huggins hoped to be selected as [[Ned Hanlon (baseball)|Ned Hanlon]]'s successor as Cincinnati's manager after the 1907 season, the Reds instead went with [[John Ganzel]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yykbAAAAIBAJ&pg=2598,4731177&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Stands No Chance of Being Manager: Miller Huggins|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|page=26|date=December 20, 1907|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> In 1908, he played with the Reds in the [[Cuban-American Major League Clubs Series]]. Hampered by a broken ankle and torn ligaments in his shoulder, he slumped to .209 in [[1909 Cincinnati Reds season|1909]].<ref name=meriden/>

===St. Louis Cardinals (1910–1917)===
Before the 1910 season, the Reds traded Huggins, along with [[Frank Corridon]] and [[Rebel Oakes]], to the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] in return for [[Fred Beebe]] and [[Alan Storke]]. He set an MLB record on June 1, 1910, with six [[plate appearance]]s but no [[at bat]]s, with four [[base on balls|walks]] and two [[sacrifice fly|sacrifice flies]].<ref name=leadoff/><ref name=nineteenchances/> In the same year, he batted .265 for the Cardinals and led the NL in walks.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1748373012.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+09%2C+1911&author=&pub=Detroit+Free+Press+%281858-1922%29&desc=MILLER+HUGGINS+AND+EVERS+BEST+WAITERS+IN+NATIONAL&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712130020/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1748373012.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+09,+1911&author=&pub=Detroit+Free+Press+(1858-1922)&desc=MILLER+HUGGINS+AND+EVERS+BEST+WAITERS+IN+NATIONAL&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |title=Miller Huggins And Evers Best Waiters in National: Official Figures for Strikeouts and Bases on Balls Are Interesting—Cardinals Lead League in Walking and Brooklyn Club in Whiffing |page=7 |newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]]|date=January 9, 1911 |access-date=April 17, 2012}} {{subscription required|date=April 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Miller Huggins, St. Louis NL (baseball) (LOC) 2.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Huggins with the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] in 1912]]
On July 13, 1911, he tied the NL record for successful fielding chances in a game with 16.<ref name=leadoff/> At the end of the season, he finished sixth in the voting for the [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award#Chalmers Award (1911–1914)|Chalmers Award]] for [[Most Valuable Player]]. In [[1912 St. Louis Cardinals season|1912]], he hit over .300 for the first time in his career.<ref name=meriden/> Huggins became player-manager for the Cardinals after the 1912 season, succeeding [[Roger Bresnahan]].<ref name=fourpennants/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/ajc_historic/access/546617882.html?dids=546617882:546617882&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&date=Oct+24%2C+1912&author=&pub=The+Atlanta+Constitution&desc=MILLER+HUGGINS+FOR+ROGER%27S+JOB&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713122648/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/ajc_historic/access/546617882.html?dids=546617882:546617882&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&date=Oct+24,+1912&author=&pub=The+Atlanta+Constitution&desc=MILLER+HUGGINS+FOR+ROGER'S+JOB&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2012 |title=Miller Huggins For Roger's Job|newspaper=[[The Atlanta Constitution]]|page=10|date=October 24, 1912 |access-date=April 17, 2012}} {{subscription required|date=April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0F14F9345813738DDDAA0894D9415B828DF1D3 |title=Huggins to Manage Cardinals|page=S4 |date=November 3, 1912 |access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> Team owner [[Helene Hathaway Britton]] preferred Huggins' "gentlemanly" manner over Bresnahan's rougher personality.<ref name=koppett84>Koppett, p. 84</ref>

With the acquisition of speed in a trade with the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], including [[Dots Miller]], [[Art Butler]], [[Cozy Dolan (1910s outfielder)|Cozy Dolan]] and [[Chief Wilson]], the Cardinals contended for the NL pennant in 1914.<ref name=contender>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mhsbAAAAIBAJ&pg=3958,5194297&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins Wins Recognition As A Great Pilot :Has Made Pennant Factor of Cards. Midget Manager, With a Little Money and Few New Players, Has Built Up Flag Contender|first=W. J.|last=O'Connor|page=7|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=August 22, 1914|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> Finishing in third place, it was the Cardinals' best finish since 1876,<ref name=koppett84/> but they fell back to sixth in 1915 and last in 1916.<ref name=koppett84/> When Britton sold the team after that season, she offered Huggins a chance to buy a part of the team. While he was attempting to raise money from the Fleischmann family, Britton sold the team to a group headed by [[Samuel Breadon]], who hired [[Branch Rickey]] to run the team's day-to-day operations in the [[Front office (sports)|front office]].<ref name=koppett84/>

Huggins had coached the young [[Rogers Hornsby]], helping him to correct his batting stance,<ref name=fourpennants/> and Hornsby duly succeeded him as the team's starting second baseman in 1917 as Huggins ended his playing career.<ref name=koppett84/> He managed the team during 1917, the last year of his contract, but was not retained.<ref name=koppett84/>

==Managerial career==
===New York Yankees (1918–1929)===
With the [[New York Yankees]] of the [[American League]] (AL) not performing well, Yankees [[List of New York Yankees owners and executives|owners]] [[Jacob Ruppert]] and [[Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston]] sought to replace [[Bill Donovan|"Wild" Bill Donovan]] as manager.<ref name=Smelser194/> [[Ban Johnson]], AL [[List of American League presidents|president]], suggested Huggins to Ruppert as a replacement for Donovan. Huston, who had been in Europe at the time that Ruppert had made the appointment, disliked Huggins and wanted to hire [[Wilbert Robinson]], his drinking buddy.<ref name=Smelser194>Smelser, p. 194</ref> Ruppert himself had been put off by Huggins' wool cap and practice of smoking pipes in public, which he felt was the mark of the working class.<ref name=Smelser194/> However, Ruppert interviewed Huggins upon Johnson's recommendation, and agreed that Huggins knew much about baseball.<ref name=Smelser194/> Ruppert offered the job to Huggins, who initially did not want to take the position, as the Yankees were in no better a position than the Cardinals. [[J. G. Taylor Spink]] of ''[[The Sporting News]]'' eventually convinced Huggins to accept the offer,<ref name=Smelser194/> and he signed a two-year contract.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/783927862.html?dids=783927862:783927862&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+26%2C+1917&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=MILLER+HUGGINS+TO+PILOT+YANKEES&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720054602/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/783927862.html?dids=783927862:783927862&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+26,+1917&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=MILLER+HUGGINS+TO+PILOT+YANKEES&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |title=Miller Huggins to Pilot Yankees: Signed for Two Years to Succeed Wild Bill Donovan. Tom Connery Will Scout for Yanks. Under Huggins Cardinals Finished Third Twice in National Three Prominent Figures in Latest Major League Baseball Change |newspaper=[[Hartford Courant]] |page=14 |date=October 26, 1917 |access-date=April 17, 2012 }}{{subscription required|date=April 2012}}</ref> The hiring of Huggins drove a wedge between the two co-owners that culminated in Huston selling his shares of the team to Ruppert in 1922.<ref name=cincy>{{cite news|title=Huggins cornerstone to Yankees|newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Post]]|first=Lonnie|last=Wheeler|date=June 3, 2003}}</ref><ref name=koppett85>Koppett, p. 85</ref>

{{quote box|align=right|width=25%|quote="I call him the squarest shooter I ever knew in baseball." |source=&nbsp;–&nbsp;[[Lou Gehrig]] on Huggins<ref name=cincy/>}}
Having taken charge Huggins did not shy away from making personnel changes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/11/29/archives/yankeesmanager-planning-trades-miller-huggins-arrives-here-and-says.html |title=Yankees' Manager Planning Trades&nbsp;– Miller Huggins Arrives Here and Says He Hopes to Strengthen the Club by Deals|newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 29, 1919 |access-date=April 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/739596172.html?dids=739596172:739596172&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Dec+22%2C+1921&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=MILLER+HUGGINS+BASEBALL%27S+CHIEF+WHOLESALE+TRADER&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714225230/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/739596172.html?dids=739596172:739596172&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Dec+22,+1921&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=MILLER+HUGGINS+BASEBALL'S+CHIEF+WHOLESALE+TRADER&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2012|title=Miller Huggins: Baseball's Chief Wholesale Trader|page=14|newspaper=Hartford Courant|date=December 22, 1921|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{subscription required|date=April 2012}}</ref><ref name=housecleaning1929>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Kk8uAAAAIBAJ&pg=4159,396283&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins' Annual Housecleaning: Castoff List Grows Larger in New Drive|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[The Miami News]]|date=January 4, 1929|page=J-5|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Upon taking over the Yankees, he stressed fundamental baseball, drilling the Yankees in the art of the [[bunt (baseball)|bunt]].<ref name=nyt/> Huggins also made his first player transaction, acquiring [[Del Pratt]] and [[Eddie Plank]] from the [[St. Louis Browns]] trading [[Nick Cullop (pitcher)|Nick Cullop]], [[Joe Gedeon]], [[Fritz Maisel]], [[Les Nunamaker]], [[Urban Shocker]] and $15,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|15000|1918|r=-3}}}} in current dollar terms),<ref name="champion trader">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QFgiAAAAIBAJ&pg=1456,378932&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins Champion Trader of Major League|newspaper=[[Berkeley Daily Gazette]]|first=Henry L.|last=Farrell|page=3|agency=United Press International|date=January 6, 1922|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> a move that led to criticism in the press.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0D16FA3B5B11738DDDAB0894DA405B888DF1D3 |title=Miller Huggins Talks of Plans For Converting Yankees into A Winning Combination&nbsp;– Huggins Is Ready To Mold Yankees New Manager Settles Down To Task of Winning A Pennant For Local Club. Says He Seeks Outfielder: With Pratt at Second and Another Good Hitter, Leader Thinks Team Can Triumph |newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 2, 1918 |access-date=April 18, 2012}}</ref>

In Huggins' [[1918 New York Yankees season|first season]] with the Yankees, the team finished fourth in the AL.<ref name="hurling stars">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZrJQAAAAIBAJ&pg=3930,4069793&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins Seeks Young Hurling Stars|first=Billy|last=Evans|page=1|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|date=August 15, 1927|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> After that season, he obtained [[Ernie Shore]], [[Dutch Leonard (left-handed pitcher)|Dutch Leonard]] and [[Duffy Lewis]] from the [[Boston Red Sox]], for [[Ray Caldwell]], [[Frank Gilhooley]], [[Slim Love]], and [[Roxy Walters]].<ref name="champion trader"/> The following year he traded Pratt, [[Muddy Ruel]], [[Hank Thormahlen]] and [[Sammy Vick]] to the Red Sox for [[Waite Hoyt]], [[Harry Harper]], [[Mike McNally]] and [[Wally Schang]].<ref name="champion trader"/> Huggins signed a one-year contract to remain with the Yankees for a reported $12,000.<ref name=contract1921/>

Huston continually took the side of his players in any argument they had against Huggins,<ref name=Smelser194/> criticizing Huggins in the press when the Yankees lost the pennant in 1920.<ref name=Smelser194/> Meanwhile, Ruppert was at best a lukewarm advocate of Huggins.<ref name=elected>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_BweAAAAIBAJ&pg=4950,1787565&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Choice of Yanks' Huggins was Satisfying to Many|first=Arthur|last=Daley|agency=The New York Times News Service|page=2|date=February 4, 1964|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Babe Ruth]] resisted Huggins' discipline; he did not respect Huggins due to his small stature, soft-spoken nature, and inability to fight,<ref name=koppett88/> and Huggins was unable to enforce punishments on Ruth, despite being well educated.<ref name=elected/> The Yankees finished third in the AL in 1919 and 1920.<ref name="hurling stars"/> Huggins signed a one-year contract to remain with the team in 1921.<ref name=contract1921>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/10/29/archives/huggins-retained-to-manage-yanks-reappointed-under-oneyear.html|title=Huggins Retained To Manage Yanks; Reappointed Under One-Year Contract—Barrow Named as Business Manager. Evers Will Lead Cubs; Trejan is Released by McGraw to Accept Offer from Old Team-- Jennings May Go to Braves. Huggins to Sign To-Day. Barrow Managed Champions. McGraw Gives Evers Release. Jennings Story Denied|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 20, 1920|access-date=April 21, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Miller Huggins, manager, New York AL (baseball).jpg|left|200px|thumb|Huggins with the Yankees in 1922]]
Coming into the [[1921 New York Yankees season|1921 season]], Huggins was still experiencing criticism in the press. [[Hugh Fullerton]] wrote that "in the past Huggins has not shone as a leader of men".<ref name=Smelser196>Smelser, p. 196</ref> By that season, Huggins developed [[Aaron Ward (baseball)|Aaron Ward]], [[Wally Pipp]], and [[Bob Shawkey]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CqpaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6784,2499515&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Huggins Has Developed Only Four Members of His Pennant Crew|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|page=7|date=January 25, 1922|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> The Yankees won their first [[List of American League pennant winners|AL pennant]] in 1921,<ref name="hurling stars"/> reaching the [[World Series]] for the first time in franchise history, silencing his critics in the press. However, they lost the [[1921 World Series]] to the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]]. In response, Huggins sought to add more pitching talent.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kSBRAAAAIBAJ&pg=4140,920585&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins Seeks Material For Yank Team: World's Series Emphasized Need For First Class Hurlers|newspaper=The Telegraph-Herald|page=13|date=December 14, 1921|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref>

Before the [[1922 New York Yankees season|1922 season]], Huggins acquired [[Johnny Mitchell]] from the [[Vernon Tigers]] of the [[Pacific Coast League]] and traded fan favorite [[Roger Peckinpaugh]] along with [[Rip Collins (pitcher)|Rip Collins]], [[Bill Piercy]], and [[Jack Quinn (baseball)|Jack Quinn]] to the Red Sox for [[Everett Scott]], [[Bullet Joe Bush]], and [[Sad Sam Jones]].<ref name="champion trader"/> By this time, Ruppert hired [[Ed Barrow]] as the team's business manager, and he aided Huggins in player transactions.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/02/17/archives/odoul-not-to-be-included-in-trade-yankee-business-manager-denies.html|title=O'Doul Not To Be Included in Trade; Yankee Business Manager Denies That Southpaw Is to Be Exchanged for Strunk|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 17, 1922|access-date=July 9, 2012}}</ref> The Yankees repeated as AL champions that season,<ref name="hurling stars"/> but lost the [[1922 World Series]], again to the Giants. With the newly gained confidence of his owners, Huggins was retained as manager.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1873192632.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+13%2C+1922&author=&pub=Detroit+Free+Press+%281858-1922%29&desc=Miller+Huggins+In+Full+Control+Of+Yankee+Team&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712154601/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1873192632.html?FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+13,+1922&author=&pub=Detroit+Free+Press+(1858-1922)&desc=Miller+Huggins+In+Full+Control+Of+Yankee+Team&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |title=Miller Huggins in Full Control of Yankee Team: Two Colonels Give Little Leader Power to Handle Club as He Sees Fit|page=18 |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |date=October 13, 1922 |access-date=April 17, 2012}} {{subscription required|date=April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3qhjAAAAIBAJ&pg=2611,3376876&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Yankee Owner to Retain Miller Huggins|newspaper=The Telegraph-Herald|first=Thomas L.|last=Cummiskey|agency=Universal Service|page=11|date=October 10, 1922|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref>

The Yankees won their [[1923 World Series|first World Series]] in 1923, preventing the Giants from repeating as champions for the third consecutive season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0912FC3E5416738DDDAF0994D8415B838EF1D3 |title=Yanks Win Title – 6–4 Victory Ends $1,063,815 Series&nbsp;– Eighth-Inning Rally Dashes McGraw's Last Hope of Three Straight Championships|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 16, 1923 |access-date=April 18, 2012}} {{subscription required|date=April 2012}}</ref> They were unable to retain their title the [[1924 New York Yankees season|following season]] however, finishing second in the AL to the [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]].<ref name="hurling stars"/>

Huggins had come to regret his trade of Urban Shocker to the Browns. In St. Louis, the [[spitball]]er Shocker had come into his own as a starter, racking up four straight 20-win seasons (1920–23) and leading the American League with 27 wins in 1921 and strikeouts the following year, when he won 24 games. Shocker was reacquired for Bullet Joe Bush, Milt Gaston and Joe Giard in December 1924.{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}}

However, through 42 games of the [[1925 New York Yankees season|1925 season]], the Yankees struggled, falling to seventh place in the eight-team AL, {{frac|13|1|2}} games out of first place.<ref name=nj/> Huggins made wholesale changes to the Yankees' lineup, as he replaced Ward at second base with [[Howard Shanks]], [[catcher]]s [[Steve O'Neill]] and [[Wally Schang]] with [[Benny Bengough]], and, most notably, Pipp with [[Lou Gehrig]] at [[first base]], beginning Gehrig's record consecutive [[games played]] streak. Among the team's regulars, only [[Babe Ruth]], [[Joe Dugan]], and [[Bob Meusel]] remained in the lineup.<ref name=nj>{{cite news |url=http://www.nj.com/times-sports/index.ssf/2012/03/setting_the_record_straight_on.html |title=Setting the record straight on Pipp, Gehrig|first=Rick|last=Freeman|newspaper=[[The Times of Trenton]]|date=March 25, 2012 |access-date=April 18, 2012}}</ref> However, the team continued to struggle; amid rumors that he might replace Huggins, Ruppert stated that "Miller Huggins will be manager as long as he cares to be".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hB1PAAAAIBAJ&pg=6158,2594325&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Ruppert Denies Miller Huggins to Leave Yanks|agency=[[Associated Press]]|page=7|newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|date=July 25, 1925|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> The Yankees fell to seventh place in the AL that season.<ref name="hurling stars"/>

With Ruppert's full support, Huggins' duties with the Yankees included keeping Ruth in line.<ref name=cincy/><ref name=elected/> Unafraid of his star player, Huggins and Ruth often clashed.<ref name=Smelser195>Smelser, p. 195</ref> Huggins suspended Ruth indefinitely on August 29, 1925, for "misconduct off the playing field", while also fining him $5,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5000|1925|r=-2}}}} in current dollar terms), and as it was an away game in St. Louis, Ruth was ordered to pay his own way back to New York.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vNcrAAAAIBAJ&pg=6301,5051599&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Ruth Suspended, Fined $5,000 by Miller Huggins|newspaper=[[Ellensburg Daily Record]]|page=1|agency=Associated Press|date=August 29, 1925|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vr0lAAAAIBAJ&pg=691,901723&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Ruth Assails Miller Huggins: Suspended Slugger Declares Manager Seeks to Shift Blame From Poor Showing of Team|page=2|newspaper=[[Gettysburg Times]]|date=August 31, 1925|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Citation|last=Max Carey|title=SportsCentury: Babe Ruth|date=April 21, 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GkZRw21kho |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/5GkZRw21kho |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|access-date=June 23, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The actual reason was because he arrived late for batting practice after yet another night out the night before, though it was a culmination of his pranks and insistence of recruiting less able teammates to go clubbing with him, causing them to nurse hangovers.<ref name=":0" /> Ruth responded by claiming Ruppert would rescind the fine and suspension, and that he would never play for Huggins again, believing that Ruppert would side with him over Huggins. However, Ruppert insisted that the fine would stand and that Ruth would be suspended for as long as Huggins desired.<ref name=elected/> After apologizing to Huggins and Ruppert,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LDxeAAAAIBAJ&pg=3971,4223055&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Ruppert Sends Ruth Back to Miller Huggins|agency=United Press International|newspaper=The Washington Reporter|page=1|date=September 1, 1925|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> Ruth was reinstated on September 5.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vr0lAAAAIBAJ&pg=4320,664453&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Reinstate Babe Ruth Saturday, Huggins|newspaper=Gettysburg Times|page=3|date=September 5, 1925|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> Ruth did not challenge Huggins' authority again.<ref name=elected/>

{{quote box|align=left|width=25%|quote="He was the only man who knew how to keep me in line."|source=&nbsp;–&nbsp;[[Babe Ruth]] on Huggins<ref name=cincy/>}}
Huggins restructured the team for the [[1926 New York Yankees season|1926 season]], giving starting jobs to [[Mark Koenig]] and [[Tony Lazzeri]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ToEhAAAAIBAJ&pg=5076,4039210&dq=mark+koenig+tony+lazzeri&hl=en|title=Sports Tabs|agency=United Press International|newspaper=Palm Beach Daily News|date=February 6, 1926|access-date=July 9, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> That season, Huggins won his fourth pennant with the Yankees in 1926,<ref name=fourpennants>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gyRBAAAAIBAJ&pg=6291,5700742&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins Has Won Four Pennants|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Portsmouth Daily Times|date=September 28, 1926|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> marking the first time that a team won a pennant after finishing seventh the year prior.<ref name="hurling stars"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/848194242.html?dids=848194242:848194242&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+24%2C+1926&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=Miller+Huggins+Smashes+American+League+Mark&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131193454/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/848194242.html?dids=848194242:848194242&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+24,+1926&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=Miller+Huggins+Smashes+American+League+Mark&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |title=Miller Huggins Smashes American League Mark: Brings Seventh Place Team One Year to Pennant in Next Start—Junior Circuit Used to Seeing Flag Winners Repeating|first=Ernest J. |last=Lanigan|page=B5|newspaper=Hartford Courant |date=October 24, 1926 |access-date=April 17, 2012}} {{subscription required|date=April 2012}}</ref> However, the Yankees lost the [[1926 World Series]] to the Cardinals in seven games.{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}}

Winning the pennant once again in the [[1927 New York Yankees season|1927 season]], Huggins matched [[Cap Anson]]'s mark of five pennants in seven seasons.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/806581722.html?dids=806581722:806581722&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+24%2C+1927&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=Miller+Huggins+Likely+To+Equal+Mark+This+Season&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717023811/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/806581722.html?dids=806581722:806581722&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+24,+1927&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=Miller+Huggins+Likely+To+Equal+Mark+This+Season&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 17, 2012 |title=Miller Huggins Likely To Equal Mark This Season: Five Pennants in Seven Years Won by Pop Anson in Old Days—Ruth and Meusel on Club When Streak Started|newspaper=Hartford Courant|page=2B|date=July 24, 1927|access-date=April 17, 2012}} {{subscription required|date=April 2012}}</ref> That year, the Yankees benefited from the development of [[George Pipgras]] and [[Wilcy Moore]],<ref name="hurling stars"/> and set an American League record with 110 regular season victories,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wYtcAAAAIBAJ&pg=3167,6138392&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Athletics May Equal Total Victories Marks of '27 Yankees and '06 Cubs|newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator|page=C-2|date=August 2, 1931|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> winning the AL by 19 games.<ref name=murderers>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/406827741.html?dids=406827741:406827741&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+18%2C+2003&author=MARK+HALE&pub=New+York+Post&desc=1921-28%3A+MURDERERS+ROW+PUTS+YANKEES+ON+MAP&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131235448/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/406827741.html?dids=406827741:406827741&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+18,+2003&author=MARK+HALE&pub=New+York+Post&desc=1921-28:+MURDERERS+ROW+PUTS+YANKEES+ON+MAP&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|title=1921–28: Murderers Row Puts Yankees on Map|newspaper=[[New York Post]]|first=Mark|last=Hale|date=September 18, 2003|page=007|access-date=July 6, 2012}} {{subscription required|date=July 2012}}</ref> The Yankees swept the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] in the [[1927 World Series]]. This team became known as [[Murderers' Row]], and is considered one of the greatest teams in baseball history.<ref name=murderers/>

Huggins remained confident in his team's ability to repeat as AL champions in [[1928 New York Yankees season|1928 season]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NSpPAAAAIBAJ&pg=5394,7015049&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Huggins Thinsks His Yanks Can Win 1928 Flag: But Midget Mentor Refuses to Make Prediction; May Beat Selves|page=2-1|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|date=March 26, 1928|access-date=July 6, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4KNQAAAAIBAJ&pg=4775,8430371&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins Daring Pilot|page=1|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|date=July 28, 1927|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Huggins supplemented his team by acquiring [[Bill Dickey]] from the minor leagues.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MypPAAAAIBAJ&pg=5525,6595778&dq=miller-huggins+bill-dickey&hl=en|title=Huggins Selects The Pirates To Capture Pennant|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|page=2-1|date=March 24, 1928|access-date=July 6, 2012}}</ref> He acquired [[Stan Coveleski]], who was attempting to return to his peak years, but released him in August when the former star continued to struggle.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U2hgAAAAIBAJ&pg=4843,1692795|title=Yankees Sign Zachary and Release Covey|work=Rochester Evening Journal|date=August 24, 1928|page=10|access-date=July 6, 2012}}</ref> The Yankees reached the [[1928 World Series]], winning their sixth pennant in eight years,<ref name=housecleaning1929/> and defeated the Cardinals 4 games to 0. This was the first time a team swept their opponents in consecutive World Series'.<ref name=koppett90>Koppett, p. 90</ref>

Huggins continued to tinker with his roster during the offseason. He traded Dugan, [[Mike Gazella]], [[Rosy Ryan]] and [[Pat Collins (film critic)|Pat Collins]],<ref name=housecleaning1929/> and acquired [[Lyn Lary]] from the [[Pacific Coast League]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gu9QAAAAIBAJ&pg=5206,2195907&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins Refuses to Be Caught Napping|first=George|last=Moriarty|author-link=George Moriarty|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|page=2|date=January 12, 1929|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He tried Lary at [[third base]] and [[Leo Durocher]] at shortstop,<ref name=shawkey/> while he attempted to acquire [[George Uhle]] and [[Ed Morris (1920s pitcher)|Ed Morris]], but was unsuccessful in both cases.<ref name=housecleaning1929/> The Yankees fell behind the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] in the standings during the [[1929 New York Yankees season|1929 season]] and as it became clear that the Yankees would not win the AL pennant in 1929, Huggins began consulting with [[coach (baseball)|coaches]] [[Art Fletcher]] and [[Bob Shawkey]] about the future of the team, including how to replace [[Bob Meusel]] in [[left field]].<ref name=shawkey/> However, by August 1929, Huggins began losing weight and complained of feeling ill.<ref name=koppett90/>

==Death==
[[Image:HugginsMonument.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The monument dedicated to Huggins by the [[New York Yankees]] in [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]]]]
Huggins fell ill on September 20, 1929, and checked into [[Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center]] for [[erysipelas]]. His condition was complicated by the development of [[influenza]] with high fever.<ref name=succumbs/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OmIbAAAAIBAJ&pg=4838,2774825&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins, Manager of Yanks, Critically Ill|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|agency=The United Press|date=September 23, 1929|page=27|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> The Yankees' club physician, in consultation with other doctors, decided to administer [[blood transfusion]]s.<ref name=succumbs/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7D0uAAAAIBAJ&pg=3842,6446204&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins Still Fighting For Life: Yank Manager Holding Own, Little More|newspaper=The Miami News|agency=Associated Press|page=11|date=September 24, 1929|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
But despite their best efforts, Huggins died at the age of 51 on September 25, 1929, of [[pyaemia]].<ref name=succumbs>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PWIbAAAAIBAJ&pg=3664,3994065&dq=miller-huggins&hl=enM|title=Miller Huggins, New York Yankee Pilot, Succumbs|first=George|last=Kirksey|agency=[[United Press International]]|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|page=32|date=September 26, 1929|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> The American League canceled its games for September 27, the day of his funeral,<ref>Steinberg, Steve. [https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/7b65e9fa Society of American Baseball Research Biography Project] entry for Miller Huggins. (retrieved January 28, 2019)</ref><ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/?date=1929-09-27 baseball-reference.com], MLB Scores and Standings Friday, September 27, 1929. (retrieved January 28, 2019)</ref> and his viewing at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] drew thousands of tearful fans. A moment of silence was held for Huggins before the start of Game 4 of the [[1929 World Series]] (at Philadelphia's Shibe Park, after which the A's overcame an 8–0 Cubs advantage with 10 runs in the last of the seventh for a spectacular 10–8 come-from-behind victory and a 3–1 Series advantage).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zbEtAAAAIBAJ&pg=3629,2592623&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Cubs Trying Hard to Tie Up the World Series: Win Over Mack Nine Yesterday Gives New Life|first=Brian|last=Bell|newspaper=The Miami News|agency=Associated Press|page=11|date=October 12, 1929|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He was interred in [[Spring Grove Cemetery]] in his native Cincinnati.<ref name=cincy/>

The Yankees found it difficult to replace Huggins. [[Art Fletcher]] managed the team for its final 11 games of the 1929 season, but he did not want to manage the team full-time. After the season, Ruppert offered the job in turn to Fletcher, [[Donie Bush]] and [[Eddie Collins]], all of whom declined. Eventually, "Bob the Gob" Shawkey agreed to serve as the Yankees manager for the [[1930 New York Yankees season|1930 season]], leading the team to a third-place finish.<ref name=shawkey>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2IZRAAAAIBAJ&pg=4995,5183821&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Shawkey to Carry Out Miller Huggins' Plans|first=John B.|last=Foster|page=2|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|date=October 26, 1929|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/03/30/wisch-with-house-cleaning-done-heat-is-now-on-illinis-thomas/ |first=Dave|last=Wischnowsky|title=Wisch: With House-Cleaning Done, Heat Is Now On Illini's Thomas |work=CBS Chicago |publisher=Chicago.cbslocal.com |date=March 30, 2012 |access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref>

==Playing and managing profile==
Huggins was listed at {{convert|5|ft|5|in}} and {{convert|140|lbs}}.<ref name=meriden>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=afZcAAAAIBAJ&pg=4070,6267635&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins of Cards is Smallest Player in Majors|newspaper=The Meriden Daily Journal|page=8|date=August 7, 1913|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> His small stature inspired the nicknames "Mighty Mite" and the "Mite Manager".<ref name=appreciated>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PWIbAAAAIBAJ&pg=3664,3994065&dq=miller-huggins&hl=enM|title=Huggins Not Appreciated: Dead Manager of New York Yankees Was Quiet and Unobtrusive, Keeping Himself Out of the Spotlight|first=Ralph|last=Davis|page=32|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=September 26, 1929|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> He was also known as "Rabbit" and "Little Everywhere" for his ability to cover ground in the infield.<ref name=leadoff/> An excellent leadoff batter and defensive second baseman, he ended his playing career with a .265 batting average and .956 [[fielding percentage]].<ref name=leadoff>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wc8aAAAAIBAJ&pg=3298,1472380&dq=grayson+played+the+game&hl=en|title=Huggins Excelled As Lead-Off Man|first=Harry|last=Grayson|author-link=Harry Grayson|newspaper=[[The Pittsburgh Press]]|page=8|date=June 5, 1943|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> He led the league in [[base on balls|walks]] four times and regularly posted an [[on-base percentage]] near .400. He scored 100 or more [[run (baseball)|runs]] three times and regularly [[stolen base|stole]] 30 or more bases for 324 lifetime steals. On the downside, in 1914 he set the single season caught-stealing record in the National League, when he was thrown out 36 times (as opposed to 32 successful steals).<ref>{{cite web|title=Caught Stealing Records: Single Season Caught Stealing Records|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_stbac.shtml|publisher=Baseball Almanac.com|access-date=July 25, 2012}}</ref>

Huggins finished his managerial career with a 1413–1134 record. His 1413 wins as a manager ranks 23rd all-time (as of the start of the 2012 season).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/ |title=Baseball Managers and Managerial Leaders |work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |access-date=April 18, 2012}}</ref> He learned his managerial strategy by observing Hanlon and Bresnahan. His [[management style|managerial style]] at first emphasized speed, base-stealing, [[hit and run (baseball)|hit- and-run plays]] and "slap" (i.e., contact) hitting, but the acquisition of superstar slugger Ruth dictated a change of emphasis towards power and not giving away outs.<ref name=koppett88>Koppett, p. 88</ref> For the slugging Yankees of the 1920s, he recruited power hitters and consistent (as opposed to brilliant) pitchers.<ref name=koppett88/>

===Managerial record===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="5"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
!Games!!Won!!Lost!!Win %!!Finish!! Won !! Lost !! Win % !! Result
|-
|-
![[1913 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]]|| {{mlby|1913}}
||150||{{WinLossPct|51|99}}|| 8th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1914 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]]|| {{mlby|1914}}
||153||{{WinLossPct|81|72}}|| 3rd in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1915 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]]|| {{mlby|1915}}
||153||{{WinLossPct|71|82}}|| 6th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1916 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]]|| {{mlby|1916}}
||153||{{WinLossPct|60|93}}|| 7th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1917 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]]|| {{mlby|1917}}
||152||{{WinLossPct|82|70}}|| 3rd in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|STL total ||761||{{WinLossPct|346|415}}|| || {{WinLossPct|0|0}} ||
|-
![[1918 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1918}}
||123||{{WinLossPct|60|63}}|| 4th in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1919 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1919}}
||139||{{WinLossPct|80|59}}|| 3rd in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1920 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1920}}
||154||{{WinLossPct|95|59}}|| 3rd in AL || – || – || – || –
|-style="background:#fdd"
![[1921 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1921}}
||153||{{WinLossPct|98|55}}|| '''1st in AL''' || {{WinLossPct|3|5}} || Lost [[1921 World Series|World Series]] ([[1921 New York Giants season|NYG]])
|-style="background:#fdd"
![[1922 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1922}}
||154||{{WinLossPct|94|60}}|| '''1st in AL''' || {{WinLossPct|0|4}} || Lost [[1922 World Series|World Series]] ([[1922 New York Giants season|NYG]])
|-style="background:#fde910"
![[1923 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1923}}
||152||{{WinLossPct|98|54}}|| '''1st in AL''' || {{WinLossPct|4|2}} || '''Won [[1923 World Series|World Series]] ([[1923 New York Giants season|NYG]])'''
|-
![[1924 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1924}}
||152||{{WinLossPct|89|63}}|| 2nd in AL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1925 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1925}}
||154||{{WinLossPct|69|85}}|| 7th in AL || – || – || – || –
|-style="background:#fdd"
![[1926 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1926}}
||154||{{WinLossPct|91|63}}|| '''1st in AL''' || {{WinLossPct|3|4}} || Lost [[1926 World Series|World Series]] ([[1926 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]])
|-style="background:#fde910"
![[1927 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1927}}
||154||{{WinLossPct|110|44}}|| '''1st in AL''' || {{WinLossPct|4|0}} || '''Won [[1927 World Series|World Series]] ([[1927 Pittsburgh Pirates season|PIT]])'''
|-style="background:#fde910"
![[1928 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1928}}
||154||{{WinLossPct|101|53}}|| '''1st in AL''' || {{WinLossPct|4|0}} || '''Won [[1928 World Series|World Series]] ([[1928 St. Louis Cardinals season|STL]])'''
|-
![[1929 New York Yankees season|NYY]]|| {{mlby|1929}}
||143||{{WinLossPct|82|61}}|| illness || – || – || – || –
|-
! colspan="2"|NYY total ||1786||{{WinLossPct|1067|719}}|| || {{WinLossPct|18|15}} ||
|-
! colspan="2"|Total ||2543||{{WinLossPct|1413|1134}}|| || {{WinLossPct|18|15}} || 
|}

==Legacy==
In 1915, [[umpire (baseball)|umpire]] and [[sportswriter]] [[Billy Evans]], writing about the scarcity of competent second basemen in baseball, listed Huggins, Collins, Pratt, [[Johnny Evers]], and [[Nap Lajoie]] as the best in the game.<ref name=Smelser193/> He later wrote that Huggins was "one of the greatest managers I have ever met".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=30ouAAAAIBAJ&pg=5772,4193533&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Billy Evans Praises Miller Huggins of Yanks|newspaper=The Miami News|first=Billy|last=Evans|author-link=Billy Evans|page=D18|date=December 17, 1928|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Bill James]] ranked Huggins as the 37th best second baseman of all time in 2001 in his ''[[The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract]]''.<ref name=sports-central.org>{{cite news|url=http://www.sports-central.org/sports/2012/03/22/great_players_great_managers.php |work=Sports Central|title=Great Players, Great Managers?|first=Jeff|last=Kallman |publisher=Sports-central.org |date=March 22, 2012|access-date=April 18, 2012}}</ref>

The Yankees dedicated a monument to Huggins on May 30, 1932, placing it in front of the flagpole in center field at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]]. Huggins was the first Yankees legend granted this honor. Later, posthumous monuments were added there for [[Lou Gehrig]] in 1941, and [[Babe Ruth]] in 1949. These always remained within the field of play, so long as Yankees Stadium maintained its original commodious outfield dimensions (that reached 461 feet in right center).

Many years later, with the outfield shrunk to barely over 400 feet in a sweeping stadium remodel, the memorials were relocated to a "[[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]]" created behind the centerfield fence, and dedicated in 1976. Since that time, additional monuments have been placed for [[Mickey Mantle]] (1996), [[Joe DiMaggio]] (1999), and [[George Steinbrenner]] (2010), again all posthumous.

The plaque on Huggins’ monument describes him as "A splendid character who made priceless contributions to baseball."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/05/30/archives/mayor-to-speak-at-unveiling-of-huggins-memorial-today.html |title=Mayor to Speak at Unveiling of Huggins Memorial Today|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 30, 1932|access-date=August 28, 2010}} {{subscription required|date=April 2012}}</ref> The Yankees also named a field at [[Al Lang Stadium]], their [[spring training]] home in Florida, after Huggins.<ref name=koppett90/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CjNSAAAAIBAJ&pg=5360,5634852&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Young Yankees Report to Rookie Class Today: Miller Huggins Field Is Site of Talent Hunt|first=Warren|last=Walworth|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|page=1-C|date=February 11, 1958|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref>

Huggins was included on the [[ballot]] for the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[1937 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1937]], [[1938 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1938]], [[1939 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1939]], [[1942 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1942]], [[1945 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1945]], [[1946 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1946]], [[1948 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1948]], and [[1950 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1950]],{{efn|No elections for the Hall of Fame were held in 1940, 1941, 1943, or [[1944 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1944]].}} failing to receive the number of votes required for election on those occasions. Named in the [[Honor Rolls of Baseball]] in 1946, the [[Veterans Committee]] elected Huggins to the Hall of Fame in [[1964 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|February 1964]],<ref name=elected/> and he was posthumously inducted that summer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0NkiAAAAIBAJ&pg=2751,6249516&dq=miller+huggins+christy+mathewson&hl=en|title=7 Players Inducted into Hall of Fame|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|date=July 28, 1964|access-date=April 17, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Huggins was a private man who kept to himself. He lived in Cincinnati during the winters while playing for the Reds and Cardinals,<ref name=meriden/> but began to make [[St. Petersburg, Florida]], his winter home while managing the Yankees.<ref name=arthur>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C5tPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6960,2675390&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Arthur Huggins, Miller Huggins' Brother, Dies|page=9-B|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|date=June 26, 1963|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> Huggins did not marry,<ref name=meriden/> and lived with his sister while in Cincinnati.<ref name=cincy/>

Huggins invested in real estate holdings in Florida,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=q0kwAAAAIBAJ&pg=4569,3095231&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins Has Proven His Faith in St. Petersburg by Buying and Improving Property|page=4|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|date=February 24, 1925|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> although he sold them in 1926 (three years before the stock market crash, fortunately for him) as they took too much of his time away from baseball.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IdlPAAAAIBAJ&pg=2633,4138176&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins Sells Out His Real Estate Holding To Give Yanks Undivided Attention|newspaper=The Evening Independent|date=February 18, 1926|access-date=April 17, 2012}}</ref> He enjoyed playing [[golf]] and [[billiards]] in his spare time.<ref name=meriden/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HcpPAAAAIBAJ&pg=4264,2108640&dq=miller-huggins&hl=en|title=Miller Huggins, Yanks Manager, Arrives in City|newspaper=The Evening Independent|date=October 31, 1928|access-date=April 17, 2012|page=1}}</ref>

He was portrayed by [[Ernie Adams (actor)|Ernie Adams]] in ''[[The Pride of the Yankees]]'', Fred Lightner in ''[[The Babe Ruth Story]]'', [[Bruce Weitz]] in ''[[Babe Ruth (film)|Babe Ruth]]'', and Joe Ragno in ''[[The Babe]]''.{{Citation needed|date=September 2019}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
*[[List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball managers with most career wins]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball player-managers]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|huggins-miller}}
*{{baseballstats|mlb=116275|espn=23161|br=h/huggimi01|fangraphs=1006148|brm=huggin001mil|retro=H/Phuggm101}}
*{{baseball-reference manager|huggimi01}}
*{{Sabrbio|7b65e9fa}}
*{{find a Grave}}

{{1964 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
{{New York Yankees HOF}}
{{St. Louis Cardinals HOF}}
{{1923 New York Yankees}}
{{1927 New York Yankees}}
{{1928 New York Yankees}}
{{Monument Park honorees}}
{{St. Louis Cardinals managers}}
{{Yankeesmanager}}
{{Honor Rolls of Baseball}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huggins, Miller}}
[[Category:1878 births]]
[[Category:1929 deaths]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Bearcats baseball players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Reds players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals players]]
[[Category:New York Yankees managers]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals managers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball second basemen]]
[[Category:Mansfield Haymakers players]]
[[Category:St. Paul Saints (AA) players]]
[[Category:University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Infectious disease deaths in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Semi-professional baseball players]]
[[Category:Deaths from sepsis in the United States]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball player-managers]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Cincinnati]]
[[Category:Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery]]
[[Category:World Series–winning managers|Hu]]
[[Category:Woodward High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) alumni]]
[[Category:19th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:Walnut Hills High School alumni]]