He made his MLB debut on July 5, 1945; at the age of 18, and hit a HR in his first career at bat. His season ended when he was drafted into the Merchant Marines, he finished batting hit .341 in 129 at bats. After missing the 1946 season while in the military he returned in 1947 only to then break his ankle. In 1948 he became a Giants regular outfielder until 1951, when he began to play at first base as well.

In his first full season he hit .286 as the Giants leadoff hitter with career highs in HRs (18 HRs,) triples (10) & runs scored (117). He also led all NL outfielders with 388 putouts. Whitey had his only other .300 season in 1949, hitting 11 HRs, 65 RBIs & a career high 32 doubles. He missed some time in 1950 but hit .295 in 129 games with only 6 HRs.
In 1951 the Giants won the pennant and Lockman was a key player in the improbable comeback to catch the Dodgers for the pennant. He played in all but one game batting .282 with 12 HRs 27 doubles 7 triples & a career high 73 RBIs. He struck out only 32 times in 614 at bats.
Lockman secured his place in history in the classic 1951 Game #3 Playoff Game at the Polo Grounds against Brooklyn. He stepped in with two on & one out in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Giants down 4-1. He doubled off Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe scoring Alvin Dark & kept the Giants rally.
On the play Don Mueller slid into third base & broke his ankle, he was removed from the field on a stretcher. Next Bobby Thomson hit the famous “shot heard round the world” and Lockman would be the tying run crossing the plate proper to Thomson.
In the 1951 World Series, Lockman hit a three run HR in Game #3 at the Polo Grounds, in the Giants 6-2 win. He went 6-25 in the Series, batting .240, with 1 HR 4 RBIs & two doubles.
In 1952 he made his only All Star appearance, batting .290 (10th in the league) getting 176 hits (5th in the league) & scoring 99 runs (4th in the league). Lockman hit 13 HRs with 58 RBIs & a .368 on base %, while playing in a league leading 150 games. Defensively he led NL first basemen in putouts and double Plays. In 1953 he batted .295 with 179 hits, 22 doubles, a. 351 on base % striking out just 36 times in 607 at bats. He dropped off to just 9 HRs on the season.
In the 1955 season he batted .273 with 15 HRs 19 doubles & 49 RBIs. In 1956 he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals then was sent back to the Giants at the end of the season. He was a member of the Giants' last New York team, going 0-3 in the last game at the Polo Grounds in 1957. That season he struck out only 19 times in 502 official plate appearances, which averaged out to a strike out every 24 at bats (second best ratio in the league).


Retirement: After his playing days he started out coaching right away, first in Cincinnati with the NL Champion Reds in 1961.

In July 1972, he succeeded his old skipper Leo Durocher, as Cubs' manager. Owner Phil Wrigley was dimatling his team in those days but Lockan did the best he could bringing up players like Burt Hooton, Rick Reushel & Bill Madlock.

He later worked in the front offices for the Montreal Expos & Florida Marlins, retiring in 2001 after 59 years in the game. He passed away from pulmonary complications on St. Patrick’s Day 2009 at the age of 82.
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