John Richard Joseph Hutchings (April 14, 1916 – April 27, 1963) was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who worked in 155 Major League games, mostly as a relief pitcher, for the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Braves during the 1940s. The native of Chicago stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed 250 pounds (110 kg).\n', '

Hutchings\' professional career began in 1935 and he reached the Majors after winning 22 games in 1939 for the Pensacola Pilots in the Class B Southeastern League. As a 1940 rookie playing for the defending National League champion Cincinnati Reds, he appeared in 19 games, including four starting assignments, for a team that ultimately won the 1940 world championship.\n', '

Hutchings started one of the most tragic games in Cincinnati club history, the second game of a doubleheader on August 3, 1940, in Boston, against the "Bees" (the Braves\' official name from 1936–40). Hutchings lasted only 1​2⁄3 innings of the nightcap, and Boston won, 5–2, for a split of the twin bill. But the result of the game proved insignificant in light of the off-field misfortune that beset the Cincinnati team. Willard Hershberger, temporarily the Reds\' starting catcher due to injury, had not reported to the ballpark for the day\'s doubleheader and stayed behind in his hotel room. During that second game, the Reds learned that Hershberger, despondent over what he perceived as his poor play, had committed suicide earlier that afternoon.\n', '

Return to Johnny Hutchings Autograph Profile