Burt Shotton

Rickey pleaded with Shotton to take over the Dodgers for the remainder of the season. Then 62, and convinced that his on-field career was over, Shotton reluctantly took the reins on April 18, still in street clothes.{{rp|81–83}} In doing so, he became one of the last MLB managers to wear everyday apparel rather than the club uniform. Unlike [[Connie Mack]], however, he did usually add his team's cap and jacket.

Rickey pleaded with Shotton to take over the Dodgers for the remainder of the season. Then 62, and convinced that his on-field career was over, Shotton reluctantly took the reins on April 18, still in street clothes.{{rp|81–83}} In doing so, he became one of the last MLB managers to wear everyday apparel rather than the club uniform. Unlike [[Connie Mack]], however, he did usually add his team's cap and jacket.

He inherited a contending Brooklyn team that had finished in a flatfooted tie for the {{mlby|1946}} National League [[pennant (sports)|pennant]] before losing a [[1946 National League tie-breaker series|playoff series]] to the Cardinals. He also inherited what historian Jules Tygiel called ''Baseball's Great Experiment'' — the Dodgers' breaking of the infamous [[baseball color line|color line]] by bringing up Jackie Robinson from their [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[Montreal Royals]] farm club at the start of the 1947 season to end over sixty years of racial segregation in baseball. The rookie was facing withering insults from opposing players, and a petition by Dodger players protesting Robinson's presence had only recently been quashed by Durocher.

He inherited a contending Brooklyn team that had finished in a flatfooted tie for the {{mlby|1946}} National League [[pennant (sports)|pennant]] before losing a [[1946 National League tie-breaker series|playoff series]] to the Cardinals. He also inherited what historian Jules Tygiel called ''Baseball's Great Experiment'' — the Dodgers' breaking of the infamous [[baseball color line|color line]] by bringing up Jackie Robinson from their [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] [[Montreal Royals]] farm club at the start of the 1947 season to end over sixty years of [[racial segregation]] in "[[Organized Baseball]]'s" playing ranks. The rookie was facing withering insults from opposing players, and a petition by Dodger players protesting Robinson's presence had only recently been quashed by Durocher.

Shotton's calm demeanor, however, provided the quiet leadership the Dodgers needed.[https://archive.org/details/1947whenallhellb00barb/page/n7/mode/2up Barber, Red (1982). ''1947: When All Hell Broke Loose in Baseball.''] Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Co. {{ISBN|0-385-17762-3}}. pp. 213–228{{rp|80}} They won the National League pennant by five games, and took the [[New York Yankees]] to seven games in the [[1947 World Series]]. In Game 4, Shotton helped to thwart [[Bill Bevens]]' [[no-hitter|no-hit bid]] in the ninth [[inning]], sending into the game two [[pinch hitter]]s and two [[pinch runner]]s in an attempt to overcome a 2–1 deficit. The gambit worked, as Dodger pinch hitter [[Cookie Lavagetto]] drove home both pinch runners, [[Al Gionfriddo]] and [[Eddie Miksis]], with his opposite-field [[double (baseball)|double]] — Brooklyn's only [[hit (baseball)|hit]] — for a 3–2 victory.[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1947/B10030BRO1947.htm Retrosheet]

Shotton's calm demeanor, however, provided the quiet leadership the Dodgers needed.[https://archive.org/details/1947whenallhellb00barb/page/n7/mode/2up Barber, Red (1982). ''1947: When All Hell Broke Loose in Baseball.''] Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Co. {{ISBN|0-385-17762-3}}. pp. 213–228{{rp|80}} They won the National League pennant by five games, and took the [[New York Yankees]] to seven games in the [[1947 World Series]]. In Game 4, Shotton helped to thwart [[Bill Bevens]]' [[no-hitter|no-hit bid]] in the ninth [[inning]], sending into the game two [[pinch hitter]]s and two [[pinch runner]]s in an attempt to overcome a 2–1 deficit. The gambit worked, as Dodger pinch hitter [[Cookie Lavagetto]] drove home both pinch runners, [[Al Gionfriddo]] and [[Eddie Miksis]], with his opposite-field [[double (baseball)|double]] — Brooklyn's only [[hit (baseball)|hit]] — for a 3–2 victory.[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1947/B10030BRO1947.htm Retrosheet]