Post-War Career & Life After Baseball
Post-War Career | Life After Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals team photograph, 1946
John Andrew Beazley Papers
Beazley returned to the Cardinals after the war for the 1946 season, but his loss of ability soon became cause for concern. His 21-6 record and 2.13 ERA in 1942 became a 7-5 record and 4.46 ERA in 1946. The Cardinals would go on to face the Boston Red Sox in the 1946 World Series and would win the Series in an exciting Game 7. But unlike his dominating performance in the 1942 World Series (pitching and winning two complete games), Beazley only pitched in one inning in Game 5 of the 1946 World Series (giving up one hit and recording one strikeout).
He, therefore, announced his intention to quit playing at the end of the 1946 season. However, the Cardinals' manager, Eddie Dyer, convinced Beazley not to retire. He reported to spring training in 1947 with renewed hope. It became apparent, though, that he would not be able to regain the pitching mastery that had earned him what was to be his only great season. Beazley was traded to the Boston Braves at the start of the 1947 season, and while he experienced some successes with his new team, he was unable to overcome the injury to his arm and his performance suffered.
After playing just one game for the Boston Braves in 1949 (which he won), Beazley's major league career came to an end when he was sent back down to the minors on May 12. In July 1949, he was traded from the Hartford Chiefs to the Nashville Vols and pitched in four games for them, earning a 1-3 record. Beazley had a 2-2 record the next year pitching for the Dallas Eagles and then retired from baseball in 1951 after a 6-6 record with the Oklahoma City Indians.
Nashville Vols baseball game at Sulphur Dell Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee, August 1949 |
Life After Baseball
Johnny Beazley (2nd from left), Dizzy Dean (middle), and 3 other unidentified men, ca. 1960s
John Andrew Beazley Papers
Beazley returned to Nashville and became an active business owner and civic leader. Building upon his association with the Falstaff Brewing Corporation in St. Louis, he became general manager of the Nashville franchise in 1950. He later purchased the distributorship and continued to run the company until his retirement in 1972. His wife, Carolyn Jo Frey, died in 1974, but Beazley remained active, serving as a Metro Councilman from 1974-1976. He also served for a few years following his retirement as security director for Shoney's Restaurants. In 1975, he married Jacqueline Spurlock Ezell. He continued his involvement in baseball, sponsoring youth baseball teams, and was also instrumental in founding the Capital City Golf Association, the area's largest municipal golf organization. Beazley was diagnosed with cancer and died at his home in Nashville on April 21, 1990, leaving behind his wife of 15 years and 4 children. He is buried in Nashville's Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
Boston Braves team photograph, 1948
John Andrew Beazley Papers
Composite photograph and detail photograph (bottom) from the Boston Daily Globe celebrating the Boston Braves winning the National League pennant, Boston, Massachusetts, September 27, 1948
John Andrew Beazley Papers
Notice to Johnny Beazley that he was being traded from the minor league Hartford Chiefs to the Nashville Vols
July 12, 1949
John Andrew Beazley Papers
Advertisement for the Falstaff Brewing Corporation, 1942
John Andrew Beazley Papers
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