Alexander "Al" Schacht (November 11, 1892 â€" July 14, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and, later, restaurateur. Schacht was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1919 to 1921 for the Washington Senators.
Baseball career
Although he compiled a 14â€"10 won/loss mark (with a 4.48 earned run average) in his three-year MLB pitching career and was highly regarded as a third-base coach, Schacht's ability to mimic other players from the coaching lines, and his comedy routines with fellow Washington coach Nick Altrock, earned him the nickname of "The Clown Prince of Baseball". Ironically, at the height of their collaboration, Schacht and Altrock developed a deep personal animosity and stopped speaking to each other off the field. During their famous comic re-enactments of the Dempseyâ€"Tunney championship boxing match, many speculated that they pulled no punches as they rained blows on each other.
After 11 seasons (1924â€"34) as a Senator coach, Schacht broke up his act with Altrock to follow Washington manager Joe Cronin to the Boston Red Sox, where Schacht coached at third base in 1935â€"36. He then focused on a solo career as a baseball entertainer.
Restaurant
Following World War II, Schacht went into the restaurant business. His eponymous steakhouse at 102 E. 52nd Street (at Park Avenue) in Manhattan was popular for decades, catering to a clientele of sports stars and stage and screen celebrities. The menus at Al Schacht's were round, fashioned as oversized baseballs, and featured dishes named after old-time players. From time to time, Schacht would mount the small restaurant stage and launch into his old routines, to the delight of patrons. The restaurant's exterior appears in the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's when protagonist Holly Golightly and friend Paul Varjak go there for dinner.
Jewish heritage
Schacht, wrote: "There is talk that I am Jewishâ€"just because my father was Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I speak Yiddish, and once studied to be a rabbi and a cantor. Well, that's how rumors get started."
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Al Schacht at Find a Grave
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