Gee Walker

Who was Gee Walker?

Gerald Holmes "Gee" Walker was a major league baseball outfielder. During his fifteen-year career he played with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. He played in 1,784 major league games over 15 seasons with a career batting average of .294, 1,991 hits, 223 stolen bases and 124 home runs.

Born in Gulfport, Mississippi, Walker attended the University of Mississippi and was a member of the Class of 1930. He played both football and baseball at Ole Miss, and is in both the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame. As a major leaguer he was known for stealing bases, finishing nine times among the top ten for the season. He played for the Tigers in two World Series, 1934 and 1935.

Gee — a fiery competitor and a clown — became a favorite in Detroit. His antics earned him the moniker "The Madman from Mississippi." He hit .300 or better in five of his first seven seasons. Though regularly among the league leaders in stolen bases, he could also be inattentive and overzealous on the basepaths. He once tried to steal a base during an intentional walk. In the 1934 World Series, he was picked off first while arguing with the Cardinal bench. Earlier that year, on June 30, he was picked off base twice in the same inning. After Hank Greenberg singled, Walker reached on an error but was caught off base when the catcher threw to first. Greenberg tried to draw a throw by running to third base and was thrown out, with Walker taking second base. Moments later, with Walker standing six feet off the bag, the pitcher threw to second base and Walker was tagged out. Detroit manager Mickey Cochrane was so angered by Walker's inattention that he suspended Walker for 10 days and fined him $20.