LOCAL LEGENDS IN THE PROS: Bristol Resident Remembers Tilly Walker

BY TIM HAYES
Bristol Herald Courier
Clarence “Tilly” Walker was one of the top power hitters in the early days of Major League Baseball. He also gained notoriety for his skills in the outfield. He was a World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox.

Bristol resident Ed Gorley also remembers another trait the Northeast Tennessee native possessed.

“He was a real nice guy,” Gorley said.

Gorley got to know the ex-big leaguer well after his playing days were done. Walker was working with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and was stationed in Bristol. He would frequently visit the gas station that Gorley attended to and share his stories.

“He knew about a lot of things,” Gorley said. “But he loved baseball. He could hit the ball and he could catch it as well.”

Indeed he could.

Born in 1887 in Telford, Tenn., Walker broke into the majors with the Washington Senators in 1911. He showcased his hitting prowess during that rookie season, posting a .278 batting average in 95 games.

He would spend two seasons in Washington, before playing with the St. Louis Browns from 1913-15. But it was in 1916, when Walker would attain one of his most notable accomplishments.

He hit .266 with three homers and 46 RBIs as Boston claimed the World Series, besting Brooklyn in five games in the Fall Classic.

Walker platooned in the outfield with teammate Chick Shorten in the Series and played in three of the five games. He went 3-for-11 with a run, RBI, triple and walk in the World Series.

One of Walker’s teammates was a 21-year-old left-handed pitcher named Babe Ruth, who pitched all 14 innings of Boston’s 2-1 victory over Brooklyn in Game 2.

Walker would play with the Red Sox again in 1917 before being dealt to the Philadelphia Athletics in the winter of 1918 along with Stuffy McInnis for Larry Gardner, Hick Cady and a player to be named
later.

Walker would enjoy his greatest success with the A’s.

In 1918 — when the big leagues were still in the deadball era — he slugged 11 homers and shared the Major League lead with Ruth, his ex-teammate. Four years later, with home runs on the rise in the national pastime, Walker would blast 37 homers. That was good enough for third in the league, behind Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals (42) and the St. Louis Browns’ Ken Williams (39).

Walker — whose nickname was presented as both Tilly and Tillie in old accounts — would play his last major league game for Philadelphia in 1923 and would pass away in 1959 in Unicoi County.
His final career statistics: .281 batting average, 118 home runs and 679 RBIs in 1,421 games.

Gorley never saw Walker play, but he did talk with Walker about his days on the diamond.

“He loved the game and he would come by and tell me about the games and how they played,” Gorley said. “He was an interesting guy and he would come and sit with me for hours and talk.”

And Gorley’s conversations took place with a local legend.
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