Former Batting Champion Runnels Dies at 63 After Having a Stroke
Pete Runnels, who won American League batting titles with the Boston Red Sox in 1960 and 1962, died Monday, three days after he had a stroke. He was 63.
Friends said Runnels was hospitalized after he had a stroke Friday.
Runnels was born in 1928 in Lufkin and started his major league career in 1951 with the Washington Senators. He played with the Senators through 1957.
He played for the Red Sox from 1958 through 1962. He batted .320 in 1960 and .326 in 1962.
Runnels played all four infield positions during his career, starting as a shortstop with the Senators.
His Boston teammates included Ted Williams, who edged Runnels for the batting title on the last day of the 1958 season. Runnels said he enjoyed the competition with Williams during that batting race even more than the two seasons in which he won titles.
That season, Runnels batted .322, six points behind Williams.
Runnels, who had a career batting average of .291, also managed the Red Sox for 16 games in 1966.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
