View source for Jeff Heath

{{Short description|American baseball player (1915–1975)}}
{{about|the baseball player|the American football player|Jeff Heath (American football)|the linguist|Jeffrey Heath}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Jeff Heath
|image=Jeff Heath 1949 Bowman.jpg
|caption=Heath's 1949 [[Bowman Gum]] baseball card
|position=[[Left fielder]]
|bats=Left
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date|1915|4|1}}
|birth_place=[[Fort William, Ontario]], Canada
|death_date={{death date and age|1975|12|9|1915|4|1}}
|death_place=[[Seattle, Washington]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 13
|debutyear=1936
|debutteam=Cleveland Indians
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 8
|finalyear=1949
|finalteam=Boston Braves
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.293
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=194
|stat3label=[[Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=887
|teams=
* [[Cleveland Indians]] ({{mlby|1936}}–{{mlby|1945}})
* [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] ({{mlby|1946}})
* [[St. Louis Browns]] ({{mlby|1946}}–{{mlby|1947}})
* [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]] ({{mlby|1948}}–{{mlby|1949}})
|highlights=
* 2× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1941]], [[1943 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1943]])
| hofcolor= #EC1C40
| hoflink= Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
| hoftype= Canadian 
| hofdate= 1988
}}
'''John Geoffrey Heath''' (April 1, 1915<ref name="Baseball_Reference">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/heathje01.shtml|title=Jeff Heath Statistics and History|access-date=August 15, 2012|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>{{ref label|Death|a|a}} – December 9, 1975) was a Canadian-born American [[left fielder]] in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) who played most of his career for the [[Cleveland Indians]].

He was one of the [[American League]]'s most promising<ref name="Foxx">{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cqpQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6582,4422377&dq=jeff+heath+japan&hl=en|title=Foxx Aging, Young Indian Next in Line|date=January 21, 1939|agency=United Press International|page=2|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Y6oiAAAAIBAJ&pg=1252,330614&dq=jeff+heath+japan&hl=en|date=May 5, 1937|title=Big League Rookie|page=9|newspaper=[[The Beaver County Times|The Daily Times]]|location=Beaver, Pennsylvania}}</ref> power hitters of the late 1930s and early 1940s, twice led the AL in [[triple (baseball)|triples]], and [[batting average (baseball)|batted]] at least .340 with over 100 [[runs batted in]] (RBIs) each time. In 1941 he was selected to his first [[1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] and that same season became the first player from the American League to become a member of the [[20–20–20 club]] when he hit 20 each of doubles, triples and home runs in the same season. His other All-Star Game selections were in [[1943 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1943]] and [[1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1945]].

Heath played for the [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] and [[St. Louis Browns]] during the 1946 season and the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s (NL) [[Atlanta Braves#History|Boston Braves]] beginning in 1948. He incurred a compound fracture to his ankle in late September 1948 in a game in Brooklyn shortly after Boston had clinched the pennant. Subsequently, the Braves were without their starting left fielder for the [[1948 World Series]]. In 1949, Heath's last season in the majors, sportswriter Franklin Lewis wrote, "There was the inimitable Heath who...should have been one of the greatest players in history. But there were no valves on his temper. He grinned in the manner of a schoolboy or he snarled with the viciousness of a tiger."<ref name="James">{{cite book|title=The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3uSbqUm8hSAC&q=jeff+heath&pg=PA683|last=James|first=Bill|year=2001|location=New York|publisher=Free Press|isbn=0-684-80697-5}}</ref>{{rp|p.683}}

== Early life ==

Heath was born April 1, 1915, in [[Fort William, Ontario]].<ref name="SABR">{{cite web|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/50c16cd1|last=Rogers III|first=C. Paul|publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|title=Jeff Heath – Biography Project|access-date= August 14, 2012|location=Phoenix, Arizona}}</ref> His family moved to [[Victoria, British Columbia]] before settling in [[Seattle, Washington]]. He attended Garfield High School in Seattle where he played baseball and football. As a freshman, he made the varsity baseball squad. Heath was a multi-sport athlete and was offered scholarships from various schools to play [[football (American)|American football]]. [[Washington Huskies football|University of Washington]] [[head coach]] [[James Phelan (American football)|Jimmy Phelan]] said Heath was the best [[fullback (American football)|fullback]] in the country. Heath chose a future in baseball, however, and in 1935, he signed with the [[Yakima Bears]] of the semipro [[Northwest League]], where he hit .390. He was selected as an All-American amateur team member, [[Manager (baseball)|managed]] by [[Leslie Mann|Les Mann]] and played games in Japan. For the tour his batting average was .483.<ref name="SABR" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Max Carey, Les Mann Pick Club|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6ggtAAAAIBAJ&pg=1823,2731085&dq=jeff+heath+japan&hl=en|date=September 22, 1935|page=11|newspaper=[[The Miami News|Miami Daily News]]}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Heath faced difficulties being allowed re-entry upon the team's arrival to the U.S. and became a [[naturalization|naturalized]] U.S. citizen.

[[Cleveland Indians]] scout [[Willie Kamm]] helped sign Heath to a contract with the organization in 1936.<ref name="SABR" /> Kamm said, "If this kid isn't a big leaguer I've wasted a lot of time learning baseball."<ref name="Levy">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PaVQAAAAIBAJ&pg=4800,5277350&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath Is Help to Tribe's Offensive|last=Levy|first=Sam|date=August 16, 1938|page=3|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He reported to spring training with the [[New Orleans Pelicans (baseball)|New Orleans Pelicans]] of the [[Southern Association]]. One of his hands became infected and the Indians moved him to their [[Class C (baseball)|Class C]] Mid-Atlantic team, the [[River City Rascals#History|Zanesville Greys]]. With the Greys, he hit league-bests with 187 RBIs and a .383 average, while his 28 home runs were second-most.<ref name="SABR" /> He was called up to join the Indians before the 1936 season ended.

== Cleveland Indians ==

Heath batted left-handed and threw right-handed and was listed as {{convert|5|ft|11|in}} tall and {{convert|200|lb}} (14 [[stone (unit)|stone]], 4). He broke in with the Indians in 1936 at the age of 21, appeared in 12 games with the club and recorded a .341 batting average and seven extra-base hits.<ref name="Baseball_Reference" /> During spring training leading up to the 1937 season, Heath was describing as getting "as much attention as the backline of a Broadway chorus."<ref name="Foxx" /> He appeared in 20 games and hit .230 for the season.<ref name="Baseball_Reference" /> During [[spring training]] before the 1938 season, Indians [[Manager (baseball)|manager]] [[Oscar Vitt]] said Heath was "the best natural hitter I've seen since [[Joe Jackson (baseball)|Joe Jackson]]."<ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite encyclopedia|title=The Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia|edition=Third|year=2004|access-date=August 17, 2012|location=Champaign, Illinois|publisher=Sports Publishing|last=Schneider|first=Russell|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zjLiv-NNsiQC&q=jeff+heath+cleveland+indians&pg=PA185|isbn=1582618402|pages=185}}</ref> One columnist described Vitt's decision to employ Heath:
:"Vitt finally decided to use Jeff Heath, the chap with the bulging muscles, in his left pasture. There are few better hitters in the American league than the husky from Washington. Jeff is not the most graceful ballhawk in captivity and he may toss to the wrong base, but put a bat in his hands and the opposition's pitcher will tremble."<ref name="Levy" />
In his first full season in 1938, he batted .343 – behind only batting champion [[Jimmie Foxx]]'s .349 – while leading the league with 18 triples.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1938-batting-leaders.shtml|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=August 15, 2012|title=1938 American League Batting Leaders}}</ref> Upon the conclusion of the season, Heath joined fellow American League (AL) players, and Indians teammate [[Bob Feller]], in exhibition games played around the country (also known as [[barnstorm (sports)|barnstorming]]), mostly in cities which did not have a major league team.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hdZXAAAAIBAJ&pg=4478,2101689&dq=jeff+heath+japan&hl=en|title=All-Star Club Wins|date=October 10, 1938|agency=Associated Press|page=13|newspaper=[[Spokane Daily Review]]}}</ref> He had 21 home runs and 112 RBIs, collected 58 [[hit (baseball)|hits]] in August alone, and was among the league leaders in [[slugging average]] and [[total bases]] for the 1938 season. In January 1939, he married Theabelle Callard.<ref>{{cite book|title=Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: G-P|last=Porter|first=David L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aChCBw-PmHQC&q=jeff+heath&pg=PA589|pages=643–644|year=2000|isbn=0-313-29884-X|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport, Connecticut}}</ref> He finished with a .292 batting average in 1939. The season also included a late-season punch to a fan from Heath during a home game in Cleveland. "It was just another blunder in a bad season that has been full of mistakes", Heath said of the incident.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=haVQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6792,3397021&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath, Piqued, Punches Fan in Nose|agency=Associated Press|date=August 29, 1939|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]|page=6}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Before the 1940 season, Heath said, "I'm going to show 'em I'm no flash in the pan. Last year I was overswinging and taking my eye of the ball. I'm not going to do that this season."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9LNQAAAAIBAJ&pg=2295,452158&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath Plans to Use Golf Maxim to Improve Hitting|agency=Associated Press|access-date=September 8, 2012|date=March 1, 1940|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]|page=2}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> During the season, Heath was one of 12 reported players who presented a list of grievances against Vitt to Indians President [[Alva Bradley]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZzQbAAAAIBAJ&pg=2795,79070&dq=jeff+heath+oscar+vitt&hl=en|title=Oscar Vitt 'Still Boss' Of Indians|agency=United Press International|date=June 15, 1940|page=9|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]}}</ref> Bradley called a meeting with the players and by the end of it, a statement of support from the players for Vitt was released. Twenty-one Indians signed the document, while Heath was one of four who did not, as he was one of two in the hospital at the time of the meeting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=raBQAAAAIBAJ&pg=1669,1304037&dq=jeff+heath+oscar+vitt&hl=en|title=Vitt and His Rebels Sign a Peace Pact|date=June 17, 1940|agency=Associated Press|page=3|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Instances between Vitt and his players, including Heath, continued past June, however. Heath was suspended by Vitt after a game in August after the two exchanged words following a strikeout by Heath, who was put in the game as a pinch-hitter. Indians Vice President [[Cy Slapnicka|C.C. Slapnicka]] withdrew the suspension.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zGUyAAAAIBAJ&pg=6142,3545875&dq=jeff+heath+oscar+vitt&hl=en|title=Discordant Incident Between Vitt, Heath|newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|The Montreal Gazette]]|date=August 24, 1940|page=15}}</ref> The Indians finished the regular season with an 89–65 record in Vitt's last season as manager and Heath a career-low .219 average.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLE/1940.shtml|title=1940 Cleveland Indians|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=September 9, 2012}}</ref> The Indians lost the AL pennant by one game to the [[Detroit Tigers]] and Heath received much of the blame, although Vitt was released as the team's manager and replaced by [[Roger Peckinpaugh]].<ref name="Encyclopedia" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1940.shtml?redir|title=1940 American League Season Summary|access-date=September 11, 2012|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=December 14, 1940 |title=Cleveland Trade Quell's 'Purge' Talk |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post-cleveland-trade-quel/157822246/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]] |page=11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

Peckinpaugh announced in December 1940 Heath would remain a starting outfielder with the club. Heath came back in 1941 with a season campaign in which he again led the AL with 20 triples, batted .340 (fourth in the league), and was third in slugging behind [[Ted Williams]] and [[Joe DiMaggio]]. He also finished second in total bases and RBIs (behind DiMaggio) as well as second in hits, made his first [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] team, and finished eighth in the [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]] award voting. He became the first AL player to make the [[20-20-20 club]], having recorded 20 doubles, triples and home runs in one season.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> In 1941, Heath became the first player in American League history to record a 20-20-20 season. Heath had 32 doubles, 20 triples, and 24 home runs. This feat would not be equaled until [[George Brett]] accomplished the feat in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=heathje01|title=Jeff Heath Baseball Stats &#124; Baseball Almanac}}</ref>

[[File:Jeff Heath 1943.jpg|thumb|Heath in 1943 as a draftsman for the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation.]]
Heath worked as a draftsman for Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation during the off-season leading up to 1943.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19430307&id=STEbAAAAIBAJ&pg=2624,3968148|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Press|The Pittsburgh Press]]|date=March 7, 1943|title=Jeff Heath Refuses 40 Per Cent Pay Cut|agency=United Press International}}</ref> In years previous, Heath had been described as "lazy" and "lacking aggressiveness" but the 1943 season appeared to be different, including investing extra time in batting practice.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4CwaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6633,3347612&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath Changes|date=August 24, 1943|last=Levy|first=Sam|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]|page=4}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He was selected for the [[1943 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] and finished fourth in the AL in home runs with 18. Heath was rejected in 1944 for military duty due to knee problems.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xYxRAAAAIBAJ&pg=3127,3494316&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath Rejected; Harder Is Deferred|date=June 17, 1944|agency=United Press International|page=8|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]}}</ref> During the 1944 season Heath was mainly used as a pinch-hitter.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EzIdAAAAIBAJ&pg=2335,3272913&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath of Indians Has Knee Operation|date=November 23, 1944|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]|agency=Associated Press|page=10}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In the off-season he underwent knee surgery and entered a contract dispute with the Indians.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jeff Heath Waiting for Indians' Offer|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ki8aAAAAIBAJ&pg=3678,1224149&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|date=May 18, 1945|agency=United Press International|page=2|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He did not join the team until June of the 1945 season after a two-month holdout.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[San Jose Mercury News|San Jose News]]|date=June 14, 1945|title=Jeff Heath Is Back With Indians After Two-Month Absence|agency=Associated Press|access-date=September 8, 2012|page=16|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kUsiAAAAIBAJ&pg=3803,6443499&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en}}</ref> Despite missing the beginning part of the season, he was still named an [[1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] although the game was not played due to travel restrictions during World War II.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PJpSAAAAIBAJ&pg=1089,5947819&dq=jeff+heath+1945+all-star&hl=en|title=Would Have Been Whizz of a Game|page=8|date=July 11, 1945|newspaper=[[Lawrence Journal-World]]|agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1945as.shtml|title=1945 All-Star Game|work=Baseball-almanac.com|access-date=September 11, 2012}}</ref> He finished the season with a batting average of .305 and his 15 home runs were fifth in the AL. In 1943 he became the second player born outside the U.S. to hit 100 home runs, and he surpassed [[George Selkirk]] with his 109th home run in 1945.

Heath, who had acquired the nickname "Lord Jeff", was called a "problem child" by Indian player-manager Lou Boudreau.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J7Sq6E0-ePkC&q=jeff+heath+cleveland+indians|title=Bill Mazer's Amazin' Baseball Book: 150 Years of Baseball Tales & Trivia|year=1991|publisher=Kensington Publishing|last=Mazer|first=Bill|isbn=0821733613|pages=194}}</ref><ref name="Griffith">{{cite news |date=December 15, 1945 |title=Tribe Gives Jeff Heath for Case |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news-tribe-gives-jeff-heath-fo/157822077/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |newspaper=[[The Miami News|Miami Daily News]] |page=7 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |agency=International News Services}}</ref> Peckinpaugh once said that Heath "could have been one of the greatest players. He had the ability to do about anything. He could run, he could throw, and he could hit. But he just had no hustle, no nothing. If a ball went by him, he just might walk after it."<ref name="James" />{{rp|p.683}} In December 1945 the Indians traded Heath to the [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] where he started in right field.

== Washington Senators and St. Louis Browns ==
In 1946, Senators' President [[Clark Griffith]] agreed to send outfielder [[George Case (baseball)|George Case]] to Cleveland in exchange for Heath. Of the trade, Griffith said, "We've sacrificed plenty of speed for a man of tremendous hitting power."<ref name="Griffith" /> During spring training, the addition of Heath led to the Senators being described as a "dark horse."<ref name="Dark">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NYAtAAAAIBAJ&pg=4464,2122828&dq=jeff+heath+senators&hl=en|title=Senators Listed as AL Dark Horse|date=March 13, 1946|newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|The Montreal Gazette]]|page=17}}</ref> The Associated Press continued:
:"Heath's performance may be the key to the Senators' fate. The husky Canadian is the kind of slugger Washington was crying for last fall. He can break up a ball game with one mighty swish of his bat but, to put it mildly, there always has been an uncertain quality about him. Big Jeff was dissatisfied in Cleveland, didn't like the ballpark, didn't like the management, didn't like anything. Still, he has been a most valuable hitter, perhaps one of the best in the game when he is settled down to business."<ref name="Dark" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GWIsAAAAIBAJ&pg=6705,1306801&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath Adds Power at Plate|agency=Associated Press|date=March 13, 1946|newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal|The Spartanburg Herald]]|page=7}}</ref>

But Heath would appear in just 48 games with the Senators. He finished with the team hitting .283 with four home runs and 27 RBIs, his last game on June 15 before he was traded to the [[St. Louis Browns]] in mid-June for [[Al LaMacchia]] and [[Joe Grace (baseball)|Joe Grace]].<ref name="Baseball_Reference" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ySwaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5183,254701&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Browns Get Jeff Heath in Deal With Senators|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]|page=4|date=June 16, 1946|agency=Associated Press}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="Forty-Six">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?id=heathje01&t=b&year=1946|title=Jeff Heath 1946 Batting Gamelogs|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=September 11, 2012}}</ref> In his first game with the Browns on June 17 he went 1-for-3 with one RBI.<ref name="Forty-Six" /> The Browns, who were 23–32 at the time Heath joined the club, finished the 1946 season 66–88.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SLB/1946-schedule-scores.shtml|title=1946 St. Louis Browns Schedule, Box Scores, and Splits|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=September 11, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SLB/1946.shtml|title=1946 St. Louis Browns Batting, Pitching, and Fielding Statistics|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=September 11, 2012}}</ref> Heath finished with 12 home runs and 57 RBIs in 86 games with the Browns.<ref name="Baseball_Reference" />

Again, the Heath tendency for resentment and trouble led to the Browns trade. Washington had a utility infielder, [[Sherry Robertson]], who was the nephew of owner Clark Griffith. During games, Heath would ride Robertson on the bench, calling him "owner's pet", in reference to the possibility that Robertson was only on the team due to that relationship, and the possibility that Robertson was better paid than Heath. This was the subject of a column in the ''Washington Post'' after Heath was gone by longtime sports writer Shirley Povich, who hated to see the Heath bat leave Washington.

The Browns were the second team in the AL to add black players to their roster after the Indians signed [[Larry Doby]] in July 1947. [[Willard Brown]] and [[Hank Thompson (baseball)|Hank Thompson]] were teammates of Heath's during the 1947 season, but Heath was described as committing a "petulant display of prejudice" towards Brown after Brown hit a home run with one of Heath's old bats.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hdfpHOFblx0C&q=jeff+heath&pg=PA71|title=Hey Kid!: A Tiger Batboy Remembers|last=Dillman|first=Danny|year=2007|page=71|publisher=iUniverse|location=Lincoln, Nebraska|isbn=978-0-595-41849-7}}</ref> Brown preferred to use a heavy bat and did not bring his own after being told by the Browns the team would supply him with bats. Brown found one of Heath's damaged bats and applied tape to the affix the knob to the end of the bat. When he tried to use the bat during a game, the umpire told him he could not use the bat with tape applied, so Brown discarded the loose fragments of the bat and proceeded to hit a home run during the at-bat. When he returned to the dugout, however, Heath destroyed the bat when he hit it against the dugout wall.<ref name="James" />{{rp|p.683}}

Heath had a career-high 27 home runs during the 1947 season, but the Browns finished in eighth and last place in the AL. In the Browns' final game, Heath was already in the clubhouse showers when it was his turn to bat in the ninth inning.<ref name="SABR" /> Upon the conclusion of the season, Browns management was looking to overhaul the team roster.<ref name="Baseball_Reference" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1947.shtml|title=1947 American League Season Summary|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=September 10, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8qULAAAAIBAJ&pg=4285,2418400&dq=jeff+heath+traded+to+browns&hl=en|title=Browns Put More Stars on Market|date=December 1, 1947|agency=Associated Press|page=10|work= [[Evening Independent|The Evening Independent]]|location=St. Petersburg, Florida}}</ref> Browns General Manager [[Bill DeWitt]] tried to shop Heath to a [[National League (baseball)|National League]] team rather than leave him in the AL.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=41wbAAAAIBAJ&pg=5016,274426&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Pirates Angling For Jeff Heath|date=December 2, 1947|agency=United Press International|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Press|The Pittsburgh Press]]|page=1}}</ref> On December 4 it was announced the [[Atlanta Braves#History|Boston Braves]] of the National League had acquired Heath.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6XlHAAAAIBAJ&pg=5407,5704402&dq=jeff+heath+traded+to+browns&hl=en|title=Boston Braves Buy Jeff Heath|date=December 5, 1947|page=18|newspaper=[[Record-Journal|Meriden Record]]|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

== Boston Braves ==

Unlike the Browns, the Braves were contenders all the way to the end of the 1948 season. In a game against the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] on September 3, and with the Braves tied for the NL lead, Heath hit a two-run home run and the Braves went on to win the game, 3–1, and stayed in first place for the remainder of the regular season.<ref name="SABR" /> With the Braves up five games in the NL standings and four games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Braves had a match-up with the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] on September 29 but according to teammate [[Clint Conatser]], Heath asked Braves manager [[Billy Southworth]] for the night off but his request was denied.<ref name="SABR" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BSN/1948-schedule-scores.shtml|title=1948 Bost Braves Schedule, Box Score and Splits|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=September 11, 2012}}</ref> During the game, Heath attempted to score from second base and slid towards home plate to try to beat the tag by Dodgers catcher [[Roy Campanella]]. As he slid, his foot got caught in the dirt which caused his ankle to twist. "I began to slide about five feet from the plate. Funny thing, I generally get my spikes up off the ground, but this time I didn't. I looked at my foot, which was twisted all the way around, and honestly I thought it would come right off", Heath said the next day from a local hospital.<ref name="Slide">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kBoaAAAAIBAJ&pg=2543,6977337&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath Suffering From A Broken Heart|date=September 30, 1948|page=10|newspaper=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]|agency=United Press International}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> After playing in the majors for parts of 12 years, he would be forced to miss the [[1948 World Series|World Series]] as it was later diagnosed he fractured his ankle.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5yRpIp8E7kwC&q=jeff+heath+cleveland+indians&pg=PA398|title=The Braves Encyclopedia|last=Caruso|first=Gary|access-date=August 17, 2012|pages=398|year=1995|publisher=Temple University Press|isbn=1-56639-384-1|location=Philadelphia}}</ref> He called the broken ankle "the biggest disappointment of my life."<ref name="Slide" /> A widely published newspaper photograph of the play showed Heath sliding toward the plate, mouth open in shock, with his leg bent mid-ankle with the lower ankle rotated ninety degrees to the upper ankle. He was quoted asking himself "Why did I slide?" when he was carried off the field on a stretcher and later put in an ambulance.<ref name="Slide" /><ref>{{cite book|title=Boston Braves|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zxSQwt4wV2QC&q=jeff+heath&pg=PA96|page=96|last=Johnson|first=Richard A.|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2003|isbn=0-7385-0536-6|location=Charleston, South Carolina}}</ref> In 1964, Heath said:
:"I guess I didn't tuck my leg while sliding. [[Carl Furillo]] (Dodger rightfielder) made the throw. He had a great arm and I was out a mile. They (sportswriters) said it was an unnecessary slide in a game that didn't mean anything. The hell it was, you always slide. Besides [[Johnny Sain]] (Braves pitcher) was after his 23rd win and we wanted to shove Brooklyn into third place."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=t_1VAAAAIBAJ&pg=6397,2317407&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=As Jeff Heath Sees It, 'You Always Slide'|date=June 11, 1964|last=Harvey III|first=Paul|newspaper=[[The Register-Guard|Eugene Register-Guard]]|page=1D}}</ref>

Heath's regular season came to an end, as he batted .319 with 20 home runs on the season. The Braves' season came to an end after six games in the World Series as they lost to the Indians, four games to two.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1948_WS.shtml|title=1948 World Series|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=September 11, 2012}}</ref>

Heath played in the minors the following season before eventually rejoining the Braves during the 1949 season. In a game on August 28, Heath helped tie the [[Cincinnati Reds]] with a home run in the ninth inning and helped win the game for the Braves with another in the 10th inning.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Press|The Pittsburgh Press]]|date=August 31, 1949|agency=United Press International|title=Jeff Heath's Comeback Revives Braves|page=36|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fAMiAAAAIBAJ&pg=2963,5634137&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en}}</ref> He ended his final major league season after 36 games into the 1949 season. He batted .306 with nine homers and 23 RBIs. In October 1949, the Braves placed Heath on waivers and general manager [[John Quinn (baseball executive)|John Quinn]] offered him a managing position with a team in the Braves farm system, but he never accepted Quinn's offer to manage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8glQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6077,2703560&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Boston Braves Seek Waiver For Jeff Heath|date=October 13, 1949|page=B-4|newspaper=[[Deseret Morning News|The Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Baseball historian [[Bill James]] when summarizing the 1940s listed Heath as the recipient for his designation of "A Better Ballplayer Than a Human Being."<ref name="James" />{{rp|p.293}} Southworth said, "They told me when I got him from the American League that Heath was a troublemaker. If he is, I'd sure like to have eight other troublemakers like him."<ref name="SABR" />

== Retirement ==
Before he retired from professional baseball, Heath appeared in 57 games for the [[Seattle Rainiers]] of the [[Pacific Coast League]].<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> He was later fired from the team. In 1951, he was given a trial basis with the Rainiers but was never signed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aeRXAAAAIBAJ&pg=3780,2771852&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath To Try Comeback For Suds|date=March 8, 1951|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review|Spokane Daily Chronicle]]|page=36}}</ref>

Sportswriter Franklin Lewis interviewed Heath and asked if he would do anything differently in his career if he was given the chance. Heath responded, "I wouldn't gag around as much. I shouldn't have popped off. It's all right for little guys to talk loud, but not a big ox like me."<ref name="SABR" />

In his 14-season major league career, Heath posted a .293 batting average and a .509 slugging average, with 194 home runs, 1,447 hits, 887 RBIs, 777 [[run (baseball)|runs]], 279 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], 102 triples and 56 [[stolen base]]s in 1,383 [[games played]]. Defensively, he recorded a .972 [[fielding percentage]] as an outfielder.<ref name="Baseball_Reference" /><ref>{{cite book|title=Diamonds Around the Globe: The Encyclopedia of International Baseball|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ASSUFP8rxhMC&q=jeff+heath&pg=PA108|last=Bjarkman|first=Peter C.|pages=93|year=2005|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport, CY|isbn=0-313-32268-6}}</ref> [[Bobby Thomson]] surpassed him in 1955 to become the major leagues' home run leader among foreign-born players. Heath was the first player to hit a home run in all AL and NL ballparks.<ref name="SABR" /> He was named as one of the "Top 100 Greatest Indians."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/history/greatest_100.jsp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504053358/http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/history/greatest_100.jsp|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 4, 2007|title=Top 100 Greatest Indians|publisher=Major League Baseball Advanced Media|work=[[Mlb.com]]|access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref> In 1988 he was inducted into the [[Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://baseballhalloffame.ca/museum/inductees/jeff-heath/|title=Hall of Famer Jeff Heath|access-date=August 17, 2012|publisher=Baseballhalloffame.ca|archive-date=May 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528103402/http://baseballhalloffame.ca/museum/inductees/jeff-heath/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

He worked briefly as a [[scout (sport)|scout]] for the Cleveland Indians. He later worked as a color commentator with the Rainiers and did advertising work in the Seattle area.<ref name="Death">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xTYwAAAAIBAJ&pg=4175,3320587&dq=jeff+heath+dies&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath Dies at 59|date=December 10, 1975|agency=Associated Press|page=44|newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review|Spokane Daily Chronicle]]}}</ref> During one game while Heath provided commentary, he cursed into the microphone on-air and later apologized. A station manager later approached him regarding the incident and Heath responded by throwing the manager down a flight of stairs.<ref name="SABR" />

Heath died of a heart attack in Seattle at age 60.<ref name="Death" />{{ref label|Death|a|a}} He had suffered a heart attack in 1957 at the age of 43.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RV4xAAAAIBAJ&pg=7230,3275056&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en|title=Jeff Heath Suffers Heart Attack|newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|The Milwaukee Sentinel]]|date=August 8, 1957|page=6|agency=Associated Press}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He was survived by two daughters and one son.

== Footnotes ==
*{{note label|Death|a|a}} While the Associated Press story which ran on December 10, 1975, announcing Heath's death stated he was 59 years of age at the time of his death, several sources (including Baseball-Reference.com, The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Society for American Baseball Research, and ''Biographical Dictionary of American Sports'') list his death at the age of 60 and that he was born in 1915. A United Press International story released in 1939 stated Heath was born in 1916, not 1915.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
*[[List of Major League Baseball players from Canada]]
*[[20–20–20 club]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Baseballstats|br=h/heathje01}}
* {{Find a Grave}}

{{20-20-20 Club}}
{{Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame}}
{{good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Jeff}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:Baseball people from Ontario]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Seattle]]
[[Category:Boston Braves players]]
[[Category:Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians scouts]]
[[Category:Garfield High School (Seattle) alumni]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball left fielders]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players from Canada]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Browns players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Seattle Rainiers players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Thunder Bay]]
[[Category:Washington Huskies baseball players]]
[[Category:Washington Senators (1901–1960) players]]
[[Category:Zanesville Greys players]]
[[Category:20–20–20 club]]