Looking Back: Jonnard Twins Were Vols

   Beneath the drooping limbs of an old spruce tree in Nashville's Mount Olivet Cemetery lies a monument with the inscribed name "Jonnard." Resting beside his parents is Claude Jonnard, a World Series participate in the 1920s and half of a twin-brother baseball battery for the Nashville Vols.

   Claude and his twin brother Clarence were born in Nashville and developed their baseball skills at Nashville's Tarbox School and Hume-Fogg High School. They were known throughout the baseball world as the only twin brother battery to make it to the major leagues, but not together.

   Claude pitched, and Clarence caught. An accident to Claude caused him to become partially blind in one eye, which didn't hamper his drive to the big leagues.

   The Jonnards signed with the Vols of the Southern Association in 1917, but were farmed out to other minor league teams. After joining the home team in the latter part of the 1917 season, Claude was 1-2 in five games for the fifth-place Vols. The brothers, born in 1897, only played together in Nashville in 1920.

   Claude posted a 13-19 record in 34 mound appearances and a league-leading 134 strikeouts in 1919. His 2.33 ERA stood as a team record until 1944. Both brothers responded to the nickname "Bubber," which was a childhood version of brother. Claude's one-inch height advantage designated him as "Big Bub" and Clarence "Little Bub."

   During the final home game of the 1919 season the popular Claude, a 6-foot-1 right-hander, was honored with "Jonnard Day" at the Sulphur Dell ballpark. The Tennessean gave this preview on the anticipated celebration.

   Bubber has been dishing out a brilliant brand of ball this season, and while below the .500 mark, he is rated as one of the best youngsters in the league. Every manager in the Southern tipped scouts off to him, and it fell to the lot of the Detroit American League team to be the successful bidders.

   No more popular player ever donned a Vol uniform than Claude Jonnard. This afternoon the fans of Nashville will honor him with a gold watch as a good luck piece, and also as an expression of their love and confidence. The fans love a gentlemanly player, and no cleaner or higher-toned man ever played in the Southern than Claude Jonnard.

   In the baseball movie The Natural there is a memorable scene where the mysterious Glenn Close (actress) stood up in the stands in Chicago's Wrigley Field? The sun was shining through her sheer white hat while she watched Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) approach the batter's box. Hobbs hit a home run to end a batting slump, and then he peered into the crowd to locate the woman everyone noticed. Later, the Chicago newspapers wondered who the good-luck lady was.

   That was Hollywood, but that scene could have been derived from a real incident at Sulphur Dell. Apparently, sometime during the 1919 Vols season some type of incident connected Claude Jonnard with a mysterious woman.

   The Tennessean reported on this non-baseball incident just prior to the "Jonnard Day" event.  

   Fans will also keep their eyes on the grandstand during the presentation in an effort to see why the "mysterious face in the picture" who the ball players all tell of, may be. Maybe that little fair damsel will do something to give herself away, and if she does the fans will be ready to catch her in her moment of pleasure in seeing her hero player honored by his home town fans. Bubber has maintained a rigid silence as to the identity of the "face in the picture," and only smiles a very knowing smile when questioned as to her.

   On the day of the game, Jonnard walked to the plate in the third inning to take his turn at bat. The game was interrupted for the presentation of a gold watch. While the club's directors and Claude's teammates looked on, the crowd cheered wildly. Jonnard took his award to the bench and came back just to strike out.

   Disappointment swept throughout stands, which was recorded in The Tennessean.

   As Bubber started for the bench, all eyes followed him. Everyone thought that maybe he would hand the gift to that "mysterious face in the picture," but Bubber did no such thing. Not once did he look towards the stands, and although everyone stood up in an effort to see the bewitching face, the Vol hurler fooled them all and layed his gift on the bench. A groan came from the crowd, for they wanted to get a look at the fair one.

   The romantic Nashville fans disappointment was later dissolved as Jonnard tossed a complete 4-1 victory over the visiting Chattanooga Lookouts. The next year Claude pitched his final season in Nashville after starting the season in Little Rock. Claude was 13-17 with both clubs with Clarence catching.

   Claude did sign a contract with the Detroit Tigers, but was back in the minors in 1920. He did make his major league debut on Oct. 1, 1921 with the New York Giants. Jonnard compiled a 14-12 career record appearing in 137 games in six years with the Giants, St. Louis Browns and Cubs. Jonnard had a lifetime 3.79 ERA.

   In 1922-23 Claude led the National League in saves with five in each season and tied for the league lead in appearances (45) in 1923. Jonnard made his first of two World Series appearances against Babe Ruth's Yankees in 1923. In an 8-1 loss of Game 5, he gave up one hit in two scoreless innings. The Yankees took the series four games to two.

   The following year the Giants faced the Washington Senators in The Fall Classic, and Jonnard made his lone appearance in Game 3. With the Giants winning the game 6-3, and one out in the ninth with the bases loaded, Jonnard was summoned from the bullpen to finish the game.

   Jonnard's exit was just as quick as his entrance since he only threw five pitches to walk in a run. He was relieved and the Giants won the game, 6-4. The Senators would go on to win the series, four games to three.

   Claude's last major league season was in 1929 with the Cubs, which he appeared in 12 games. In his latter years in played with various minor league teams with whom he also managed. His baseball career spanned 25 years concluding as a scout.

   Claude Jonnard passed away in 1959 at age 61 at Nashville's Baptist Hospital following his second heart surgery in two years.

   Clarence Jonnard played two seasons in Nashville (1920-21) batting .244 in 85 games and .277 in 127 games. Clarence actually made his leap to the major league exactly one year earlier than his twin brother on Oct. 1, 1920. Clarence was called up to the Chicago White Sox after the Sox's 1919 World Series betting scandal exploded.

   Clarence played in 987 minor league games batting .252 with 18 home runs. His major league experience lasted parts of six seasons covering 15 years. Most of his time was spent in the minors with his final MLB season in 1935 just one game with the Philadelphia Phillies. Jonnard achieved a .230 career batting average (54-for-235) in 103 games with 20 RBIs and no home runs. He also played with the Pirates and Cardinals and managed in the minor leagues. Jonnard was the manager for the Minneapolis Millerettes of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1944.

   Clarence became a major league scout for the Giants, Kansas City A's, Orioles and Mets. He retired as the New York Mets' Supervisor of Scouts and was responsible for signing Ed Kranepool, Ken Singleton, Mike Jorgensen, Lee Stanton and Nino Espinosa. Clarence Jonnard died at age 79 in New York City in 1977. He was buried in Dallas. 

   One mystery still remains from 1919 concerning Claude. Who was that little damsel at Sulphur Dell?

 

Traughber's Tidbit: In the late 1960's this writer was a catcher for McKinnon Bridge Company in Nashville's Junior Knot Hole League while my twin brother, Gill, was the pitcher. That battery of G. Traughber and B. Traughber was the Junior Knot Hole League's only twin combination at the time in Nashville youth baseball-most likely!

If you have any comments or questions contact Bill Traughber via email [email protected]. This will be the final "Looking Back" story for this year.