Clyde Sukeforth: He Helped Change Dodger History Twice

Born in the small town of Washington Maine on November 30. 1901, Clyde Leroy Sukeforth, or Sukey as he was known in baseball circles, was a typical small town boy. He began playing when he was young and grew as youngsters did in those days to love the game.

Over his career he would catch, coach, manage and scout for major league teams. He is forever tied to the Dodgers by 2 players, Jackie Robinson, and Roberto Clemente. Just how I will reveal this story as it unfolds.

After high school. Sukey went to Georgetown university. He was there for two years and then after a year with the Nashua Millionaires and the Manchester Blue Sox, he was acquired by the Cincinnati Reds in 1926. Sukey batted left, was about 5’11″ and 155 lbs when he played. He was basically a backup catcher.

He only played in 486 games over 10 big league seasons hitting .264 with 2 HR’s and 96 RBI’s. His best season was 1929 when he hit .354 with 84 hits in 84 games.

In 1931 he was hunting with some friends and a pellet from a shotgun pierced his eye. He was able to keep playing, but the injury affected his hitting and in 1932 he was traded to the Dodgers. In the middle of 1934 he was sent to the minors.

He continued to play, and in 1934 he was a player manager. He managed in the Brooklyn system from 1937 to 1942, when he joined the big club as a coach. He was activated at the beginning of the 1945 season and played in 18 games.

He retired as a player for good in 1946. He remained at his job as coach of the Dodgers and since he was well regarded by Branch Rickey, the Dodger owner, a special assignment scout.

Rickey had begun a secret plan to bring a Black player to the majors and break baseball’s long standing segregation. In August of 1947, Rickey sent Sukeforth to Chicago where the Kansas City Monarchs were playing. He wanted Sukey to convince Robinson to come to Brooklyn for a meeting.

Sukey convinced the skeptical Robinson of the sincerity of his job, and after meeting up with Jackie in Toledo, they traveled by train together to Brooklyn. Drawing the stares of many fellow passengers. A Black man and a White man traveling together in the late 1940’s was not a common thing.

Once in Brooklyn, Robinson had his meeting with Rickey, and signed a contract to play for Montreal on August 28, 1946. The only people in the room were Rickey, Robbie and Sukeforth.

Robbie went to Montreal, did well and was at spring training with the Dodgers in 1947. With the 2 positions he was used to being occupied by Pee Wee Reese and Billy Herman, Jackie was handed a first baseman’s glove and worked out there under Sukey’s supervision.

In the meantime, a hail storm had broken out over Leo Durocher and his affair with actress Laraine Day. She was at the time married. But when he was suspended, the commissioner, Happy Chandler, said that he was being suspended for association with known gamblers. All this of course under pressure from the Yankee owner, Larry McPhail.

So, since Burt Shotton had not yet taken over the managerial reins, Jackie’s name was penciled in by the temporary manager, Clyde Sukeforth and history was made. Clyde was replaced by Shotton after game 2 and his managerial record in the majors is 2-0.

Sukey returned to his coaching duties. He was still held in high confidence by Rickey. Rickey sent him to see Don Newcombe who had suffered an arm injury and thought his chance was gone, Sukey consoled him and famously told him that Brooklyn still wanted to sign him.

He went to Nashua with Roy Campanella and made the big club in 1949. Leo had moved on to the Giants to manager and Charlie Dressen took over for Shotton.

Then came 1951 and the playoff series against the Giants. In game 3, Dressen called down to the pen where Sukey was in charge. He asked who was ready, having just seen Carl Erskine short arm a curve in the dirt, he told Dressen, Branca.

Branca came in, and the rest is history. What happened afterwards would eventually affect Dodger history again. Dressen immediately threw the blame on Sukey for recommending Branca. Talk about being tossed under the bus.

So, Sukeforth, knowing working under Dressen would be impossible, he left the organization. He had passed up a chance in 1947 to manage the team as an interim manager.

He now went to Pittsburgh to be a coach for Rickey’s Pirates. In 1954 he was sent to Montreal to check on Joe Black since Rickey was thinking about trading for him. While there and watching the pitchers hit, he saw this kid hitting rocket after rocket off the walls and over. He asked one of the coaches, who is that pitcher hitting all the homers? The reply was what pitcher?

He kept digging and followed a few games. The kid rarely played and never pitched.

But he remembered the name and when that winter, Rickey asked which player if any they should consider taking in the draft, Sukey said immediately, Clemente. The Dodgers had given Clemente a bonus and then against the rules, had tried to hide him at Montreal. He played rarely, but Sukey identified the tools, and let Rickey know this was a guy who could be great.

So, Roberto Clemente became a Pirate after he was taken in the 1954 rule 5 draft, and Dodger history was altered again. First Robbie, and now Clemente. Who knows what the great Roberto would have added to those Dodger teams. An outfield of Clemente, Snider, and Furillo over the last 3 years in Brooklyn? WOW.

Sukey also is in an iconic painting by Norman Rockwell. Tough Call. The painting features 3 umps and a few raindrops falling. Sukey is barely visible behind the umps, but his head is poking out, he is holding a Dodger cap and has his finger pointing to the sky. Pirate manager Billy Myers is playing up the pending rain. I used to have a copy of this picture. It is one of my favorite Rockwell works. The original now hangs in the Hall of Fame.

He also passed up a shot to manage the Pirates after Bobby Bragan was fired and then retired as a coach after the 1957 season. He remained with the Pirates as a scout and occasional minor league manager through 1965.

If you look back over his career and what he saw while he was in the Majors it is impressive. He was traded for one Hall of Famer, Ernie Lombardi, replaced  by another, Billy Herman, and beat out Rogers Hornsby for a minor league manager’s job. He saw Babe Ruth pitch in the 1918 series for the Red Sox, he caught Waite Hoyt, Eppa Rixey and Dazzy Vance. Was team mates with Edd Roush, Harry Heilmann, Hack Wilson, Al Lopez and Leo Durocher. He played for Casey Stengel, and Max Carey.

He was a student of the game and somewhat of a historian. He corrected people who said Wilson had hit 56 homers in 1930, no, Hack hit 57. One he hit so hard in Cincy that it bounced off of the seats and back onto the field.  All of the players in the pen had seen it, but they kept quiet. Which figures since he was a Red.

His daughter was the light of his life. His wife had died in childbirth. It was many years before he married again. After he was done with baseball he moved back to his home state. He was interviewed for Ken Burns baseball mini series.

When they were getting ready to make 42, Toby Huss, who plays Sukey in the movie began to read as much about him as he could find. And he felt he caught what Sukey was all about in the movie.

One thing you did not see in the movie. Sukeforth tipped the elevator man 2 dollars to let Robinson ride up in the elevator with him. Something also not done in 1945.

His life and baseball were intertwined. And both were very colorful. If there was a Hall for the coaches and scouts he would be in it. One little side note, Sukey saw a kid pitching and he brought the kid in for a workout. Rickey said, that kid has the best arm I have ever seen. But the Pirates owner did not want to pony up a bonus for the kid. A short time later the Dodgers gave the kid his bonus. And he spent the entire season of 1955 on the Dodger roster. Going 2-2 with a 3.02 ERA and almost as many walks as K’s. He knocked another LH off of the roster. His name? Sandy Koufax. Sukey also made a mistake now and then, when sent to scout a young outfielder recommended by Roy Campanella, Sukey was not impressed. His report said, kid can’t hit a curveball. He was talking about a very young Willie Mays. Ya can’t win em all!