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Herb Pennock

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1894-1948

 

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William Pennock (1707-1763) had a son, Samuel Pennock (1754-1842).

Samuel had a son, Moses Pennock (1786-1860).

Moses had a son, Samuel Pennock(1816-??). Samuel was the grandfather of Herb Pennock.

Samuel’s son was Charles John Pennock, the father of Herb Jefferies Pennock of baseball fame.

 

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BORN:  February 10, 1894

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DIED: January 30, 1938

SUMMARY: Herb Pennock, the Hall of Fame pitcher for the Red Sox, Yankees & A’s. He was born in 1894 and died in 1948. He was the General Manager of the Phillies at the time of his death. He was born in Kennett Square. He never lost a World Series game, having a record of 5-0. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame several months after his death in 1948.

Herb Pennock was one of the most scientific of pitchers. His smooth, effortless left-handed delivery extended his career over 22 major league seasons during which he won 240 and lost 162. He made the difficult jump directly from high school to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1912, and three years later Connie Mack sold him to the Red Sox. Pennock was 5-0 in World Series competition for the Yankees.

To the second generation of Pennock & Idella Hamilton, Herb Pennock is a fourth cousin, once removed, to the third generation of Pennock and Idella Hamilton, he is a fourth cousin, twice removed.

          Statue of Hall of Famer Stirs Controversy
BY CHRISTIAN THOMPSON
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

    KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (July 10, 1998)-- Baseball's struggle with integration during Jackie Robinson's rookie season wasn't made any easier by the Philadelphia Phillies or their general manager, Herb Pennock.
    The Phillies, regarded at one time as among the most racist teams in baseball, hurled racial insults at Robinson from the dugout during their first trip to Brooklyn in 1947. And Pennock further warned the Dodgers not to bring the ``n'' to Philadelphia two weeks later.
    Fifty years after Pennock's death, the general manager and Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Yankees is again at the center of a controversy, this time in his hometown.
    The Historic Commission in Kennett Square wants to put up a statue of Pennock commemorating the 50th anniversary of his induction into the Hall of Fame. Some people in town don't want to see it happen.
    ``If he was a racist, I don't think he should have anything done for him,'' said Russell Brown, who is black.
    ``Ain't no way in hell I'll contribute,'' added Ed Brison, who also is black.
    About 600 blacks live in the town of 6,000, about 30 miles west of Philadelphia. The area is known for its mushroom farms and its increasing population of Mexican migrant workers.
    The Historical Commission is collecting donations for the statue, which is expected to cost $80,000.
    Chairwoman Priscilla Roberts refused comment Thursday when reached by phone. Her husband, Ken, has told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the statue was meant to memorialize Pennock the player, not the person.
    Mayor Charles S. Cramer, who is black, said he understands the concerns about Pennock but supports the idea of a statue.
    ``I went to World War II and risked my life over there. When I came home, they gave us a parade, but there were places I still wasn't allowed to go,'' he said. ``The man was a great pitcher. I don't want to hurt his image, but back in those times, those things were said.''
    In April 1947, the Phillies' manager, a Southerner named Ben Chapman, led his players in taunting Robinson from the dugout. Later, Pennock told Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey he would keep the Phillies off the field if Robinson was on the roster May 9.
    ``[You] just can't bring the n here, Branch. We're just not ready for that sort of thing yet,'' Pennock said as one of Rickey's aides, who later recalled the conversation, listened in.
    The teams played anyway. Robinson had two hits and scored two runs in a 6-5 Brooklyn loss.
    Pennock died in 1948 of a brain hemorrhage, and the Phillies would not have a black player for nine more years.
    ``Certainly the perception was that the Phillies' organization, back when Bob Carpenter was running it -- I wouldn't call them racist, but they certainly did not embrace African American players initially,'' said William Y. Giles, the Phillies' chairman and principal owner.
    In Burton's Barbershop in Kennett Square, where white retirees gather daily, photographs of Pennock line the walls: one of him in uniform, another showing him on horseback with Babe Ruth at a local fox hunt.
    Owner Bobby Burton, who is white, said Pennock's actions 50 years ago shouldn't be judged by today's standards.
    ``That was the way people referred to [blacks] in those days. It was a shame, but that's the way it was,'' Burton said. ``How many small towns like this have a Hall of Famer like him to call their own? As far as baseball goes in this town, he's the man.''
    Al Tejera, from Cuba, wondered if racial sensitivity has gone too far.
    ``Are they going to tear down the Jefferson Memorial because he owned slaves? To what extent do you take it?'' Tejera asked.
    ``If it were happening in a current situation, it would be different. But you just don't change history,'' he said.

Priscilla Roberts
Hofstetter's Baseball Jerk of the Week   July, 1988
www.jerkoftheweak.com


The Historical Commission of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is currently raising money for a statue to honor Hall of Fame pitcher and Kennett Square native Herb Pennock. But Pennock is equally famous for his racist policies as general manager of the Phillies. At the time Jackie Robinson was breaking the color barrier, the Phillies were known as one of the most racist teams in baseball, and a lot of that reputation was due to Pennock. "[You] just can't bring the nigger here, Branch. We're just not ready for that sort of thing yet,"

Pennock told Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey, at the beginning of the 1947 season. Pennock told Rickey that the Phillies wouldn't take the field against the Dodgers if Robinson was in the lineup. The Phillies did play against the Dodgers as scheduled that season, but rode Robinson mercilessly from the dugout. Even though Pennock died a year later, the Phillies didn't sign a black player for another nine years.

Roberts, the chairwoman of the Historical Comission, refused to comment about the issue, but her husband told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the statue is meant to honor Pennock as a player, not as a person. Apparently, a good curveball more than makes up for racial intolerance in Kennett Square, a town of 6,000 which lies about 30 miles outside of Philadelphia. By that logic, Mike Tyson's heavyweight title should have overturned his rape conviction. And in Pennock's case, separating the accomplishments from the person doesn't even work in theory, because his accomplishments include keeping blacks out of his organization.

Several residents have made the argument that racist behavior was more acceptible in Pennock's time. "That was the way people referred to [black people] in those days," explained one resident. No, that was the way racist people referred to black people in those days. Even in 1947 there were people who could see past color and welcome Jackie Robinson to the majors. Blazing fastball or not, Pennock doesn't deserve to be immortalized.