Carroll Walter “Whitey” Lockman (July 25, 1926 - March 17, 2009) can forever be remembered, although more often forgotten, as the batter who drove pitcher Don Newcombe from the mound in the 1951 Giants-Dodgers final day playoff game setting up Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” home run. Dodger manager Chuck Dressen was forced to replace a fatigued Newcombe with either Carl Erskine or eventually victim, Ralph Branca. Whitey signed with the Giants in 1943, played 32 games in 1945 and then spent one year serving in World War II in 1946 before returning to the New York lineup in 1947. By his second full season in the Major Leagues, Whitey was a regular outfielder. Lockman played 12-1/2 seasons with the Giants following them from New York to San Francisco (1945, 1947-1956, 1957/1958) and also played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1956), the Baltimore Orioles (1959) and the Cincinnati Reds (1959-1960). Though his best season came in 1949 when he hit .301 with 186 hits including 32 doubles and 11 home runs while driving in 65 runs, Whitey earned his only All-Star Game selection in 1952, bating 11 points less at .290. Throughout his career in New York, Lockman roamed the outfield with Hall of Famer Willie Mays and Monte Irvin and All-Stars Don Mueller, Willard Marshall and Bobby Thomson, among others, posting an impressive .986 fielding percentage with 8,417 putouts, 592 assists, 694 double plays and 124 errors in 9,133 chances. Despite Lockman and, of course, Thomson’s heroics to end the 1951 season, the Giants lost to the cross-town rival New York Yankees in the World Series. They did, however, win the National League pennant once more in 1954 and then swept the Cleveland Indians to win the fifth title in franchise history. Whitey Lockman retired from playing following the 1960 season having collected 1,658 hits including 222 doubles, 836 runs scored and 563 RBI while batting .279 for his career. Lockman later went on to join the coaching staffs of the Giants, the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins. He briefly served as the Cubs manager, taking over for Leo Durocher, and compiled a 157-162 record in 319 games.
