Why Baseball Legend Rogers Hornsby’s Players Hated Him And Had Him Fired As Manager
The MLB legend was a great player, but sometimes struggled to relate as a manager
As a batter, Hall-of-Fame second baseman Rogers Hornsby had few peers. The right-handed hitter oozed talent and confidence. Unfortunately, these skills didn’t necessarily translate to his managerial career. Although he spent years coaching and managing, his lack of interpersonal skills made him increasingly unrelatable to his charges, and saw him changing jobs frequently. In fact, his 1952 St. Louis Browns players practically begged for him to be fired and even spoke out publicly to express their disdain for the legend.
Hornsby played for 23 years (1915–1937), batting a combined .358, which is still third all-time. He also collected 2,930 hits, 541 doubles, 169 triples, 301 home runs, 1,584 RBIs and 1,579 runs scored. Also known as “The Rajah,” he was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942, despite his less than desirable reputation when it came to his prickly nature.
He began managing during the height of his playing career. In just his second season in that role, he led the St. Louis Cardinals to the 1926 World Series title, beating the mighty New York Yankees. Unfortunately, he never found such success from…
