On Dec. 18, 1958, Pee Wee Reese announced his retirement at age 40 after 16 seasons with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Reese was acquired on July 18, 1939, in a trade with the Boston Red Sox in exchange for $35,000 and two players to be named later, which ended up being Red Evans and Art Parks.
Reese he made his MLB debut in 1940 after just two seasons in the Minor Leagues and became Brooklyn’s everyday shortstop in 1941, playing a pivotal role in helping them secure their first National League pennant in 21 years.
He was selected to his first All-Star team in 1942, hitting .255/.350/.332 over 151 games.
Reese missed three seasons due to military service beginning in 1943. He enlisted in the United States Navy and was sent out to fight in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
While Reese was away from the team, the Dodgers never finished higher than third place, but upon his return in 1946, they battled for the pennant but ended up losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the first playoff tiebreaker in MLB history.
He was also selected to the All-Star team in his first season back and went on a run of nine consecutive selections with his last coming in 1954. Despite not being an All-Star the next two seasons, Reese still finished in the top-10 of MVP voting.
Of his 16-year career, Reese received MVP votes in 13 of them, but he never finished higher than fifth place. His best season came in 1949, when Reese hit .279/.396/.410 with 27 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs, 73 RBI and an MLB-best 132 runs scored.
Reese also helped the Dodgers win their first World Series title during the 1955 season. That remained their only championship won in Brooklyn franchise history.
Reese only played one season with the Dodgers after their move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. As part of his retirement, he was named to the Dodgers coaching staff for the 1959 season, winning another World Series ring.
He went on to become a play-by-play announcer, color commentator and analyst from 1960-1972.
Despite his fantastic career, Reese is perhaps most well-known for standing in solidarity with Jackie Robinson after racial slurs were yelled at him during infield practice before a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field.
Reese, a Kentucky native and captain of the Dodgers, stunned the crowd when he approached Robinson and put his arm around his shoulder as a show of support.
Pee Wee Reese inducted into MLB Hall of Fame
On March 4, 1984, Reese was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
Reese was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame during a ceremony held in Cooperstown on Aug. 12, 1984.
During his Hall of Fame career, Reese batted .269/.366/.377 with 330 doubles, 80 triples, 126 home runs, 885 RBI and 232 stolen bases in 2,166 games.
His 2,014 games at shortstop are the most in Dodgers history, and he additionally holds other franchise records in runs (1,338) and walks (1,210).
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