Fred Hutchinson

Frederick Charles Hutchinson (August 12, 1919 – November 12, 1964) was an American professional baseball pitcher and manager. He played for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1939 and 1940, then took a five-season hiatus to serve in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war ended, he resumed playing for the Tigers from 1946–1953, playing in parts or all of ten seasons throughout his two stints. He was a player-manager of the Tigers for his last two playing years in 1952 and 1953, and then managed them again in 1954 after retiring as a player. He also managed the St. Louis Cardinals for three seasons (1956–1958) and the Cincinnati Reds for six seasons (1959–1964).

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Hutchinson was stricken with fatal lung cancer at the height of his managerial career as leader of the pennant-contending 1964 Cincinnati Reds. He was commemorated one year after his death when his surgeon brother, Dr. William Hutchinson (1909–1997), created the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, as a division of the Pacific Northwest Research Foundation. The "Fred Hutch", which became independent in 1975, is now one of the best-known facilities of its kind in the world.