William 'Billy the Kid' Southworth managed in the big leagues for
13 years (1929, 1940-51), including seven with the Cardinals and
six with the Braves. He posted 1044 wins and 704 losses in 1770
games for a .597 winning percentage, fifth all-time behind McCarthy
(.615), Mutrie (.611), Comiskey (.608) and Selee (.598).
Southworth began his managing career in 1928 with the Cardinals'
Rochester club, winning a pennant. He returned to the majors in 1929
as player/manager for the Cards. His style as a strict taskmaster and
disciplinarian was resisted by the Cardinal players, and after 88 games
(43-45), he was relieved of his post and returned to manage Rochester,
where he won three more pennants. Southworth also managed at
Asheville and Memphis, before returning to the helm of the Cardinals
in 1940.
He guided the St. Louis Cardinals to three consecutive National League pennants from 1942-44, winning World Series' matchup over the Yankees in '42 and the cross-town rival Browns in '44. He left St. Louis to manage the Braves in 1945, and won another pennant in 1948, the first by the Braves in 34 years.
Southworth earned Sporting News' Manager of the Year honors in 1941 and 1942. His clubs had winning records in 11 of his 13 seasons as manager. He won 90 or more games six times and topped 100 victories three times. As a player, he batted .297 with 1296 hits in 1192 games. Overall, he spent 40 years in pro baseball, including 13 as an outfielder with the Indians, Pirates, Braves, Giants and Cardinals.
