Baseball Career
Marion was born in Richburg, South Carolina. His older brother, Red Marion, was briefly an outfielder in the American League and a long-time manager in the minor leagues. Nicknamed "Slats", Marion had unusually long arms which reached for grounders like tentacles, prompting sportwriters to call him "The Octopus".
From 1940-50, Marion led the National League shortstops in fielding percentage four times during his reign as the glue of the Cardinals infield, despite several players moved around the infield during these years. If Gold Glove Awards had been awarded during his career, Marion would have earned his share. In 1941 he played all 154 games at shortstop (also a league-high) and in 1947 he made only 15 errors for a consistent .981 percentage.
Marion was also a better-than-average hitter for a shortstop. His most productive season came in 1942, when he hit .276 with a league-lead 38 doubles. In the 1942 World Series, one of four series in which he participated with the Cardinals, he helped his team to a World Championship with his amazing glove. In 1943 he batted a career-high .280 in the regular season and hit .357 in the 1943 World Series, which was more than respectable considering his value in the infield.
He played with many second basemen throughout his career but perhaps his favorite was Frank "Creepy" Crespi. Marion commented after the '41 season that Creepy's play was the best he'd ever seen by a second baseman - but their bond went deeper than that. Creepy once took on Joe Medwick on the field (during a game) when he was trying to intimidate Marion. They remained friends until Creepy's death in 1990.
In 1951 Marion managed the Cardinals and was replaced by Eddie Stanky at the end of the season. Then, he moved to the American League Browns, and took over for manager Rogers Hornsby early in 1952 as their player-manager. The last manager in St. Louis Browns history, he was let go after the 1953 season when the Brownies moved to Baltimore. He then signed as a coach for the White Sox for the 1954 campaign, but once again was quickly promoted to manager that September, when skipper Paul Richards left Chicago to become field manager and general manager — in Baltimore, ironically. Marion led the Chisox for the rest of 1954, and for the full seasons of 1955 and 1956, finishing third each season, before he stepped down at the end of the 1956 season.
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