Major League Baseball Player, Coach. For eight seasons (1961 to 1968), he played at the catcher position with the Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins. Born Gerald Robert Zimmerman, he was raised in Oregon where he attended Milwaukie High School before being signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1952. After nearly a decade in the Minor Leagues, he broke into the Majors with the Reds on April 14, 1961 and appeared in 76 games as their principle catcher; he contributed 42 hits with the Cincinnati squad which clinched the 1961 National League Pennant. He would be acquired by the Twins prior to the 1962 season where he served as a backup to Earl Battey and later John Roseboro. In 1965, he appeared in 83 games with the Twins' team which captured the American League Pennant. In 483 regular season games, he recorded 203 hits with a .204 lifetime batting average. He played in 4 career World Series contests. What he could not produce offensively, he delivered in exceptional defensive skills, as he led the American League with a .997 fielding average in 1965. Following his playing career, he served as a coach on Gene Mauch's staff with the Montreal Expos (1969 to 1975) and Minnesota Twins (1976 to 1980). On August 25th, 1978 during an umpire strike, Zimmerman (an active coach) filled in to officiate a game between the Twins and Toronto Blue Jays. He would go on to serve as a scout with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. He died from a heart attack.
Major League Baseball Player, Coach. For eight seasons (1961 to 1968), he played at the catcher position with the Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins. Born Gerald Robert Zimmerman, he was raised in Oregon where he attended Milwaukie High School before being signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1952. After nearly a decade in the Minor Leagues, he broke into the Majors with the Reds on April 14, 1961 and appeared in 76 games as their principle catcher; he contributed 42 hits with the Cincinnati squad which clinched the 1961 National League Pennant. He would be acquired by the Twins prior to the 1962 season where he served as a backup to Earl Battey and later John Roseboro. In 1965, he appeared in 83 games with the Twins' team which captured the American League Pennant. In 483 regular season games, he recorded 203 hits with a .204 lifetime batting average. He played in 4 career World Series contests. What he could not produce offensively, he delivered in exceptional defensive skills, as he led the American League with a .997 fielding average in 1965. Following his playing career, he served as a coach on Gene Mauch's staff with the Montreal Expos (1969 to 1975) and Minnesota Twins (1976 to 1980). On August 25th, 1978 during an umpire strike, Zimmerman (an active coach) filled in to officiate a game between the Twins and Toronto Blue Jays. He would go on to serve as a scout with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. He died from a heart attack.
Bio by: C.S.
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