Clyde Sukeforth
Turned down two managerial opportunities
### Turned down two managerial opportunities

Sukeforth won his only two games as the Dodgers' manager in 1947, 5–3 and 12–6, both against Boston. Durocher had been suspended for the entire 1947 season by [Commissioner of Baseball](/wiki/Commissioner_of_Baseball "Commissioner of Baseball") [Happy Chandler](/wiki/Happy_Chandler "Happy Chandler") because of "conduct detrimental to baseball." But Sukeforth and a fellow coach, [Ray Blades](/wiki/Ray_Blades "Ray Blades"), both turned down the opportunity to serve as acting manager for the rest of the season; ultimately, Brooklyn scout and longtime Rickey associate [Burt Shotton](/wiki/Burt_Shotton "Burt Shotton") assumed that role, and Shotton led the Dodgers to the [1947 National League pennant](/wiki/1947_World_Series "1947 World Series").

In , when Dodger manager [Chuck Dressen](/wiki/Chuck_Dressen "Chuck Dressen") needed a reliever to face the [New York Giants](/wiki/New_York_Giants_%28NL%29 "New York Giants (NL)")' [Bobby Thomson](/wiki/Bobby_Thomson "Bobby Thomson") in the ninth inning of the decisive third game of the National League pennant playoff, Sukeforth, coaching in the Dodger [bullpen](/wiki/Bullpen "Bullpen"), passed over [Carl Erskine](/wiki/Carl_Erskine "Carl Erskine") and sent in [Ralph Branca](/wiki/Ralph_Branca "Ralph Branca"), who gave up Thomson's "[shot heard 'round the world](/wiki/Shot_Heard_%27Round_the_World_%28baseball%29 "Shot Heard 'Round the World (baseball)")". On January 9, 1952, Sukeforth resigned as a Dodgers coach, then a few weeks later signed to be a coach with the [Pittsburgh Pirates](/wiki/Pittsburgh_Pirates "Pittsburgh Pirates"), where Rickey was executive vice president and [general manager](/wiki/General_manager "General manager").

There, as a coach and occasional scout, he played a pivotal role in the drafting of [Roberto Clemente](/wiki/Roberto_Clemente "Roberto Clemente") from the Brooklyn organization in the  [Rule 5 draft](/wiki/Rule_5_draft "Rule 5 draft"). Rickey initially sent Sukeforth to scout former major league pitcher [Joe Black](/wiki/Joe_Black "Joe Black"), who was toiling for Brooklyn's [Montreal Royals](/wiki/Montreal_Royals "Montreal Royals") [Triple\-A](/wiki/Triple-A_%28baseball%29 "Triple-A (baseball)") affiliate. Instead, Sukeforth became interested in a 20\-year\-old Dodger prospect: Clemente. Sukeforth told Pirates' beat writer Les Biederman, "I knew then he'd be our first draft choice." Before leaving, he recalled, "I told Montreal manager [Max Macon](/wiki/Max_Macon "Max Macon") to take good care of 'our boy' and see that he didn't get hurt." Good to his word, the Pirates drafted Clemente on November 22, 1954\. Clemente forged an 18\-year Hall of Fame career with the Pirates, leading them to the [1960](/wiki/1960_World_Series "1960 World Series") and [1971](/wiki/1971_World_Series "1971 World Series") world championships, compiling an even 3,000 [hits](/wiki/Hit_%28baseball%29 "Hit (baseball)"), and earning an immediate elevation to Cooperstown after his untimely death in a plane crash while on a humanitarian mission to [earthquake\-ravaged Nicaragua](/wiki/1972_Nicaragua_earthquake "1972 Nicaragua earthquake") on December 31, 1972\.

Once again passing up a Major League managing assignment after turning down the chance to succeed Pirate skipper [Bobby Bragan](/wiki/Bobby_Bragan "Bobby Bragan") on August 3, , Sukeforth retired as a coach at the end of the 1957 season.


Who assumed the role of acting manager after Durocher's suspension?