Holmes, at 33, was named player-manager of the team's Class A Hartford Chiefs farm club. On June 19, 1951, with the injury-ridden parent club Braves floundering in fifth place under manager Billy Southworth, he was called back to Boston to manage his old team and serve as a pinch-hitter. It was hoped he could arouse the club and bring fans back to Braves Field. The team went 48–47 under Holmes for the remainder of 1951, finishing fourth as they did in 1949 and 1950, but when they began with a mark of 13–22 he was fired on May 31 and replaced by Charlie Grimm. The Braves finished seventh, drew only 281,000 fans, and left Boston for Milwaukee the following spring. That 61–69 stretch (.469) was Holmes' only major league managing stint. Holmes finished the regular 1952 season pinch-hitting for the Brooklyn Dodgers and playing left field in the final inning of game 7 in the World Series against the New York Yankees, after which he managed in the Braves' and Dodgers' farm systems from 1953 to 1957. He retired with a .302 lifetime batting average with 88 home runs and 581 RBIs in his 1,320-game, eleven-year major league career. He posted a fine .989 fielding percentage in the majors, executing more double plays (37) than errors (33). In 1973, he returned to the game as director of amateur baseball relations for the New York Mets, a post he held for three decades until retiring at 86. Holmes died in 2008 at the age of 91 in Boca Raton, Florida. See also List of Major League Baseball player–managers References External links 1917 births 2008 deaths Binghamton Triplets players Boston Braves managers Boston Braves players Brooklyn Dodgers players Brooklyn Dodgers scouts Brooklyn Technical High School alumni Elmira Pioneers players Hartford Chiefs players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Los Angeles Dodgers scouts Major League Baseball player-managers Major League Baseball right fielders Montreal Royals managers National League All-Stars National League home run champions Newark Bears (IL) players Norfolk Tars players Portland Beavers managers Sportspeople from Brooklyn Baseball players from New York City