Don Gutteridge, 96; played on Red Sox, managed White Sox

Don Gutteridge, wearing his 1944 St. Louis Browns World Series cap, sat in front of a portrait of himself at home. (andrew d. brosig/the morning sun via ap/file 2007)

PITTSBURG, Kan. - Don Gutteridge, who played for the Boston Red Sox toward the end of his career and managed the Chicago White Sox in 1969 and 1970, died Sunday. He was 96.

He died at his home after contracting pneumonia about a month ago, his son Don Jr. said.

Mr. Gutteridge spent 12 years in the majors and made his debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 7, 1936. He also played with the St. Louis Browns and Pittsburgh Pirates. A utility infielder, he joined the Red Sox in 1946 and played two seasons with them. He retired in 1948. He was listed as the seventh-oldest living former player and was the last living St. Louis Brown who played in the 1944 World Series. During that series, he turned five double plays in one game at second base. For his career, he batted .256, playing shortstop and second and third base. He had 39 home runs and 391 RBIs.

He later was a scout for the Kansas City Royals, the New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"Baseball was the center of his whole existence," his son said yesterday. "From the time he was a teenager, that was all he ever wanted to do."

After his retirement, Mr. Gutteridge took an interest in youth baseball in his hometown. The JL Hutchinson League last week renamed the intermediate league (ages 13-15) the Don Gutteridge League.

"He was kind of the unofficial mayor of Pittsburg," his son said. "When the season was over, he always came back to Pittsburg, Kan."

Recently, Mr. Gutteridge and longtime friend Todd Biggs wrote the book "Getting Started in Baseball: A Guide to Learning and Teaching Baseball in the Early Years." He and Biggs handed out free copies to every player in the JL Hutchinson League during the summer season.

"Don had a positive impact on every single person he ever met," Biggs told The Morning Sun in Pittsburg. "No matter how long your conversation is, whenever you left his company, you always felt better about yourself."