🌟 Exceptional Vintage Autographed Baseball - 13 Hall of Famers!

This is an extraordinary vintage baseball featuring the autographs of thirteen legendary Hall of Fame players! The composition of this rosterβ€”including players from the 1920s (Waner, Lindstrom, Gehringer, Dickey) to the post-WWII era (Feller, Roberts, Killebrew)β€”strongly suggests this ball was signed at a Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony or Reunion event, likely in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

⚾ Ball Details

The ball is a used regulation baseball (manufacturer/stamping is obscured) showing signs of age consistent with vintage memorabilia, including slight surface wear, minor discoloration, and fading/bleeding of some ink. The signatures are applied with various inks (black, blue, and a lighter blue) and cover the surface of the ball.

πŸ–‹οΈ Identified Hall of Fame Signatures (13 Total)

This elite group of Hall of Famers includes:

  1. Lloyd Waner (HOF 1967) signed twice

  2. Robin Roberts (HOF 1976)

  3. Bob Lemon (HOF 1976)

  4. Warren Spahn (HOF 1973)

  5. Harmon Killebrew (HOF 1984)

  6. Bill Dickey (HOF 1954)

  7. Bob Feller (HOF 1962)

  8. Ralph Kiner (HOF 1975)

  9. Buck Leonard (HOF 1972)

  10. Freddie Lindstrom (HOF 1976)

  11. Billy Herman (HOF 1975)

  12. Charlie Gehringer (HOF 1949)

  13. Early Wynn (HOF 1972)

Note: The signature count on the ball matches the total of these 13 names plus one other potential signature, for a total of 14 signatures. Professional authentication (PSA/DNA, JSA, or Beckett) is strongly recommended to verify the authenticity and enhance the value of this incredible item.

⚾ Bios for All 13 Hall of Famers (HOF)

PlayerPositionHOF ClassCareer Highlights
Lloyd WanerCF1967"Little Poison," Career .316 hitter, played 18 seasons, primarily for the Pirates.
Robin RobertsP1976Six-time All-Star, threw over 300 innings six times, led the Phillies' "Whiz Kids" to the 1950 NL pennant.
Bob LemonP/Manager1976Seven-time All-Star pitcher, World Series champion as a player and manager (Yankees, 1978).
Warren SpahnP1973MLB's all-time winningest left-handed pitcher (363 wins), 17-time All-Star, 1957 Cy Young winner.
Harmon Killebrew1B/3B/OF1984"Killer," 11-time All-Star, 1969 AL MVP, hit 573 career home runs.
Bill DickeyC1954Yankees legend, 11-time All-Star catcher, played on eight World Series championship teams.
Bob FellerP1962"Rapid Robert," 8-time All-Star, 3 no-hitters, WWII veteran, one of the fastest pitchers ever.
Ralph KinerOF1975Led the NL in home runs for seven consecutive seasons (1946–1952), hit 369 home runs in a short career.
Buck Leonard1B1972Negro League legend for the Homestead Grays, considered one of the greatest first basemen of all time.
Freddie Lindstrom3B/OF1976Played on the New York Giants' 1924 World Series team, only man to get four hits in a World Series game as a teenager.
Billy Herman2B197510-time All-Star second baseman, career .304 batting average, known for great defense.
Charlie Gehringer2B1949"The Mechanical Man," 1937 AL MVP, career .320 hitter, played his entire career for the Detroit Tigers.
Early WynnP19729-time All-Star, 1959 Cy Young Award winner, 300 career wins (300-244).

This is an extremely valuable baseball. The connection between all of these Hall of Famers suggests a 1976 or later Hall of Fame Induction Class gathering, as the final three players (Roberts, Lemon, Lindstrom) were all inducted in 1976.


1. Charlie Gehringer

2. Bill Dickey

3. Bob Feller

4. Lloyd Waner

5. Early Wynn

6. Buck Leonard

7. Warren Spahn

8. Ralph Kiner

9. Billy Herman

10. Robin Roberts

11. Bob Lemon

12. Freddie Lindstrom

13. Harmon Killebrew

















___________________




Lloyd James Waner (March 16, 1906 – July 22, 1982), nicknamed "Little Poison", was a Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. His small stature at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) and 132 lb (60 kg)[1] made him one of the smallest players of his era. Along with his brother, Paul Waner, he anchored the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield throughout the 1920s and 1930s. After brief stints with four other teams late in his career, Waner retired as a Pirate.

Waner finished with a batting average over .300 in ten seasons. He earned a selection to the MLB All-Star Game in 1938. Lloyd and Paul Waner set the record for career hits by brothers in MLB. He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1967. He worked as a scout for the Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles after retiring as a player.
Early life

Waner was born on March 16, 1906, in Harrah, Oklahoma, and grew up on a farm with his older brother, Paul. The two worked from dawn to dusk every day, and baseball was their only form of entertainment. Influenced by their father, who was a minor league player in Oklahoma City, Paul and Lloyd's love and natural talent for the game developed over the years. The Waners learned to hit against corncobs and cut down saplings in the woods to use as bats.[1] Lloyd graduated from McLoud High School and attended three semesters at East Central State Normal School (now East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma before going into professional baseball.[2]

Waner started his professional baseball career in 1925 with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, but he hit poorly. He was offered a tryout for the Pirates at the urging of his brother, who had been discovered in Ada by Pirates scout Joe Devine.[3] In 1926, he batted .345 in the Class B South Atlantic League. He also won the league's most valuable player award.[4]
MLB career
Early career

Waner broke into the major leagues with the Pirates in 1927 and quickly built his reputation as a slap hitter with an astute sense of plate discipline. In his rookie campaign, he batted .355 with 223 hits while only striking out 23 times (the highest strikeout total of his career). As the leadoff hitter of the powerful Pittsburgh offense, he led the National League (NL) with 133 runs scored while only having 27 RBIs. The runs scored mark set an MLB rookie record.[5] Al LΓ³pez said that infielders of the era played deep at their positions, but Waner made them play closer to compensate for his speed as a runner.[3]

The Pirates won the 1927 NL pennant; Waner then batted .400 in his only World Series, but the New York Yankees won in four games. He continued to bat well early in his career. He earned a record-setting 678 hits over his first three seasons (1927–1929). Ichiro Suzuki nearly came close to the mark with 662 hits in his first three years over seventy years later.[6] Waner finished in the top ten in MVP voting 1927 and 1929.[7]

Coming off a .353 season in 1929, he missed most of the next year due to appendicitis. He had surgery for the condition in the winter. Waner had difficulty recovering from the surgery and re-entered the hospital in May.[8] The Pittsburgh Press reported the fear that he might have to retire.[9]
Middle career

He returned in 1931 and led the NL with 214 hits and 681 at-bats while hitting .314. Waner hit .333 the next year and finished 13th in MVP voting, but his average dropped to .276 in 1933.[7] Waner's average increased to .283 and then .309 over the next two years, though he did not lead the league in any offensive categories or place in the MVP voting during those seasons.[7] In January 1936, Waner became ill with pneumonia and his condition was initially said to be critical.[10] He recovered and was back on the field by late April.[11] Waner hit between .313 and .330 between 1936 and 1938, earning an MLB All-Star Game selection in 1938.[7]
Later career

In 1939, he played in just 112 games and had 108 hits while batting .285 with 17 walks to 13 strikeouts. He played in just 72 games in 1940, batting .259 with 43 hits. He was traded on May 7, 1941 to the Boston Braves, who in turn traded him on June 12 to the Cincinnati Reds. He played 77 total games and batted .292 with 12 walks to no strikeouts. He played as a backup outfielder as a signee with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1942, batted .261. Waner initially retired in 1943, taking on a job at the Douglas Aircraft plant in Oklahoma City; he asked the league to be put on the voluntary retirement list.[12] He returned with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944, playing a few games with his brother Paul before being released in June. He signed with Pittsburgh to close out the year, where he batted .321 in 34 games. He played in just 23 games of the 1945 season, collecting five total hits. In his final game on September 16, he went 0-for-1.

In September 1945, he asked team president William Benswanger for his release, saying, "The old legs just won't hold up anymore and I'm convinced that I'm through."[13] He compiled a career .316 batting average, batting .300 or higher in ten seasons. He compiled 1 six-hit game, 2 five-hit games and 41 four-hit games in his major league career.[14] Waner was also an accomplished center fielder. He led the league in putouts four times, using his excellent speed to cover the spacious Forbes Field outfield. He recorded a career .983 fielding percentage at that position.

He (2,459) and his older brother Paul (3,152) hold the career record for hits by brothers (5,611), outpacing the three Alou brothers and the three DiMaggio brothers, among others. For most of the period from 1927 to 1940, Paul patrolled right field at Forbes Field while Lloyd covered the ground next to him in center. On September 15, 1938, the brothers hit back-to-back home runs against Cliff Melton of the New York Giants.[15]

Paul was known as "Big Poison" and Lloyd as "Little Poison". They got their nicknames from a Brooklyn Dodgers fan's pronunciation of "Big Person" and "Little Person", which was then picked up by a sportswriter in the stands. In 1927, the season the brothers accumulated 460 hits, the fan is said to have remarked, "Them Waners! It's always the little poison on thoid (third) and the big poison on foist (first)!"[1][16][17][18][19]
Later life
Plaque of Lloyd Waner at the Baseball Hall of Fame

After retiring as a player, Waner was a scout for Pittsburgh from 1946 to 1949. He filled the same role with the Baltimore Orioles in 1955. He worked for the city of Oklahoma City between 1950 and 1967.[20] Lloyd and Paul Waner both struggled with alcohol abuse. Lloyd Waner Jr. said that while Paul "drank like a fish when he was playing ball",[21] Lloyd's drinking intensified after his playing career was over. Lloyd Jr. said that the brothers would have been better known and would have enjoyed their later lives more were it not for alcohol.[22]

In 1950, Lloyd and Paul Waner lost their older brother, Ralph Waner, when he was fatally shot by his ex-wife Marie.[23] Ralph had been eating a steak dinner with his girlfriend when Marie came into the restaurant. Ralph and Marie both became angry. As they started to walk outside, Marie pulled out a gun. Ralph was shot twice, then struggled for the weapon. It went off one more time, injuring Marie. Ralph died a short time later.[24] Ralph had held numerous roles in organized baseball in Pennsylvania.[25][26]

Waner was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967. Sabermetrician Bill James has listed Waner as one of ten examples of Hall of Fame inductees who do not deserve the honor.[27] Possible reasons for his selection include his brother being a fellow inductee (Pirates teammate Pie Traynor argued Lloyd was both a great ballplayer and one who played in his brother's shadow) and the inflated batting averages of his era, which helped many players from the 1920s and 1930s in the eyes of the Veterans Committee.

Late in Waner's life, writer Donald Honig asked him about a previous quote in which Waner said that he would have played baseball for free. "I think I would have asked for expenses", Waner reflected.[28] Lloyd gave up drinking in the last four or five years of his life and Lloyd Jr. said that "it was like having a real father around... I'll always treasure that period."[22] In 1982, Waner died of complications related to emphysema.[1] He was survived by his wife Frances and his two children.[16]
See also

    List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
    List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
    List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
    List of Major League Baseball single-season triples leaders
    List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
    List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
    List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders

Robin Evan Roberts (September 30, 1926 – May 6, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball starting pitcher who pitched primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies (1948–1961). He spent the latter part of his career with the Baltimore Orioles (1962–1965), Houston Astros (1965–66), and Chicago Cubs (1966). Roberts was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.[1]

After retiring from Major League Baseball, he coached the University of South Florida college baseball team for nine seasons, leading them to six conference titles.
Early life and education

Roberts was born in Springfield, Illinois, the son of an immigrant Welsh coal miner. He arrived in East Lansing, Michigan as part of an Army Air Corps training program.[2]

He attended Lanphier High School. After World War II, Roberts returned to Michigan State College to play basketball, not baseball.[2] Roberts led the Spartans' basketball team in field-goal percentage in 1946–1947, was captain of the team during the 1946–1947 and 1949–1950 seasons, and earned three varsity letters in basketball. He wore number 17 for the Spartans.[3] After his second season playing basketball, Roberts tried out for the Michigan State baseball team, becoming a pitcher because it was the position that coach John Kobs needed most.[2]

After playing for Michigan State and spending his second summer playing in Vermont with the Barre–Montpelier Twin City Trojans, he was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies.[4]
Professional career
Philadelphia Phillies

Roberts made his Major League Baseball debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on June 18, 1948. In 1950, he led his Phillies, whose overall youth earned them the nickname the Whiz Kids, to their first National League pennant in 35 years. Roberts started three games in the last five days of the season, defeating the heavily favored Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, in a pennant-deciding, season-ending, 10-inning game. This marked his 20th victory of the season, and Roberts became the Phillies' first 20-game winner since Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1917. Roberts also started Game 2 in the 1950 World Series against Allie Reynolds. He allowed two runs and ten hits in ten innings as the Phillies lost 2-1.

From 1950 to 1955, Roberts won at least 20 games each season, leading the National League in victories from 1952 to 1955. He led the National League in games started six times, in complete games and innings pitched five times, and he once pitched 28 complete games in a row, with one of those games lasting 17 innings. During his career, Roberts never walked more than 77 batters in any regular season. He helped himself with his bat, hitting 55 doubles, 10 triples, and five home runs with 103 RBIs.

Roberts' 28 wins in 1952, the year he was named the Sporting News MLB Player of the Year award, were the most in the National League since 1935, the year when Dizzy Dean won 28 games.

Although he had 28 wins in 1952, Roberts had his best season, based on a career high wins above replacement (WAR) in 1953, posting a 23–16 record[5] and leading National League pitchers in strikeouts with 198.[6] In a career-high 346+2⁄3 innings pitched, he walked just 66 batters, and his 2.75 ERA was second in the league behind Warren Spahn's 2.10.

One of the most memorable highlights of his career occurred on May 13, 1954, when Roberts gave up a lead-off home run to Bobby Adams of the Cincinnati Reds, then known as the Cincinnati Redlegs, but then went on to retire 27 consecutive batters to win 8–1, on a one-hit game.

Roberts consistently (11 out of 14 years) had a better winning percentage than did the Phillies in games in which he had no decision. Overall, the Phillies were 1,020–1,136 from 1948 to 1961, a winning percentage of .4731. Roberts was 234–199 in that span, for a winning percentage of .5404.
Roberts pitched for the Baltimore Orioles from 1962 to 1965.

After the 1961 season, Roberts was sold to the New York Yankees, who acquired the slumping pitcher from the Phillies for slightly more than the $20,000 league waiver price.[7]

On February 6, 1962, the Phillies announced that Roberts' uniform number 36 would be retired by the team on March 21, 1962, when the Yankees would visit Clearwater to play the Phillies in a spring training game. It was the first uniform number to be retired by the organization.[8] Roberts started for the Yankees in the spring game, gave up four runs in three innings, and was the winning pitcher in the Yankees' 13–10 victory.[9] He was released by the Yankees in May 1962 without having appeared in a regular-season game for the Yankees.
Baltimore Orioles

Roberts signed with the Baltimore Orioles on May 21, 1962.[10] He went 42–36 with a 3.09 ERA in 3+1⁄2 seasons with the Orioles.[11]

In Roberts' final year in Baltimore, he was the first road roommate and mentor to Jim Palmer, who made his major league debut in relief of Roberts in the third inning of a 12–9 loss to the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park on April 17, 1965.[12] Palmer said 47 years later, "Robin Roberts helped teach me even though he knew I was probably going to take his job."[13] Dissatisfied with his new role as a spot starter and long reliever, Roberts requested his release, which was granted by the Orioles on July 27, 1965.[11]
Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs

Roberts signed with the Houston Astros on August 5.[14] He signed with the Chicago Cubs on July 13, 1966, with the additional capacity of assisting pitching coach Freddie Fitzsimmons. Roberts was also reunited with fellow Whiz Kid Curt Simmons.[15] His final major league game was with the Cubs on September 3, 1966, at Forbes Field. He was released by the Cubs on October 3, 1966.[16] He pitched for the Reading Phillies during 1967.[17]
Baseball Hall of Fame

Roberts was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. Ahead of the August 1976 induction, Roberts was named honorary captain of the National League for the 1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which was hosted by the Phillies at Veterans Stadium.[18]
Coaching career
Germantown Academy

From 1971 to 1975, Roberts coached the Germantown Academy boys varsity baseball team in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.[19] The 1972 Germantown team went 22–1 and won the Inter-Ac League championship with a record of 10–0. Roberts' son was a member of that team.[20] An annual baseball player award is named in Roberts' honor.
University of South Florida

After one season as a color commentator on Phillies broadcasts in 1976, Roberts coached the University of South Florida baseball team in Tampa, Florida from 1977 to 1985. He led the team to its first NCAA Tournament in 1982 and won six conference titles with the Bulls. He was named the Sun Belt coach of the year each season from 1978 to 1982. His uniform number 36 was the first to be retired by the team,[21] and he was honored on the center field wall at the team's since demolished Red McEwen Field; he also is honored on the new USF Baseball Stadium.[citation needed]
Other endeavors

During the baseball off-season, Roberts toured with the Robin Roberts All-Stars basketball team. The team played against other touring squads, such as the Harlem Globetrotters.[citation needed]

Roberts was also the president of the Gold King Seafood Company in Philadelphia, even during his baseball career. This was central to an appearance Roberts made on What's My Line? in 1957, where the panelists had to decipher what else he did besides play baseball.[22][23]
Legacy
Robin Roberts's number 36 was retired by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962.

In his 19-season career, Roberts compiled a 286–245 record with 2,357 strikeouts, a 3.41 ERA, 305 complete games, 45 shutouts, and 4,688+2⁄3 innings pitched in 676 games. He is second to Jamie Moyer for the major league record for home runs allowed by a pitcher (505) and holds the record for most consecutive opening day starts for the same team with 12, from 1950 to 1961.

As a switch hitter, Roberts posted a .167 batting average (255-for-1525) with 107 runs, 55 doubles, 10 triples, 5 home runs, 103 RBI and 135 bases on balls. Defensively, he recorded a .967 fielding percentage.[5]

Roberts is the only pitcher in major league history to defeat the Braves franchise in all three cities that the team has been based in: Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta.

Roberts's record for home runs allowed can largely be attributed to his durability and his tendency to pitch inside the strike zone. Roberts threw 4,688+2⁄3 innings during his 19-year career, 21st on the all-time innings pitched list. Roberts challenged hitters to put the ball in play, issuing relatively few walks (1.7 per 9 innings pitched) and strikeouts (4.5 per 9 innings pitched).

In 1962, the Philadelphia Phillies honored Roberts with the retirement of his uniform number, 36.

In 1966, Roberts was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

In 1969, in conjunction with Major League Baseball's 100th anniversary, the Phillies conducted a fan vote to determine the Phillies all-time team. On August 5, 1969, at Connie Mack Stadium, the Phillies honored the members of the all-time team, including Roberts as the only right-handed pitcher. He was also honored as the greatest Phillies player of all time.

In 1978, the Philadelphia Phillies inducted Roberts as the first Phillie in the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame (along with Connie Mack as the first Athletics player in the Wall of Fame).

In 1983, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Phillies, Roberts was selected as one of only two right-handed pitchers on the Phillies Centennial Team.

In 1985, during Roberts' last game as coach of the South Florida Bulls baseball team, the team retired his number 36.

In 1992, Roberts was one of 30 members of the charter class of former Michigan State University Spartan athletes, coaches, and administrators inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame.[24]

In 1998, the Wilmington Blue Rocks retired Roberts's number 36 at the Carolina League All-Star game held at the Blue Rocks' Frawley Stadium. He was the first former player to ever have his number retired by the team.[25]

In 1999, he ranked No. 74 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,[26] and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 2020, The Athletic ranked Roberts at number 72 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter Joe Posnanski.[27]

On May 18, 2003, Roberts' number 36 was among the first two uniform numbers retired by the Michigan State baseball program.[28]

On July 21, 2003, Roberts returned to Montpelier, Vermont, to accept two honors: The Vermont Mountaineers retired his number from his playing days with the Barre-Montpelier Twin City Trojans, and Governor Jim Douglas presented him a proclamation that made the day "Robin Roberts Day" in the State of Vermont.[4]

On April 3, 2004, the Phillies new ballpark, Citizens Bank Park, officially opened, with a statue of Roberts outside the first-base gate.

Also in 2004, Roberts was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

Robin Roberts Stadium in Roberts's hometown of Springfield, Illinois is named in his honor.[29]

Roberts was an outspoken critic of Little League Baseball. His remarks on the organization appeared in a 1975 Newsweek article, titled "Strike Out Little League".[30]

In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Roberts as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army Air Force during World War II.[31]

Roberts coached his son, Dan Roberts, in high school. His son went on to coach the Army Black Knights, leaving that job after an alcohol-related arrest, Batavia Muckdogs, and Clearwater Threshers.[19][32]
Death
The Philadelphia Phillies wore a patch commemorating Roberts during the 2010 season.

Roberts died of natural causes on May 6, 2010, aged 83, at his home in Temple Terrace, Florida.[33] For the remainder of their 2010 season, the Philadelphia Phillies wore a commemorative #36 patch on their uniforms and hung his jersey in their dugout during home and away games.[34]
Career statistics

    Seven-time All-Star (1950–1956)
    Five-time top 10 in MVP voting (1950, 1952–1955)
    Six-time 20+ game winner (1950–1955)
    Four-time win champion (1952–1955)
    Twice led the league in strikeouts (1953–54)
    Led league in shutouts (1950)
    Six-time league leader in games started (1950–1955)
    Five-time league leader in complete games (1952–1956)
    Five-time leaguer leader in innings pitched (1951–1955)
    Pitched 300+ innings six times (1950–1955)
    Ranks 28th on the all-time wins leaderboard
    Second-most home runs allowed by a pitcher, with 505
    Holds five Philadelphia Phillies team records as of 2010: most complete games pitched, most games pitched, most innings pitched, most hits allowed, and most losses

Books

Roberts wrote two books about his baseball experiences, The Whiz Kids and the 1950 Pennant (1996, ISBN 1-56639-466-X)[35] and My Life in Baseball (2003, ISBN 1-57243-503-8), both co-authored with C. Paul Rogers, III, a Southern Methodist University Law School professor.
See also

    iconBaseball portal

    List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
    List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders
    List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
    List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
    List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders
    List of Major League Baseball pitchers who have thrown an immaculate inning
    List of Sporting News Pitcher of the Year

Robert Granville Lemon (September 22, 1920 – January 11, 2000) was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.

Lemon grew up in Long Beach, California where he played high school baseball and was the state player of the year in 1938. At the age of 17, he began a professional baseball career playing in the Cleveland Indians organization, with whom he played for his entire professional career. Lemon was called up to Cleveland's major league team as a utility player in 1941. He then joined the United States Navy during World War II returning to the Indians in 1946. That season was the first that Lemon was a pitcher.

The Indians played in the 1948 World Series and were helped by Lemon's two pitching wins as they won the club's first championship since 1920. In the early 1950s, Cleveland had a starting pitching rotation which included Lemon, Bob Feller, Mike Garcia and Early Wynn. During the 1954 season, Lemon had a career-best 23–7 win–loss record and the Indians set a 154-game season AL-record win mark when they won 111 games before they won the American League (AL) pennant. He was an All-Star for seven consecutive seasons and recorded seven seasons of 20 or more pitching wins in a nine-year period from 1948 to 1956.

Lemon was a manager with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees. He was named Manager of the Year with the White Sox and Yankees. In 1978, he was fired as manager of the White Sox. He was named Yankees manager one month later and he led the team to a 1978 World Series title and a 1981 American League Championship. Lemon became the first AL manager to win a World Series after assuming the managerial role in the middle of a season.
Early life

Bob Lemon was born in San Bernardino, California.[1][2] Later, Lemon's father, Earl Lemon, moved his ice business and the family to Long Beach, California, where Lemon attended Wilson Classical High School and played shortstop on the school's baseball team.[3] He was recognized as the state baseball player of the year by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section in 1938.[4]

Later in the same year, at the age of 17, Lemon began his professional baseball career in the farm system of the Cleveland Indians as a member of the Oswego Netherlands of the Canadian–American League and later that year, the Middle Atlantic League's Springfield Indians. In 75 games with the Netherlands he recorded a .312 batting average. The following season he played 80 games with Springfield, and hit .293, and then joined the New Orleans Pelicans of the Southern Association, where Lemon hit .309. He spent the next two seasons at the Class A level with the Eastern League's Wilkes-Barre Barons as he hit .255 in 1940 and .301 in 1941. In his final stint in the minors, Lemon hit .268 with 21 home runs for the 1942 Baltimore Orioles of the International League.[5]
Major League career
Success as a utility player

Lemon's major league debut came as a third baseman as a late season call-up on September 9, 1941.[6] He appeared in five games and collected one hit in five plate appearances.[7] He was joined by catcher and fellow rookie Jim Hegan.[8]:β€Šp.109β€Š He repeated the same number of games in the 1942 season and failed to record a hit.[9] Lemon served in the United States Navy during World War II and missed the next three seasons.[10] Before leaving for tour duty in 1943, Lemon married Jane McGee.[3][11]

Lemon was the Indians' center fielder for Opening Day in 1946. On April 30, Indians pitcher Bob Feller no-hit the New York Yankees; Feller later wrote that Lemon's "daring catch" and "throwing to and doubling a man off second base" were key in "saving my" no-hitter.[12] By season's end, however, Lemon had entered more games as a pitcher than a utility player.[11] Before that season, Lemon had pitched only one inning while with Oswego and another while with Wilkes-Barre. Birdie Tebbetts of the Detroit Tigers and Johnny Pesky of the Boston Red Sox had played against Lemon in Navy baseball games, and they spoke to Indians player-manager Lou Boudreau about switching Lemon from the outfield to the pitching mound.[3][13]

Boudreau discussed the potential move to pitcher with Yankees catcher Bill Dickey, who had also played in the Navy with Lemon. "I knew Lemon had a strong arm, and once I realized he was not going to hit with consistency as an outfielder, I thought it would be worthwhile to look at him as a pitcher," Boudreau later wrote.[14]:β€Šp.86β€Š Lemon resisted the idea at first, but he agreed to the change after he learned that his salary could be higher as a pitcher. Lemon credited Indians coach Bill McKechnie with helping him to adjust to his new position.[14]:β€Šp.93β€Š[15][16] Indians pitching coach Mel Harder taught Lemon how to throw a slider, a key pitch in his repertoire.[17]:β€Šp.38β€Š That same year, Indians owner Bill Veeck said that Lemon "some day will become the best pitcher in the American League".[18] Lemon finished the 1946 season with a losing record (4–5), the only one he would have until 1957, and a career-low 2.49 ERA.[9] He followed up his inaugural season as a pitcher with an 11–5 record. He appeared in 19 games before August, largely as a relief pitcher, but he made his first start in July against the Boston Red Sox.[13] During the last two months of the season, Lemon went 9–3 and pitched six complete games, including two 11-inning outings.[19]
Full-time pitcher to World Series champion

Before the 1948 season started, team president Bill Veeck doubled Lemon's contract amount.[20] In what would be his first full season as a pitcher,[21] Lemon was the Indians' number-two pitcher in the starting rotation, behind Bob Feller.[22] On June 30, 1948, Lemon pitched a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers in a 2–0 win, becoming the ninth Indians pitcher to record a no-hitter and earning his 11th win and fifth shutout of the season. He ended his breakout season with an AL-best 20 complete games. His ten shutouts on the season were the most in the majors.[9][23][24] Lemon would go on to win the 1948 AL Pitcher of the Year Award. With three games remaining in the regular season, 20-game winner Lemon started the first game of their final series against Detroit. Lemon allowed three runs on seven hits and the Indians lost the game. Cleveland lost two games of the three-game series, forcing a one-game playoff with the Boston Red Sox.[25][26][27] Speculation built up around which Indians pitcher Boudreau would send to the mound against the Red Sox on October 4; the choices were largely narrowed down to Lemon and Satchel Paige. Lemon was listed as Cleveland's "probable pitcher" by United Press International in morning newspapers the day of the game, even though he would be working on two days of rest.[28] Instead, Boudreau went with Gene Bearden, who would be pitching on one day of rest, and the choice was solidified when veteran second baseman Joe Gordon spoke up in support of Boudreau at a team meeting.[29][30] The Indians won the game at Fenway Park by a score of 8–3 and prepared to face the Boston Braves in the World Series.

Boudreau started Feller in game one, which Cleveland lost. Lemon was the starter in the second game.[31] Lemon faced Warren Spahn, and Cleveland won 4–1. Lemon was named the starter for game six in Boston with the Indians leading the series 3–2. He allowed three earned runs on eight hits and Cleveland had the lead when Lemon was replaced by Bearden. The Braves scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning but the Indians won the game, 4–3, to clinch the franchise's first World Series title since 1920.[32] Lemon was the only pitcher from either club to win two games in the Series. He finished the Series with a 1.65 ERA.[31]

Lemon's hitting skills began to get attention as well. By August 1949, Lemon was batting .295 with 11 extra-base hits and six home runs, prompting Yankees manager Casey Stengel to comment: "Well, I see where the Indians have nine hitters in the lineup instead of eight."[33] UPI sportswriter Milton Richman wrote, "Lemon's fine work at the plate has also conspired to tire him more. When the Indians get behind and Lemon is pitching, he rarely is yanked for a pinch hitter in the early innings. It's a tough price he's paying for batting fame."[34] In 1950, Lemon led the major leagues in wins (23) for the first time and won his second AL Pitcher of the Year Award. He pitched a six-hit complete game over the Detroit Tigers in his last start of the season on September 29.[35] When Lemon signed a new contract before the 1951 season, the Indians made him the highest paid pitcher in baseball.[36] At the beginning of the 1951 season, UPI sportswriter Oscar Fraley pointed out that Lemon was one of only 12 active pitchers who had earned a winning record in four consecutive seasons.[37] He finished the season with a 3.52 ERA, lower than the 1950 season mark of 3.84 when he led the majors with 23 wins, and a 17–14 record. The loss total was the most in the AL.[9] He did not record his first shutout of the season until well into August, when he earned a three-hit win over the Chicago White Sox.[38] In 1952, Lemon recorded the second-lowest ERA of his career, 2.50, and went 22–11. His 28 complete games were a career-high and led the AL. Along with teammates Early Wynn (23), and Mike Garcia (22), Lemon gave Cleveland's starting rotation three 20-game winners.[39]

On Opening Day of the 1953 season, Lemon pitched a one-hitter against the Chicago White Sox and earned a win.[40] He finished the season with a 21–15 record, 3.36 ERA and led the AL in innings pitched for the fourth and final time of his career.[9]
Second World Series appearance

In 1954, he was 23–7 and won his third AL Pitcher of the Year Award as Cleveland won the pennant. The Indians set an AL record with 111 wins. (The record stood until major league seasons were lengthened to 162 games, and it has been surpassed twice since then.)[41][42] Lemon was named Cleveland's starter for game one of the 1954 World Series. After nine innings, the Indians and Giants were tied 2–2. Lemon stayed in the game to pitch the tenth and final inning, but he surrendered a three-run home run to pinch hitter Dusty Rhodes and the Indians lost, 5–2. Indians manager Al LΓ³pez went with Lemon again in the fourth game after only two days rest. "He hasn't worked that close together all year because we had a good bunch of other pitchers, but a year ago, he and Wynn and Garcia pitched every third day for practically a month. Bob will be all right," Lopez said.[43] Lemon and the Indians lost the game, 7–4, as the Giants swept the Series four games to none. In his two appearances, he went 0–2 with a 6.75 ERA, allowed eight walks and recorded 11 strikeouts.[44]

Lemon began the 1955 season with a 5–0 record in April, but he was the only Cleveland starting pitcher with a winning record that month.[45][46] His 18 wins tied for the most in the AL that year.[9] He recorded five complete games through May 30 but none after that date. Indians general manager Hank Greenberg got Lemon to agree to his first reduction in contract salary since joining the organization.[47] Lemon earned his 200th career win against the Baltimore Orioles on September 11, 1956, and he also hit a home run that day.[48] He finished the season with a 20–14 record, the last of his seven career 20-win seasons, and led the AL in complete games (21).[9] On August 13, 1957, it was announced that Lemon would not finish the season due to continued irritation to his elbow after bone chips were found earlier in the season.[49] Lemon ended the season with a record of 6–11, his first losing record since 1946.[9]

In 1958, Lemon was the oldest Indian on the roster at age 37. Lemon pitched 3+1⁄3 innings over the span of two games before he was put on the Indians' disabled list and sent to the Triple-A San Diego Padres. There he continued physical conditioning and mentored the pitching staff of the Indians' top farm club.[50] He appeared in 12 games with the Padres, going 2–5, with a 4.34 ERA, 22 walks, and 19 strikeouts.[5] He returned to pitch for the Indians on May 25 in a relief role, but he appeared in only nine games that season.[51] He earned just one decision that year, a loss, which brought his career pitching record to 207–128.[9] The club put him on waivers in July.[52]
Retirement

At 38, Lemon went to Tucson in 1959 to attend Indians' spring training camp. He told manager Joe Gordon that he was willing to become a relief pitcher, but he retired as a player on March 5, stating, "I just couldn't keep up with the young fellows anymore."[53] He accepted a scouting role with the Indians.
Bob Lemon's number 21 was retired by the Cleveland Indians in 1998.

Lemon retired in 1958 with 207 wins, all but ten of them occurring in a ten-year span. He recorded 274 hits in 1,183 at-bats (.232), had 147 RBI, and his 37 career home runs are second on the all-time career list for pitchers (behind Wes Ferrell's 38).[54]:β€Šp.198β€Š In 1951, Ted Williams wrote of Lemon: "I have to rate Lemon as one of the very best pitchers I ever faced. His ball was always moving, hard, sinking, fast-breaking. You could never really uhmmmph with Lemon."[55][56]:β€Šp.37β€Š The Indians retired Lemon's jersey number, 21, on June 20, 1998 (Mike Hargrove, the Indians Manager at the time who was wearing number 21 switched to number 30). Lemon was the sixth Indian to receive the honor.[21]

On January 22, 1976, Lemon was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. It was the twelfth ballot on which he had appeared. He received 78.6% of the vote.[57] On August 8, one day before his induction ceremony, Lemon said, "It's a great thrill. My mother is 83 but she is making the trip from California. She says she can die happy now that I've been elected to the Hall of Fame."[58] Lemon's dominant slider has been cited as a key reason for his election to the Hall of Fame.[17]:β€Šp.38β€Š:β€Šp.278β€Š
Post-playing career
Coaching

In 1959, Lemon became a scout and minor league pitching instructor for Cleveland. He spent part of 1959 season, and part of 1960, as a coach with the MLB Indians. In 1961, he joined the Philadelphia Phillies coaching staff. The California Angels hired him as their pitching coach for 1967–1968. In 1976, Lemon served as pitching coach for the AL champion New York Yankees. The Yankees were owned by Cleveland-area native George Steinbrenner and they had been the chief antagonists of the Cleveland Indians during Lemon's pitching years. In recognition of his election to the Hall of Fame, Lemon was named honorary captain of the AL team for the All-Star Game.[59]
Managing
Lemon in 1995

Lemon's first managerial role came in 1964 with the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders of the PCL, an affiliate of the California Angels. The team went 60–98. In 1965, the Angels switched their Triple-A affiliation to the Seattle Angels and Lemon moved with the team. He managed the team in 1965–1966 and won the 1966 championship.[5][54]:β€Šp.295β€Š He was named the PCL's Manager of the Year by The Sporting News for the 1966 season.[60] In 1969, Lemon returned to the PCL as manager of the Vancouver Mounties, affiliated with the expansion Seattle Pilots and Montreal Expos.[5] Lemon said he used Indians manager Al LΓ³pez as a model for his managing style:

    "Lopez always handled his players like I'd want to be handled. He treated men like men. He made them feel relaxed. That's the only way to play this game...by being relaxed. You can't be worried about the manager getting on you. All the time I was at Cleveland, I saw Lopez get mad only twice. He never showed anybody up. I don't do it either."[61]

Tommy John, who played under both Lopez and Lemon, noticed this similarity. "Lemon was an outstanding manager who never got the credit he deserved," John wrote in 1991. "He was like Al Lopez; he let you alone and treated you like an adult."[62] His approach to the game was to simplify it, trying to make it easier for everyone involved.[63] Lemon frequently called his players "Meat."[64]
Kansas City Royals

Lemon became pitching coach of the Kansas City Royals for the 1970 season. He got his first major league managing job when Kansas City fired manager Charlie Metro on June 7, 1970.[65][66] By August, Lemon received a one-year contract extension with the club:

    "I know many major league owners are against hiring a former pitcher as manager and I've always wondered why. Pitching is 75 per cent of the game. If it's so important, why not have a former pitcher as manager? He can always have someone else run the other 25 per cent of the club."[67]

In 1971, Lemon guided the Royals to their first winning season since the franchise began as an expansion team in 1969. Lemon finished second in the Associated Press AL Manager of the Year voting.[68] Before the 1972 season, Lemon talked about the team's chances, saying "Five clubs could win it, including ourselves."[69] However, the Royals finished 76–78.[70] Royals owner Ewing Kauffman fired Lemon as manager, saying he wanted a younger manager and "did not want to lose Jack McKeon", who was named as Lemon's replacement (Lemon was 51 while McKeon was ten years younger).[71] Royals outfielder Lou Piniella was one of several players who disagreed with Kauffman's decision, saying, "...Lemon deserved to manage the club next year."[72]

Lemon returned to managing in the minor leagues. His third and final stint in the PCL was in 1974 with the Sacramento Solons, affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers. His last minor league managerial position was in 1975 with the Atlanta Braves’ International League affiliate, the Richmond Braves.[5]
Chicago White Sox
Plaque of Bob Lemon at the Baseball Hall of Fame

Bill Veeck hired Lemon to succeed Paul Richards as the Chicago White Sox manager on November 16, 1976.[73] Lemon took over a Chicago team that finished in last place in the AL West in 1976.[74] "Bob is the type of manager we need at this stage of the game", Veeck said.[73] During spring training of 1977, Lemon said, "I think we'll surprise a few people."[75] White Sox shortstop Alan Bannister quickly noticed a difference. Comparing Richards to Lemon, Bannister said, "He'd post the lineups 10 minutes before the game, and only then we'd find out who was playing and where. Lemon's made it a serious operation."[76] As late as August 14, the White Sox were in first place in the AL West. The White Sox finished with a 90–72 record, a 26-game improvement. The team finished third in AL West and Lemon won his second Manager of the Year Award. "The fans got behind us after about three weeks. They had a lot to do with our success", Lemon said after being winning the award.[77]

Lemon was fired the following season on June 30, 1978, by Veeck after Chicago posted a 34–40 record in the first half of the 1978 season. He was replaced by former Indians' teammate Larry Doby. "This change is not meant as any commentary on Lemon's ability but rather was the result of unusual circumstances which seemed to make a change necessary", said Veeck.[78]
New York Yankees

Yankees manager Billy Martin resigned on July 24, 1978, and team president Al Rosen called Lemon to offer him the vacant position. He was announced as the new manager the next day. At their 1978 Old Timers Day five days after the Martin–Lemon changeover, the Yankees divulged that Lemon would be moved in 1980 to general manager, and they said that Martin would then return as field manager. The announcement was made by public-address announcer Bob Sheppard after the Old Timers had been announced and it was accompanied by Martin's dramatic entrance from the Yankee dugout. Martin received a long standing ovation from fans. Lemon responded to his new jobβ€”and to the newspaper strike that helped calm down the atmosphere in the Yankees clubhouseβ€”by guiding the Yankees to the 1978 pennant. The Yankees, who trailed the Red Sox by 14 games at one point in July, pulled even with the Red Sox by defeating them in a four-game September series known as the "Boston Massacre".[54]:β€Šp.294β€Š The Yankees pulled ahead by 3+1⁄2 games, but the Red Sox rallied to tie the Yanks by the final day of the season. A one-game playoff would determine the AL Eastern Division winner.

Ron Guidry was named the Yankees' starting pitcher for the October 2 playoff game at Fenway Park. Guidry was able to pitch "because of Lemon's good planning".[54]:β€Šp.295β€Š The Yankees defeated Boston for the division title in the tie-breaker game, punctuated both by a dramatic three-run home run by Bucky Dent in the seventh inning, and an eighth-inning homer by Reggie Jackson that proved the game's winning run. Lemon became the third manager in MLB history to replace another mid-season and win the pennant.[54]:β€Šp.294β€Š Lemon's Yankees then beat the Royals in the ALCS and defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series title. With the Series win, Lemon became the first AL manager and third MLB manager to take over a team mid-season and win a World Series. This was the second World Series championship for Lemon, who had won his last one in 1948; the thirty year gap between World championships set a record for longest gap between championships for a person that was not broken until 2022.[79] Before the World Series, one columnist wrote, "...many observers feel that Lemon's low-keyed approach with the Yankees' temperamental millionaires as compared to the combativeness of Martin served to mold a spirit of togetherness among the Yankees that did not even exist last year when they won it all."[80] Lemon and his handling of the season was described in The New York Times as "an island of calm in a stormy summer".[81] Changes Lemon made during the season included returning Thurman Munson to the team's every day catcher (he had been playing in the outfield), putting Jackson in the clean-up spot in the batting order and becoming the regular right fielder, and pitching Ed Figueroa every fourth day (instead of fifth).[54]:β€Šp.295β€Š In October, Lemon was named the Associated Press' AL Manager of the Year, the second time he received such an award.[82]

Lemon's 26-year-old son, Jerry, was killed in an automobile accident in the fall of 1978, 10 days after Lemon won the World Series.[83] Tommy John thought this was distracting him from fully focusing on baseball as the 1979 season began.[62] In early June, several of the players got rowdy on a plane flight to Texas, blaring loud music from their cassette players. Lemon did nothing to intervene, which John thought might have prompted his dismissal.[84] With the Yankees at 34–31, Lemon was fired in June by Steinbrenner and replaced by Martin, but he remained with the organization as he had a contract through the 1982 season. Speaking of Martin, Lemon said, "He's a very likeable guy, a free spirit. Where maybe I keep things inside, he lets them come out. There's nothing wrong with that."[83] The Yankees finished in fourth place in the AL East (89–71).[54]:β€Šp.292β€Š Lemon worked as a scout for the Yankees and received "several offers" from other teams to serve as manager.[54]:β€Šp.295β€Š One offer came in 1979 from the Indians, but Lemon refused it as well as the others.[85]
Second stint with Yankees

Steinbrenner named Lemon the team's field manager a second time on September 6, 1981, the sixth Yankees' manager change since 1978 after firing Gene Michael, who also had served as general manager and had won the first half of the split season.[86] The Yankees moved on to the postseason and dispatched the Milwaukee Brewers and the Billy Martin-led Oakland Athletics, and won the first two games of the 1981 World Series against the Dodgers, only to lose four straight and the Series. Lemon survived just a few weeks into the 1982 season (the Yankees were 6–8) before Steinbrenner dismissed him one last time, despite a promise from Steinbrenner he would manage the season "no matter what".[54]:β€Šp.295β€Š[87]:β€Šp.40β€Š Lemon had considered resigning a week before because of Steinbrenner's constant criticisms, but coach Mike Ferraro talked him out of it.[88] Of the agreement between Lemon and Steinbrenner, Steinbrenner said, "Lem and I talked. He said it was O.K. He said he didn't take it as a promise anyway."[87]:β€Šp.45β€Š Tommy John thought Lemon "was relieved" at Steinbrenner's decision.[88] Gene Michael succeeded Lemon as manager. All in all, Lemon had managed just over one full season of games (172) for the Yankees, winning 99 games for a .576 winning percentage.[89]
Managerial record
Team     Year     Regular season     Postseason
Games     Won     Lost     Win %     Finish     Won     Lost     Win %     Result
KC     1970     110     46     64     .418     4th in AL West     β€“     β€“     β€“     β€“
KC     1971     161     85     76     .528     2nd in AL West     β€“     β€“     β€“     β€“
KC     1972     154     76     78     .494     4th in AL West     β€“     β€“     β€“     β€“
KC total     425     207     218     .487         0     0     β€“     
CWS     1977     162     90     72     .556     3rd in AL West     β€“     β€“     β€“     β€“
CWS     1978     74     34     40     .459     fired     β€“     β€“     β€“     β€“
CWS total     236     124     112     .525         0     0     β€“     
NYY     1978     68     48     20     .706     1st in AL East     7     3     .700     Won World Series (LAD)
NYY     1979     65     34     31     .523     fired     β€“     β€“     β€“     β€“
NYY     1981     25     11     14     .440     6th in AL East     8     6     .571     Lost World Series (LAD)
NYY     1982     14     6     8     .429     fired     β€“     β€“     β€“     β€“
NYY total     172     99     73     .576         15     9     .625     
Total[89]     833     430     403     .516         15     9     .625     
Highlights and awards

    7Γ— All-Star (1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954)[9]
    7Γ— 20-plus wins in a season (1948–1950, 1952–1954, 1956)
    5Γ— AL leader in complete games (1948, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956)
    Led MLB in shutouts (10, 1948)
    5Γ— led MLB or AL in putouts (1948–1949, 1952–1954)
    6Γ— led MLB or AL in assists (1948–1949, 1951–1953, 1956)
    3Γ— finished fifth in MVP voting (1948, 1950, 1954)
    World Series Champion, player (1948)
    Led AL in strikeouts (170, 1950)
    3x AL Pitcher of the Year Award (1948, 1950, 1954)
    2Γ— MLB leader in wins (1950, 1954)
    Major league record for pitcher 15 double plays in one season (1953)[24]
    Led AL in wins (1955)
    World Series Champion, manager (1978)
    #21 number retired by Cleveland Indians[90]
    In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Lemon as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Navy during World War II.[91]

Death

Lemon suffered a stroke in his later years.[21] Lemon died in 2000 in Long Beach, California, where he had been a permanent resident since his career as a player. Former teammate Bob Feller said, "Bob had a good curve, a good slider, and a vicious sinker pitch. He wasn't overly fast, but he always stayed ahead of the hitters and he didn't walk many batters, which is the key to success in the majors."[12] 

Warren Edward Spahn (April 23, 1921 – November 24, 2003) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). A left-handed pitcher, Spahn played in 1942 and then from 1946 until 1965, most notably for the Boston Braves, who became the Milwaukee Braves after the team moved west before the 1953 season. His baseball career was interrupted by his military service in the United States Army during World War II.[1]

With 363 career wins, Spahn holds the major league record for a left-handed pitcher, and has the most by a pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era.[2] He was a 17-time All-Star who won 20 games or more in 13 seasons, including a 23–7 win–loss record when he was age 42.[3] Spahn won the 1957 Cy Young Award and was a three-time runner-up during the period when only one award was given for both leagues. He won 202 games in the 1950s, the most for all pitchers in the decade.[4] At the time of his retirement in 1965, Spahn held the Major League record for career strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher.[3]

Spahn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1973, with 82.89% of the vote.[1] The Warren Spahn Award, given annually to the major leagues' best left-handed pitcher, is named in his honor.[5] Regarded as a "thinking man's" pitcher who liked to outwit batters, Spahn once described his approach on the mound: "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing."[6]
Early life

Spahn was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, to Edward and Mabel Spahn, the fifth of six children and the first of two sons. He was named after President Warren G. Harding and his father.[7]

He attended Buffalo Bisons baseball games with his father and initially wanted to be a first baseman. However, when Spahn began to attend South Park High School, the first baseman position was already taken. Reluctantly, he took up pitching and led his high school team to two city championships, going undefeated his last two seasons, and throwing a no-hitter his senior year.[7]
Baseball career
Spahn's famous high legkick windup

Spahn's major league career began in 1942 with the Braves organization, and he spent all but one year with that franchise, first in Boston and then in Milwaukee. He finished his career in 1965 with the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. With 363 wins, Spahn is the sixth-most winning pitcher in history, trailing only Cy Young (511), Walter Johnson (417), Grover Cleveland Alexander (373), Christy Mathewson (373), and Pud Galvin (364) on MLB's all-time list. He led the league in wins eight times (1949–50, 1953, 1957–1961, each season with 20+ wins) and won at least 20 games an additional five times (1947, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1963).[3]

Spahn also threw two no-hitters, in 1960 and 1961, at ages 39 and 40. He won three ERA titles (1947, 1953, and 1961), and four strikeout crowns (1949–1952).[3] Spahn also appeared in 14 All-Star Games, the most of any pitcher in the 20th century. He won the NL Player of the Month Award in August 1960 (6–0, 2.30 ERA, 32 strike-outs) and August 1961 (6–0, 1.00 ERA, 26 SOs).[8]

Spahn acquired the nickname "Hooks", not so much because of his pitching, but due to the prominent shape of his nose. He had once been hit in the face by a thrown ball that he was not expecting, and his broken nose settled into a hook-like shape. In Spahn's final season, during his stint with the Mets, Yogi Berra came out of retirement briefly and caught four games, one of them with Spahn pitching. Yogi later told reporters, "I don't think we're the oldest battery, but we're certainly the ugliest."[7]

Spahn was known for a very high leg kick in his delivery. Photo sequences show that this high kick served a specific purpose. As a left-hander, Spahn was able not only to watch any runner on first base, but also to avoid telegraphing whether he was delivering to the plate or to first base, thereby forcing the runner to stay close to the bag. As his fastball waned, Spahn adapted, and relied more on location, changing speeds and throwing a good screwball. He led or shared the lead in the National League (NL) in wins in 1957–1961 (ages 36–40).[7]

Spahn was also a good hitter, with at least one home run in 17 straight seasons, and finishing with an NL career record for pitchers who do not play any other position, with 35 home runs. Wes Ferrell, who spent most of his time in the American League, holds the overall record for pitchers, with 37. Spahn posted a .194 batting average (363-for-1872) with 141 runs, 57 doubles, six triples, 94 walks, and 189 runs batted in (RBIs). He also drove in 10 or more runs nine times, with a career-high 18 in 1951. In 1958, he batted a strong .333 (36-for-108). In eight World Series games, he batted .200 (4-for-20) with four RBIs and a walk.[3]
Minor Leagues and brief call-up

First signed by the Boston Braves, he reported to the Class-D Bradford Bees of the PONY League β€” later known as the NY-Penn League β€” after graduating high school. Spahn made his professional debut on July 6 at MacArthur Park (Dwyer Stadium) in Batavia, New York. He took the loss against the Batavia Clippers, pitching out of the bullpen, where he walked two batters and struck out none. He finished the season with a 5–4 record and 2.73 ERA. In 1941, Spahn broke out and won 19 games against six losses with a 1.83 ERA while pitching for the Class-B Evansville Bees of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League.[9]

Spahn reached the major leagues in 1942 at the age of 20. He clashed with Braves manager Casey Stengel, who sent him back to the minors after Spahn refused to throw at Brooklyn Dodgers batter Pee Wee Reese in an exhibition game.[10] Spahn had pitched in only four games, allowing 15 runs (10 earned) in 15.2 innings.[3]

Stengel later said that it was the worst managing mistake he had ever made: "I said "no guts" to a kid who went on to become a war hero and one of the greatest lefthanded pitchers you ever saw. You can't say I don't miss 'em when I miss 'em". The 1942 Braves finished next to last, and Stengel was fired the following year. Spahn was reunited with his first manager 23 years later, for the even more woeful last-place New York Mets, andβ€”referring to Stengel's success with the 1949–60 New York Yankeesβ€”later quipped, "I'm probably the only guy who played for Casey before and after he was a genius."[11]

Spahn finished the 1942 season with a 17–12 record for the Hartford Bees of the Class-A Eastern League.[9]
World War II

Along with many other major leaguers, Spahn chose to enlist in the United States Army, after finishing the 1942 season in the minors.[1] He served with distinction and was awarded a Purple Heart. He saw action in the Battle of the Bulge and at the Ludendorff Bridge as a combat engineer, and was awarded a battlefield commission.[12]

Spahn returned to the major leagues in 1946 at the age of 25, having missed three full seasons. Had he played, Spahn might have finished his career behind only Walter Johnson and Cy Young in all-time wins.[13] Spahn was unsure of the war's impact on his career:

    People say that my absence from the big leagues may have cost me a chance to win 400 games, but I don't know about that. I matured a lot in three years, and I think I was better equipped to handle major league hitters at 25 than I was at 22. Also, I pitched until I was 44. Maybe I wouldn't have been able to do that otherwise.[14]

Boston / Milwaukee Braves

Spahn's first full season as a starting pitcher came in 1947, when he led the National League in ERA (2.33), shutouts (7), and innings pitched (289+2⁄3) while posting a 21–10 record.[3] It was the first of his thirteen 20-win seasons. Spahn also won two more ERA titles, in 1953 and 1961.[3]

On June 11, 1950, Spahn and pitcher Bob Rush of the Cubs each stole a base against each other; no opposing pitchers again stole a base in the same game until May 3, 2004, when Jason Marquis and Greg Maddux repeated the feat.[15]

In 1951, Spahn allowed the first career hit to Willie Mays, a home run. Mays had begun his career 0-for-12, and Spahn responded to reporters after the game, citing the distance between home plate and the pitcher's mound of 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m), "Gentlemen, for the first 60 feet, that was a hell of a pitch." Spahn joked a long time later, "I'll never forgive myself. We might have gotten rid of Willie forever if I'd only struck him out." (In 1962, another Hall of Famer hit his first career home run off Spahn: Sandy Koufax, who only hit one other.)
"Pray for rain"
Spahn (right) with Johnny Sain

Spahn's teammate Johnny Sain was the ace of the pennant-winning 1948 Braves staff, with a win–loss record of 24–15. Spahn went 15–12, while contrary to legend, teammates Bill Voiselle (13–13), and Vern Bickford (11–5) also pitched well.[16]

In honor of the pitching duo, Boston Post sports editor Gerald V. Hern wrote this poem which the popular media eventually condensed to "Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain":

First we'll use Spahn
then we'll use Sain
Then an off day
followed by rain
Back will come Spahn
followed by Sain
And followed
we hope
by two days of rain.

The poem was inspired by the performance of Spahn and Sain during the Braves' 1948 pennant drive. The team swept a Labor Day doubleheader, with Spahn throwing a complete 14-inning win in the opener, and Sain pitching a shutout in the second game.[17] Following two off days, it did rain. Spahn won the next day, and Sain won the day after that. Three days later, Spahn won again. Sain won the next day. After one more off day, the two pitchers were brought back, and won another doubleheader. The two pitchers had gone 8–0 in 12 days' time.[18]

Other sayings have been derived from "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." For example, some referred to the 1993 San Francisco Giants' imbalanced rotation as "Burkett and Swift and pray for snow drift."[19]

In 1957, Spahn was the ace of the champion Milwaukee Braves. He pitched on two other Braves pennant winners, in 1948 and 1958. Spahn led the NL in strikeouts for four consecutive seasons, from 1949 to 1952 (tied with Don Newcombe in 1951), which includes a single-game high of 18 strikeouts in a 15-inning appearance on June 14, 1952.[20]

During the 1957 World Series, Sal Maglie of the Yankees, ineligible to pitch in the series because he was acquired too late in the season, watched the games with Robert Creamer of Sports Illustrated and made assessments of the players. When Spahn was pitching, Maglie observed that batters had to try to hit balls to the opposite field against Spahn, as he was more likely to get them out if they tried to pull the ball.[21]
Spahn in 1958.

On July 2, 1963, facing the San Francisco Giants, the 42-year-old Spahn became locked into a storied pitchers' duel with 25-year-old Juan Marichal.[22] The score was still 0–0 after more than four hours when Willie Mays hit a game-winning solo home run off Spahn with one out in the bottom of the 16th inning.[23]

Marichal's manager, Alvin Dark, visited the mound in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 14th innings, and was talked out of removing Marichal each time. During the 14th-inning visit, Marichal told Dark, "Do you see that man pitching for the other side? Do you know that man is 42 years old? I'm only 25. If that man is on the mound, nobody is going to take me out of here." Marichal ended up throwing 227 pitches in the complete game 1–0 win, while Spahn threw 201 in the loss, allowing nine hits and one walk.[24]

Spahn threw his first no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 16, 1960, when he was 39. He pitched his second no-hitter the following year on April 28, 1961, against the Giants. During the last two seasons of his career, Spahn was the oldest active player in baseball. He lost this distinction for a single day: September 25, 1965, when 58-year-old Satchel Paige pitched three innings.[25]

Spahn's seemingly ageless ability caused Stan Musial to quip, "I don't think Spahn will ever get into the Hall of Fame. He'll never stop pitching."[1]
Final season

Following the 1964 season, after 25 years with the franchise, Spahn was sold by the Braves to the New York Mets.[3] Braves manager Bobby Bragan predicted, "Spahnie won't win six games with the Mets." Spahn took on the dual role of pitcher and pitching coach. Spahn won four and lost 12, at which point the Mets put Spahn on waivers on July 15, 1965, and released on July 22, 1965.[26] He signed with the San Francisco Giants, with whom he appeared in his final major league game on October 1, 1965, at the age of 44. With the Mets and Giants combined, he won seven games for the seasonβ€”his last in the major leagues.[3]
Career statistics

In a 22-season major league career, Spahn posted a 363–245 win–loss record with 2,583 strikeouts and a 3.09 ERA in 5,243 2/3 innings pitched, including 63 shutouts and 382 complete games.[3] His 2,583 career strikeouts were the most by a left-handed pitcher in MLB history until he was later on surpassed by Mickey Lolich in 1975.[27]

His 363 career win total ranks sixth overall in major league history; it is also the most by a pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era.[2] Spahn still holds the major league record for most career wins by a left-handed pitcher.[2] His 63 career shutouts is the highest total in the live-ball era and sixth highest overall.[28]
Category     W     L     ERA     G     GS     CG     SHO     SV     IP     R     ER     HR     BB     SO     HBP     WHIP     FIP     ERA+
Total     363     245     3.09     750     665     382     63     28     5,243.2     2,016     1,798     434     1,434     2,583,     42     1.195     3.49     119
Later life

Spahn managed the Tulsa Oilers for five seasons, winning 372 games from 1967 to 1971. His 1968 club won the Pacific Coast League championship. He also coached for the Mexico City Tigers, and pitched a handful of games there. He was a pitching coach with the Cleveland Indians, in the minor leagues for the California Angels, and for six years, with Japan's Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

For many years, he owned and ran the large Diamond Star Ranch south of Hartshorne, Oklahoma, before retiring to live near a golf course in Broken Arrow with his half-Cherokee wife LoRene (nΓ©e Southard) with whom he had one child, a son named Gregory (1948–2022).[7]
Death

Spahn died of natural causes at his home in Broken Arrow. He is interred in the Elmwood Cemetery in Hartshorne. After his death, a street was named after him in Buffalo, New York, Warren Spahn Way, that connects Abbott Road with Seneca Street, through Cazenovia Park, in the heart of South Buffalo. The street is near South Park High School, Spahn's alma mater.
Honors
Warren Spahn's number 21 was retired by the Milwaukee Braves in 1965.

Spahn's number 21 was retired by the Braves in 1965, soon after his retirement.[29] He was selected for the all-time All-Star baseball team by Sports Illustrated magazine in 1991, as the left-handed pitcher. The other selections were: outfielders Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays; shortstop Cal Ripken, third baseman Mike Schmidt, second baseman Jackie Robinson, first baseman Lou Gehrig, catcher Mickey Cochrane, right-handed pitcher Christy Mathewson, relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley, and manager Casey Stengel.

Spahn was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973 and became a charter member of both the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985,[30] and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.[31]

In 1999, he was ranked number 21 by The Sporting News on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players",[32] and was also named one of the 30 players on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.[33] In 2020, The Athletic ranked Spahn at number 49 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter Joe Posnanski.[34]
A statue of Spahn was situated outside of Turner Field, and is now outside of Truist Park

Spahn was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 1999.[35] A few months before his death, he attended the unveiling of a statue outside Atlanta's Turner Field. When the Braves vacated Turner Field to move into their current home of Truist Park, the statue was moved, and now stands outside that ballpark. The statue depicts Spahn in the middle of one of his leg kicks.[36] The statue was created by Shan Gray, who has sculpted numerous other statues of athletes that stand in Oklahoma, including two others of Spahn. One statue resides at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame located at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and the other is located in Hartshorne, Oklahoma, at the Hartshorne Event Center.

On April 4, 2009, the facilities of Broken Arrow Youth Baseball, in Spahn's longtime home of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, were dedicated in his honor.

In their Naked Gun films, producers Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker sometimes included joke credits. The trio, who were Milwaukee-area natives, included Spahn in the closing credits once, with the disclaimer, "He's not in the film, but he's still our all-time favorite left-hand pitcher."

Spahn also made his acting debut with a cameo appearance as a German soldier in a 1963 episode (season two, episode eight "Glow Against the Sky")[37] of the television series Combat!

In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Spahn as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army during World War II.[38] 

Harmon Clayton Killebrew Jr. (/ˈkΙͺlΙͺbruː/; June 29, 1936 – May 17, 2011), nicknamed "the Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball player as a first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. He spent most of his 22-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Minnesota Twins. A prolific power hitter, Killebrew had the fifth-most home runs in major league history at the time of his retirement. He was second only to Babe Ruth in American League (AL) home runs, and was the AL career leader in home runs by a right-handed batter. Killebrew was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Killebrew was 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) and 213 pounds (97 kg). His compact swing generated tremendous power and made him one of the most feared power hitters of the 1960s, when he hit at least 40 home runs per season eight times. In total Killebrew led the league six times in home runs and three times in RBIs, and was named to 13 All-Star teams. In 1965, he played in the World Series with the Twins, who lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His finest season was 1969, when he hit 49 home runs, recorded 140 RBIs and won the AL Most Valuable Player Award while helping lead the Twins to the AL West pennant.

With quick hands and exceptional upper body strength, Killebrew was known for both the frequency and distance of his homers. He hit the longest home runs ever recorded at Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium [520 ft (160 m)], and Baltimore's Memorial Stadium [471 ft (144 m)], and was the first of four players to hit a ball over the left field roof at Detroit's Tiger Stadium. Despite his nicknames and his powerful style of play, Killebrew was a quiet, kind man.

After retiring from baseball, Killebrew became a television broadcaster for several baseball teams from 1976 to 1988. He also served as a hitting instructor for the Oakland Athletics.
Early life

Killebrew was born and raised in Payette, Idaho, the youngest of four children born to Harmon Clayton Sr. and Katherine Pearl (May) Killebrew. His father, a painter and sheriff, was a member of an undefeated football team at Millikin College who was later named an All-American under eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Greasy Neale.[1][2] According to family legend, Harmon Killebrew's grandfather was the strongest man in the Union Army, winning every available heavyweight wrestling championship.[2] Clayton encouraged Harmon and his brothers to stay active in various sports before his sudden death in 1953 at age 59.[2]

As a child, Killebrew played baseball at Walter Johnson Memorial Field, named after the Hall of Fame pitcher who spent part of his childhood in Idaho.[3] He worked as a farmhand in his youth, lifting ten-gallon milk cans, each weighing about 95 pounds (43 kg).[4] Killebrew earned 12 letters in various sports and was named an All-American quarterback at Payette High School; the school retired his uniform number.[1][5] He was offered an athletic scholarship by the University of Oregon, but declined the offer.[6]

In the early 1950s, Senator Herman Welker of Idaho told Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith about Killebrew, who was hitting for an .847 batting average for a semi-professional baseball team at the time.[3][7] Griffith told his farm director Ossie Bluege about the tip and Bluege flew to Idaho to watch Killebrew play.[8] The Boston Red Sox also expressed interest but Bluege succeeded in signing him to a $50,000 ($585,440 today) contract on June 19, 1954.[5][7][9]
Professional career
Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins (1954–1974)

Killebrew signed his contract under the bonus rule in effect at the time. Since he received a bonus of over $4,000 ($56,000 today), Major League Baseball rules required that he spend two full seasons on the major league roster.[10] He made his major league debut four days after signing and six days from his 18th birthday (becoming the youngest active player in the majors at the time), running for pinch-hitter Clyde Vollmer, who had been hit by a pitch with the bases loaded by Chicago White Sox starter Jack Harshman.[11][12] On August 23, 1954, Killebrew made his first start in the second game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics, hitting two singles and a double as the Senators won, 10–3.[13] A year and one day after making his major league debut, Killebrew hit his first major league home run on June 24, 1955, in the fifth inning off Detroit Tigers starter Billy Hoeft, five days shy of his 19th birthday.[14] In his first two seasons, Killebrew struck out 34 times in only 93 at bats, recording a .215 batting average with four home runs.[7] Killebrew also had defensive difficulties at third base, where he played behind veteran Eddie Yost.[7]
Killebrew with the Senators in 1959

When Killebrew's bonus period expired in 1956, he was sent to the Senators' minor league affiliate in Charlotte of the South Atlantic League.[15] He returned to the majors in early May. On May 29, after being forced into action when regular second baseman Pete Runnels was injured early in a game against the Orioles, Killebrew hit two home runs, including only the second ball ever hit over a wire barrier in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium's center field.[16][17] Killebrew had a .115 average through June 16, and as a result was sent back to Charlotte; he finished the season there with a .325 batting average and 15 home runs in 70 games.[16][18] Killebrew spent most of the 1957 season with the Southern Association's Chattanooga Lookouts, where he hit a league-high 29 home runs with 101 RBIs and was named to the All-Star Game.[18][19] While in Chattanooga, Killebrew became the only player to hit a home run over the center field wall at Engel Stadium, 471 feet (144 m) from home plate.[20] In 1958, he was briefly promoted to Indianapolis of the American Association but struggled and was sent back to Chattanooga for most of the season.[19] Killebrew finished the season with 38 games played in Indianapolis and 86 in Chattanooga, where he hit .308 with 17 home runs.[18] He also played a combined 22 games for the Senators in 1957 and 1958.[12]

Calvin Griffith took over the Senators after his uncle Clark Griffith died in 1955, and decided Killebrew was ready to become the Senators' regular third baseman. Griffith traded the 32-year-old Eddie Yost to the Detroit Tigers on December 6, 1958, and Killebrew became the starting third baseman.[7][21] From May 1 to May 17, he had five multi-home run games and his first five-RBI game on May 12.[7] With 28 home runs by mid-season, he started the first 1959 All-Star Game and was a reserve in the second. Killebrew attracted so much attention in Washington that he was visited by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who frequently attended games,[22] and Griffith turned down a $500,000 offer for Killebrew from the Cincinnati Reds.[22] Killebrew finished the season with 42 home runs to tie for the American League lead; it also tied the Senators' single-season record set by his teammate Roy Sievers two years earlier.[7][23] Although 1959 proved his breakout season, he was ineligible for the Rookie of the Year Award because of his previous sparse experience. Instead, the award went to teammate Bob Allison.[24]

Killebrew was bothered by injury early in the 1960 season. In March, he had surgery for nasal irritation,[25] and a recurring hamstring injury caused him to miss most of May.[26] On his return, he remained in the lineup for the rest of the season, finishing the year with 31 home runs in 124 games.[12][15] Killebrew's arrival and home runs did little to improve the Senators' record, as they finished in the second division of the American League every year he played for Washington, including four years in last place.[27] After the 1960 season, the Senators moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Twins.
1961–1965

For the franchise's first year in Minnesota, Killebrew was named team captain by manager Cookie Lavagetto.[28] He responded by hitting 46 home runs, breaking the franchise record he had tied two years earlier.[23] Among his other production, Killebrew drove in a team-leading 122 RBIs, posted a career-best batting average of .288 and had a slugging percentage of over .600 for the only time in his career. In addition, he had a career-high seven triples, tying for the team lead, and led the Twins in runs, total bases and walks.[12][15] On June 12, 1961, Killebrew had the only five-hit game of his career, though in a losing effort.[29] Killebrew was named to both 1961 All-Star games. He did not play in the second, but in the first, he hit a pinch hit home run in the sixth inning.[30] After the season ended, Killebrew took part in a home run hitting contest with Jim Gentile and Roger Maris, whose 61 home runs that year broke the single-season record; Killebrew hit 20 to win the contest.[31]

After his seven-triple season, his speed began to decrease and he could no longer regularly score triples due to pulling his quadriceps during the 1962 season.[32] Killebrew moved to left field, where he started off the season slowly. He hit under .200 in both April and June, and because of this Killebrew was not selected to play in either 1962 All-Star Game, the last season he was not named an All-Star before 1972.[12][33] On July 18 in a game against the Cleveland Indians, Killebrew and Bob Allison became the first teammates since 1890 to hit grand slams in the same inning as the Twins scored 11 runs in the first.[15][34] Over the course of the season, Killebrew hit 48 home runs, 126 RBIs, and had 107 walks, all career highs at the time.[12] No one else in the AL managed even 40 home runs and he also led the league in RBIs.[35] Killebrew's 48 home runs also broke the franchise record for the second year in a row.[23] Not all his stats were positive; Killebrew's batting average dropped from .288 in 1961 to .243 and he struck out a career-worst 142 times, leading the AL.[12]

Killebrew's efforts were rewarded in 1963 when he agreed to a contract for about $40,000 ($410,826 today).[36] He started the season off slowly, and he missed the second half of April and early May due to a right knee injury that was slow to heal.[37] Killebrew continued his hitting prowess for the Twins upon his return, and at one point led them on a six-game winning streak.[38] On September 21, Killebrew hit three home runs in a game for the only time in his career in the first game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox.[29][39] Killebrew finished the season with a .258 batting average, 45 home runs, and 96 RBI, and led the league in home runs and slugging percentage (.555).[12] He had surgery on his troublesome right knee after the season ended.[40]

Having played left field for the previous three years with a below-average throwing arm, the additional complication of Killebrew's knee surgery necessitated a move to the infield. For the remainder of his career, he played only 19 games in the outfield.[12][32][41] He finished the 1964 season with a .270 batting average, 49 home runs, and 111 RBI; he led the AL in home runs for the third consecutive year.[12]

The Twins finally won the American League pennant during the 1965 season. On July 11, the day before the All-Star break, the defending AL champion Yankees had a one-run lead over the Twins going into the bottom of the 9th inning, but Killebrew hit a two-run home run for the win.[42] Two days later, Killebrew started the All-Star Game at his home field, Metropolitan Stadium, and hit a game-tying two-run home run, erasing what had been a 5–0 National League lead.[43] Elected to play first base on his fifth All-Star team, Killebrew became the first player in All-Star game history to be elected at three different positions, having previously been selected to play third base (1959 and 1961) and left field (1963 and 1964).[44]
Killibrew hits a single at Metropolitan Stadium on July 30, 1964, driving in Tony Oliva.[45]

Killebrew drove in the tying or winning run seven times in 1965 before suffering an injury on August 2.[46] During a game against the Orioles, Twins third baseman Rich Rollins made a poor throw to first and while trying to save the play, Killebrew collided with the runner and dislocated his elbow, putting him out of action until mid-September.[47][48][49] Despite his absence, the Twins had a win–loss record of 28–19 and even extended their first place lead.[46][50] Killebrew ended the regular season with 25 home runs and 75 RBI, his lowest numbers in a full season due to the injury.[12] In the 1965 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Killebrew and Zoilo Versalles led the Twins with .286 batting averages, and Killebrew hit a home run off Don Drysdale in Game 4. Minnesota was shut out in three games and the Dodgers won the series in seven.[51]
1966–1969

At the start of the 1966 season, Killebrew hit few home runs; halfway through May, he had hit only two, his lowest total at that point of a season since 1960, when he had missed the first two months of the season.[52] He later increased his tally to 39 and finished the season with a .281 batting average and 110 RBIs. He led the AL with 103 walks and finished 4th in Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) voting after Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, and Boog Powell[12][53] of the American League leading Baltimore Orioles.

During the 1967 season Killebrew hit the then longest home run recorded at Metropolitan Stadium, a June 3 shot off Lew Burdette in the 4th inning that landed in the second deck of the bleachers.[54] The Twins, led by Killebrew, were in the pennant race throughout the season, and had a one-game lead as the final two games of the season began against the Boston Red Sox. Having to win only once to clinch the pennant, Killebrew hit a home run in the first game and recorded two hits in each game, but Boston won twice and Minnesota finished in a second place tie with the Detroit Tigers.[55] Killebrew finished the season with a .269 batting average and 113 RBIs, tied AL Triple Crown winner Carl Yastrzemski with 44 home runs, and led the league with 131 walks.[12] He also finished a distant second in MVP voting to the Boston star.[56]

In April 1968 Killebrew served as a prosecution witness in a case where his name was being used to fraudulently sell stocks in Idaho.[57] The baseball season proved unsuccessful for Killebrew, whose batting average barely passed .200 most of the year; after a strong start, he hit below .200 in both May and June and his average stood at .204 with 13 home runs going into the all-star break.[58][59] Even so, he was selected as the starting first baseman in the All-Star Game and Killebrew said that, owing to his poor start, he was "surprised" and "embarrassed" by the selection.[60] During the third inning of the game he stretched for a ball thrown by shortstop Jim Fregosi, his foot slipped, and he did the splits, rupturing his left medial hamstring. He was carried from the field by a stretcher. At the time, the injury was considered career-threatening, but after missing about six weeks, he returned to limited action in September.[61][62]

After enduring seven months of rehabilitation for his injury, Killebrew remained in pain but rebounded to have his best season in 1969.[43] On July 5, Killebrew set a career-high with six RBIs in a game against the Oakland Athletics.[29][63] On September 7 he topped that mark with a three-run homer and a grand slam in the first two innings, leading the team to another defeat of the Athletics .[29][64] Killebrew led the best offense in the league and rookie manager Billy Martin's Twins won the new American League West division as a result.[65]

For the season, Killebrew set career highs in RBIs, runs, walks and on-base percentage, tied his career high with 49 home runs, and even registered eight of his 19 career stolen bases, en route to winning his only Most Valuable Player Award.[43] Playing in all 162 games, he led the majors in home runs and RBI (140), while leading the AL in on-base percentage (.427), walks (145) and intentional walks (20).[12][66] As of 2021, Killebrew's home run, RBI, and walk totals from 1969 remain team records,[15] and his 145 walks are tied for the 20th highest single season total in MLB history and 7th highest for a right-handed batter.[67] In the 1969 American League Championship Series, the Baltimore Orioles used their pitching staff, the best in the league, to defeat Minnesota and win the series three games to none.[61] Baltimore avoided Killebrew by walking him six times in the three games to avoid pitching to him, which was as many times as they walked the rest of the Twins team.[68]
1970–1974

After his MVP season, Killebrew signed a new contract with the Twins worth $90,000 ($728,715 today).[69] He was set to lead a team that had undergone a lot of change; Killebrew was one of only four Twins remaining from the 1965 pennant-winning club.[70] He spent most of the season's first half continuing his success, and found Baltimore's Brooks Robinson rivalling him for the third base spot during the All-Star voting process; the two were neck-and-neck throughout.[71] He continued his success through the second half of the year, and at season's end had hit 41 home runs with 113 RBIs and finished third in MVP voting behind teammate and runner-up Tony Oliva and Baltimore's Boog Powell.[72] In a rematch of the previous season the Twins again faced Powell and the Orioles in the 1970 American League Championship Series. Killebrew upped his performance and hit two home runs in three games, but Minnesota was again swept.[73]

Killebrew reached 40 home runs in a season for the final time in 1970 and also made his last appearance in the postseason. His contract continued to grow in value though, and before the 1971 season began he was awarded the first $100,000 ($776,417 today) contract in Twins history.[74] Killebrew appeared in his last All-Star Game in 1971, hitting a two-run home run off Ferguson Jenkins to provide the margin of victory for the AL.[12][75] He finished the season with a .254 batting average, 114 walks, 119 RBI, the latter two of which led the league, and 28 home runs.[12] Killebrew hit his 498th home run on June 22, 1971, but a sprained right toe made his run to milestone number 500 a slow one. He hit number 499 more than a month later and finally hit number 500 off a Mike Cuellar slow curveball in the first inning of an August 10 home game; at the time, he was the 10th player in history to hit 500 home runs. He then wasted no time in hitting number 501, knocking a Cuellar fastball over the fences later in the same game.[66][76]

In 1972, Killebrew showed signs of slowing down. He missed his first All-Star Game since 1962, but instead of expressing disappointment in his streak ending, he noted that Twins shortstop Danny Thompson should have had the opportunity to play instead; Thompson mentioned the same thing about Killebrew.[77] Despite not making the team, Killebrew's home run total continued to climb, and by the end of July he had Jimmie Foxx and Mickey Mantle's career marks in his sights;[78] he went on to pass both in August. Killebrew finished the season with a .231 batting average, 26 home runs, and 74 RBIs.[12] There were questions about Killebrew's health as the 1973 season began, as he had surgery twice during the offseason to fix leg problems.[79] He played through the first half of the season, but an injury to his left knee on June 25 sidelined him. A month later, the injury had not cleared up, and he underwent surgery to remove some torn cartilage; he did not return to the lineup until mid-September.[80] Killebrew played in only 69 games that season, hitting five home runs.[12]

Fully recovered for the 1974 season, Killebrew made his mark early on, hitting two home runs in a May 5 match against the Detroit Tigers; the second was career home run number 550.[81] In his honor, the Twins held Harmon Killebrew Day in August, when it was announced that they would retire his number; Killebrew responded by leading the Twins to a 5–4 victory over the Orioles.[82] He finished the season with a .222 batting average, 13 home runs, and 54 RBIs.[12] In December 1974, he was given the option of staying with the Twins as a coach and batting instructor, managing the AAA Tacoma Twins, or being released.[83] He chose to be released, ending his 21-season tenure with the Twins.[12]
Kansas City Royals (1975)

On January 24, 1975, eight days after getting his release from the Twins, Killebrew signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals. During his return to Minnesota in early May, the Twins formally retired his No. 3 jersey. In that game, Killebrew hit a home run against his former teammates and received a standing ovation from the crowd.[84] In 106 games with the Royals, he had a batting average of .199, 14 home runs, and 44 RBIs.[12] At the end of the season, the Royals released Killebrew.[85] In March 1976, he formally announced his retirement and said he would become an announcer and color commentator for Twins games. At the time of his retirement, he was fifth all-time on the home run list.[86]
Career overall
Statistics and achievements

Killebrew hit 573 home runs (12th all time), drove in 1,584 runs and had 1,559 (15th all time) bases on balls during his career.[87][88] He is also the all-time home run record holder among players born in Idaho; Vance Law is second. He also finished with the record of having the most plate appearances (9,831) in his career without a sacrifice hit (since broken by Frank Thomas with 10,074 plate appearances).[12][89]
Category     G     BA     AB     R     H     2B     3B     HR     RBI     BB     SO     OBP     SLG     OPS     TB     PO     A     DP     E     FLD%     Ref.
Total     2,435     .256     8,147     1,283     2,086     290     24     573     1,584     1,559     1,699     .376     .509     .884     4,143     8,849     1,963     767     215     .981     [12]
Power hitting

    Killebrew can knock the ball out of any park, including Yellowstone.

β€”Paul Richards, Baltimore Orioles manager, 1959.[90]

Killebrew was known for his quick hands and exceptional upper-body strength, demonstrated by frequent "tape measure" home runs he hit in the prime of his career. Killebrew said his first home run in the Majors was his favorite, coming off Billy Hoeft at Griffith Stadium. He said of it, "Frank House was the catcher. When I came to the plate, he said, 'Kid, we're going to throw you a fastball.' I didn't know whether to believe him or not. I hit it out. It was one of the longest home runs I ever hit. As I crossed the plate, House said, 'That's the last time I ever tell you what pitch is coming.'"[4]

On August 3, 1962, he became the first hitter ever to hit a baseball over the left field roof at Tiger Stadium,[91] a seldom-reached target as contrasted with the old ballpark's smaller right field area. Only three others accomplished this feat during the next 37 seasons before the stadium closed.[92] On May 24, 1964, Harmon hit the longest measured homer at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, 471 feet (144 m) to deep left center. The ball landed in the far reaches of the bleachers.[93] The only player to hit one completely out of the Orioles' stadium was Frank Robinson in 1966; his blast was reported as about 451 feet (137 m), or about 20 feet (6 m) less than Killebrew's.[94] On June 3, 1967, Killebrew hit a 520-foot (158 m) home run, the longest measured home run ever hit at Metropolitan Stadium and, as of 2022, the longest in Twins history.[54][95] That event is commemorated at the Mall of America in Bloomington, which includes a plaque marking home plate, and one red-painted seat from the Met which was placed at the location and elevation of the landing spot of the home run.[54] Target Field had a statue of a Gold Glove outside Gate 34 that was exactly 520 feet (158 m) from Target Field's home plate.[96] It was moved to another location after the Twins created the Gate 34 experience.[97]
Honors and legacy
Killebrew's number 3 was retired by the Minnesota Twins in 1975.

Killebrew was first eligible for the Hall of Fame in 1981 and received 239 votes, or 59.6% of the vote; 75% of the vote is required for induction.[98] While he did hit 573 home runs (5th all-time when he left the game), he amassed a relatively low hit total (2,086, the lowest for any 500 home run hitter at the time), given the years he played, combined with a high number of strikeouts (1699), and a .256 batting average.[12][99]

In 1982, Killebrew received 59.3% of the vote, taking a backseat to Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson, who made it in their first year of eligibility.[98] After receiving 71.9% of the vote in 1983, Killebrew said not getting in that year was more difficult to accept than the previous two times, and asked "Why do the writers feel there only has to be a certain number inducted each time?" In 1984, Killebrew received 83.1% of the vote and was elected to the Hall in his fourth year of eligibility, joining Luis Aparicio and Don Drysdale as electees.[98][100]

In 2022, The Sporting News named Killebrew on their "Minneapolis Mount Rushmore of Sports", along with fellow Twin Kirby Puckett, Minnesota Timberwolves basketball player Kevin Garnett, and Minnesota Vikings football player Fran Tarkenton.[101]
Mall of America entrance and Killebrew Drive

The street along the south side of the Mall of America, the former site of Metropolitan Stadium, in Bloomington, Minnesota, is named "Killebrew Drive" in his honor. Banners that hung above the Metrodome's outfield upper deck, resembling baseball cards, showed the retired numbers: Killebrew (3), Rod Carew (29), Tony Oliva (6), Kent Hrbek (14) and Kirby Puckett (34). In 1999, he was ranked 69th on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players[102] and nominated as a finalist for Major League Baseball's All-Century Team.[103] When the Twins moved to Target Field in 2010, Gate 3 on the southeast (center field) side of the stadium was named in his honor. There are also corresponding gates for the team's other retired numbers.[104]

Despite rumors that Killebrew is the player depicted in the Major League Baseball logo,[105] according to the creator, Jerry Dior, it was not patterned after any specific player.[106][107] Killebrew is the model for the logo of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, an organization he helped found in 1982.[107]

Killebrew was known as an all-around gentleman during his playing career. "He's one of the greatest of all time."[66] He was even noted as being kind to the umpires, as noted by Ron Luciano in his autobiography, The Umpire Strikes Back:

    The Killer was one of the most feared sluggers in baseball history, but he was also one of the nicest people ever to play the game. He was one of the few players who would go out of his way to compliment umpires on a good job, even if their calls went against him. I'd call a tough strike on him and he would turn around and say approvingly, "Good call." And he was the same way in the field. And he never did this to get help on close plays, as some players do. The man hit 573 major league home runs and no umpire ever swung a bat for him.[108]

Post-playing career

Following his retirement, Killebrew was a television broadcaster for the Twins at WTCN TV from 1976 to 1978, the Oakland Athletics from 1979 to 1982, the California Angels in 1983 and back with Minnesota from 1984 to 1988.[109][110][111] While with Oakland, he also served as a major- and minor-league hitting instructor.[112]

Killebrew was involved in a Boise, Idaho insurance and securities business.[111] He moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1990, where he chaired the Harmon Killebrew Foundation, which he created in 1998.[111][113] Killebrew founded the Danny Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament, now titled the Killebrew-Thompson Memorial in 1977 with former Idaho congressman Ralph Harding, which is played annually in mid August in Sun Valley, Idaho, and has donated more than $23 million to leukemia and cancer research. Thompson was a Twins teammate who continued his major league career while suffering from leukemia; he died in December 1976 at the age of 29.[114]
Personal life
Killebrew in 2007

Despite his nicknames and style of play, Killebrew was considered by his colleagues to be a quiet, kind man.[115] While still an active major leaguer, Killebrew became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and never smoked or drank.[116] He was once asked in an interview what hobbies he had, to which he replied, "Just washing the dishes, I guess."[117]

In the late 1980s, Killebrew had financial problems. In July 1988, his house went into foreclosure and, in 1989, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that he had fallen $700,000 into debt.[85][118] He also divorced his first wife of more than 30 years, Elaine Killebrew nΓ©e Roberts, whom he had married in 1955.[118][119] Soon after, Killebrew's health failed. In May 1990, he was rushed to the hospital with a collapsed lung and damaged esophagus.[120] Together with a subsequent abscess and staph infection, Killebrew endured three surgeries and nearly died. He used a wheelchair for some time post-surgery. By December 1990, his health had improved and he married Nita Patten.[85][120]

On December 29, 2010, Killebrew announced that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and started treatment.[121][122] On May 13, 2011, a Minnesota Twins press release reported he was ceasing treatment and entering hospice care, because his illness had progressed beyond his doctors' expectation of cure.[123] To honor Killebrew, the Twins wore their 1961 throwback alternate jerseys at home for the remainder of the 2011 season;[124] he was also honored by the Washington Nationals, who hung a jersey with Killebrew's name and number 3 in their home dugout.[125] Killebrew died on May 17, 2011, at his home in Scottsdale at the age of 74.[126] He was interred at Riverside Cemetery in Payette, Idaho.[127]

Following his death, Minnesota Twins president Dave St. Peter released the following statement:

    No individual has ever meant more to the Minnesota Twins organization and millions of fans across Twins Territory than Harmon Killebrew. Harmon will long be remembered as one of the most prolific home run hitters in the history of the game and the leader of a group of players who helped lay the foundation for the long-term success of the Twins franchise and Major League Baseball in the Upper Midwest. However, more importantly Harmon's legacy will be the class, dignity and humility he demonstrated each and every day as a Hall of Fame-quality husband, father, friend, teammate and man.[128]

William Malcolm Dickey (June 6, 1907 – November 12, 1993) was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees for 17 seasons. Dickey managed the Yankees as a player-manager in 1946 in his last season as a player.

Dickey played with the Yankees from 1928 through 1943. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, Dickey returned to the Yankees in 1946 as a player and manager. He retired after the 1946 season, but returned in 1949 as a coach, in which capacity he taught Yogi Berra the finer points of catching.

During Dickey's playing career, the Yankees went to the World Series nine times, winning eight championships. He was named to 11 All-Star Games. He went on to briefly manage the Yankees as a player-manager, then contribute to another six Yankee World Series titles as a coach. Dickey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954.
Early life

Dickey was born in Bastrop, Louisiana, on June 6, 1907.[1] He was one of seven children born to John and Laura Dickey. The Dickeys moved to Kensett, Arkansas, where John Dickey worked as a brakeman for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. John Dickey had played baseball for a semi-professional team based in Memphis, Tennessee. Bill's older brother, Gus, was a second baseman and pitcher in the East Arkansas Semipro League, while his younger brother, George, would go on to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher.[2]

Dickey attended Searcy High School in Searcy, Arkansas. At Searcy, Dickey played for the school's baseball team as a pitcher and second baseman.[2]
College career

Dickey enrolled at Little Rock College, where he played guard for the school's football team and pitcher for the baseball team.[2] Dickey substituted for a friend on a semi-professional team based in Hot Springs, Arkansas as a catcher, impressing the team's manager with his throwing arm.[2] Lena Blackburne, manager of the Little Rock Travelers, a minor league baseball team, noticed Dickey while scouting an outfielder on the Hot Springs team. Blackburne signed Dickey to play for his team.[2]
Minor league career

Dickey made his professional debut at the age of 18 with the Little Rock Travelers of the Class A Southern Association in 1925. Little Rock had a working agreement with the Chicago White Sox of the American League, which involved sending players between Little Rock, the Muskogee Athletics of the Class C Western Association, and the Jackson Senators of the Class D Cotton States League. Dickey played in three games for Little Rock in 1925, then was assigned to Muskogee in 1926, where he had a .283 batting average in 61 games.[2]

Dickey returned to Little Rock, and batted .391 in 17 games at the end of the season. Dickey played in 101 games for Jackson in 1927, batting .297 with three home runs. As a fielder, Dickey compiled a .989 fielding percentage and was credited with 84 assists while he committed only nine errors.[2]
New York Yankees

Jackson waived Dickey after the 1927 season. Johnny Nee, a scout for the New York Yankees, wired his boss, Ed Barrow, the Yankees' general manager, that the Yankees should claim him.[3] The Yankees purchased Dickey from Jackson for $12,500 ($228,900 in current dollar terms). Though he suffered from influenza during spring training in 1928, Dickey impressed Yankees manager Miller Huggins.[4] Dickey hit .300 in 60 games for Little Rock, receiving a promotion to the Buffalo Bisons of the Class AA International League.[2] After appearing in three games for Buffalo, Dickey made his MLB debut with the Yankees on August 15, 1928.[2] He recorded his first hit, a triple off George Blaeholder of the St. Louis Browns, on August 24.[2]
Seven of the American League's 1937 All-Star players, from left to right Lou Gehrig, Joe Cronin, Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Charlie Gehringer, Jimmie Foxx, and Hank Greenberg. All seven would eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame.

Dickey played his first full season in MLB in 1929. He replaced Benny Bengough as the Yankees' starting catcher, as Bengough experienced a recurrent shoulder injury,[5] and Dickey outperformed Bengough and Johnny Grabowski.[6] As a rookie, Dickey hit .324 with 10 home runs and 65 runs batted in (RBI).[2] He led all catchers with 95 assists and 13 double plays. In 1930, Dickey hit .339. In 1931, Dickey made only three errors and batted .327 with 78 RBI. That year, he was named by The Sporting News to its All-Star Team.[2]

Although his offensive production was overshadowed by Yankee greats Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio,[7] Dickey posted some of the finest offensive seasons ever by a catcher during the late 1930s, hitting over 20 home runs with 100 RBI in four consecutive seasons from 1936 through 1939.[1] His 1936 batting average of .362 was the highest single-season average ever recorded by a catcher, tied by Mike Piazza of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1997, until Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins hit .365 in 2009.[8]

In 1932, Dickey broke the jaw of Carl Reynolds with one punch in a game after they collided at home plate, and received a 30-day suspension and $1,000 fine as punishment.[9] That year, he hit .310, with 15 home runs and 84 RBI. In the 1932 World Series, he batted 7-for-16, with three walks, 4 RBI, and scored two runs.[2]

In 1936, Dickey hit .362, finishing third in the AL behind Luke Appling (.388) and Earl Averill (.378).[2] Dickey held out for an increase from his $14,500 salary in 1936, seeking a $25,000 salary. He ended the holdout by agreeing to a contract worth $17,500.[10] Dickey earned $18,000 in 1939.[11] Dickey signed a contract for 1940, receiving a $20,500 salary.[11]

On July 26, 1939, Dickey hit three home runs against the St. Louis Browns in a 14-1 rout at Yankee Stadium.[12]

The 1941 season marked Dickey's thirteenth year in which he caught at least 100 games, an MLB record. He also set a double play record and led AL catchers with a .994 fielding percentage.[13]

Dickey suffered a shoulder injury in 1942, ending his streak of catching at least 100 games in a season. When Dickey's backup, Buddy Rosar, left the team without permission to take examinations to join the Buffalo police force and to be with his wife who was about to have a baby, Yankees manager Joe McCarthy signed Rollie Hemsley to be the second string catcher, relegating Rosar to the third string position.[14][15] Dickey saw his playing time decrease with the addition of Hemsley.[2] He returned for the 1942 World Series, but was considered to be fading.[16]

Dickey had a terrific season in 1943, batting .351 in 85 games and hitting the title-clinching home run in the 1943 World Series.[17] After the season, the 36 year-old Dickey was honored as the player of the year by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.[18]
Manager and coach

Dickey was rumored to be a candidate for the managerial position with the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1943 season.[19]

Dickey entered the United States Navy on March 15, 1944, as he was categorized in Class 1-A, meaning fit for service, by the Selective Service System.[20] He served at the Navy Hospital Area in Hawaii. He was discharged in January 1946 as a lieutenant senior grade;[21] one of his main tasks had been to organize recreational activities in the Pacific.

Returning to the Yankees in 1946, Dickey became the player-manager of the Yankees in the middle of the 1946 season after Joe McCarthy resigned. The Yankees did fairly well under Dickey's watch, going 57–48. However, owner Larry MacPhail refused to give Dickey a new contract until after the season. Rather than face the possibility of being a lame-duck manager, the 39 year-old Dickey resigned on September 12, but remained as a player.[22] He retired after the season,[23] having compiled 202 home runs, 1,209 RBIs and a .313 batting average over his career.

In 1947, Dickey managed the Travelers. The team finished with a 51–103 record, last in the Southern Association.[2] Dickey returned to the Yankees in 1949 as first base coach and catching instructor to aid Yogi Berra in playing the position.[1][24] Already a good hitter, Berra became an excellent defensive catcher. With Berra having inherited his uniform number 8, Dickey wore number 33 until the 1960 season. Dickey later instructed Elston Howard on catching, when Berra moved to the outfield.[2]
Managerial record
Team     Year     Regular season     Postseason
Games     Won     Lost     Win %     Finish     Won     Lost     Win %     Result
NYY     1946     105     57     48     .543     resigned     β€“     β€“     β€“     β€“
Total     105     57     48     .543         0     0     β€“     
Film career

While still an active player in 1942, Dickey appeared as himself in the film The Pride of the Yankees, which starred Gary Cooper as the Yankee captain and first baseman Lou Gehrig. Late in the movie, when Gehrig was fading due to the disease that would eventually take his life, a younger Yankee grumbled in the locker room, "the old man on first needs crutches to get around!"β€”and Dickey, following the script, belted the younger player, after which he said the kid "talked out of turn."

Dickey also appeared as himself in the film The Stratton Story in 1949. In the film, Dickey was scripted to take a called third strike from Jimmy Stewart's character. Dickey objected, stating "I never took a third strike. I always swung", and asking the director, Sam Wood, to allow him to swing through the third strike; Wood insisted that Dickey take the third strike. After many takes, Dickey commented: "I've struck out more times this morning than I did throughout my entire baseball career."[25]
Personal life
Bill Dickey's plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame

On October 5, 1932, Dickey married Violet Arnold, a New York showgirl, at St. Mark's Church in Jackson Heights, New York. The couple had one child, Lorraine, born in 1935.[2]

At the time of Lou Gehrig's death, Dickey described Gehrig as his best friend.[26]

Dickey was an excellent quail hunter.[1] He spent part of his retirement in the 1970s and 1980s residing in the Yarborough Landing community on the shore of Millwood Lake in southwestern Arkansas. He died in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1993.
Legacy
Bill Dickey's number 8 was retired by the New York Yankees in 1972.

Dickey was noted for his excellent hitting and his ability to handle pitchers.[1] He was also known for his relentlessly competitive nature.

Dickey was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1954.[27] In 1972, the Yankees retired the number 8 in honor of Dickey and Berra.[2] On August 22, 1988, the Yankees honored both Dickey and Berra by hanging plaques honoring them in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.[2] Dickey opined that Berra was "An elementary Yankee" who is "considered the greatest catcher of all time."

Dickey was named in 1999 to The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players, ranking number 57, trailing Johnny Bench (16), Josh Gibson (18), Yogi Berra (40), and Roy Campanella (50) among catchers.[28] Like those catchers, Dickey was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, but the fan balloting chose Berra and Bench as the two catchers on the team.

In 2007, Dickey-Stephens Park opened in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The ballpark was named after Bill; his brother George; and two famous Arkansas businessmen, Jackson and Witt Stephens.

In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Dickey as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Navy during World War II.[29] 

Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball player who was a pitcher for 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians between 1936 and 1956. In a career spanning 570 games, Feller pitched 3,827 innings and posted a win–loss record of 266–162, with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and a 3.25 earned run average (ERA). His career 2,581 strikeouts were third all-time upon his retirement.

A prodigy who bypassed baseball's minor leagues, Feller made his debut with the Indians at the age of 17. His career was interrupted by four years of military service (1942–1945) as a United States Navy Chief Petty Officer aboard USS Alabama during World War II. Feller became the first pitcher to win 24 games in a season before the age of 21. He threw no-hitters in 1940, 1946, and 1951, and 12 one-hitters, both records at his retirement. He helped the Indians win a World Series title in 1948 and an American League-record 111 wins and the pennant in 1954. Feller led the American League in wins six times and in strikeouts seven times. In 1946 he recorded 348 strikeouts, the most since 1904 and then believed to be a record.

An eight-time All-Star, Feller was ranked 36th on Sporting News's 1999 list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was named the publication's "greatest pitcher of his time". He was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. Baseball Hall of Fame member Ted Williams called Feller "the fastest and best pitcher I ever saw during my career."[1] Hall of Famer Stan Musial believed he was "probably the greatest pitcher of our era."[1] He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 in his first year of eligibility, with the then fourth highest percentage of votes. He was elected the inaugural President of the Major League Baseball Players' Association and both organized and participated in barnstorm exhibition games which featured players from both the Major and Negro leagues. Feller died at the age of 92 in 2010.
Early life

Feller played primarily as a shortstop or outfielder, emulating Rogers Hornsby's batting stance.[2]:β€Š13β€Š From the age of 15, he began to pitch for the Oakviews after a starting pitcher was injured; while doing so, Feller continued to play American Legion baseball. His catcher during this period was Nile Kinnick, who later won the Heisman Trophy in 1939 and became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.[2]:β€Š20β€Š

A student at Van Meter High School, Feller was a starting pitcher for the school's baseball team. During this time, he continued to play on the Farmers Union team in the American Amateur Baseball Congress, and had 19 wins and four losses for Farmers Union one season.[3]:β€Š4β€Š[4]:β€Š37β€Š He also was the starting center for the high school basketball team.[2]:β€Š29β€Š By the age of 16, Feller possessed what critics judged a high quality fastball; major league scouts traveled to Dayton, Ohio to watch him in the annual national baseball tournament. After the game, several big league clubs offered signing bonuses with their contract offers, but he had already been signed to a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians.[2]:β€Š25–26β€Š
Professional career
Teenage phenomenon (1936–1941)
1936 Goudey Feller baseball card

In 1936, Feller was signed by Cy Slapnicka, a scout for the Indians, for one dollar and an autographed baseball.[2]:β€Š27β€Š While scouting Feller, Slapnicka said, "This was a kid pitcher I had to get. I knew he was something special. His fastball was fast and fuzzy; it didn't go in a straight line; it would wiggle and shoot around. I didn't know then that he was smart and had the heart of a lion, but I knew that I was looking at an arm the likes of which you see only once in a lifetime."[5]:β€Š375β€Š Feller was assigned to the Fargo-Moorhead Twins and was to report there after finishing the high school semester.[2]:β€Š30β€Š

Slapnicka was later named general manager of the Indians and transferred Feller's contract from Fargo-Moorhead to the New Orleans Pelicans. He was planning to add Feller, along with outfielder Tommy Henrich, to the major league roster after a few exhibition and semi-pro games, without either playing for a farm club. By doing so, the Indians would be in violation of Major League Baseball's rule stating that, at the time, only minor league teams could sign amateur baseball players to contracts.

After a three-month investigation, concluding in December 1936, about whether the Indians broke any Major League Baseball rules by signing Feller, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis disagreed with the argument presented by Slapnicka and Indians president Alva Bradley, but awarded both Feller and Henrich free agency and required the club to pay a $7,500 fine, equivalent to $170,000 in 2024.[5]:β€Š375β€Š Landis made the decision partly due to the testimony of Feller and his father, who wanted his son to play for Cleveland and who had also told Landis he would take the issue to court.[6] Feller elected to remain with the Indians but Henrich joined the New York Yankees. Sports columnist Joe Williams wrote, "For $7500 the Cleveland Indians received $500,000 [equivalent to $11,300,000 in 2024] worth of publicity. ... I feel pretty sure Mr. Alva Bradley, president of the Indians, will admit this is the cheapest investment he ever made in publicity."[7]

Feller joined the Indians and made his Major League debut on July 19, 1936, in a relief appearance against the Washington Senators. A month later on August 23, Feller made his first career start against the St. Louis Browns. Indians manager Steve O'Neill had Denny Galehouse warmed up in the bullpen in case the 17-year-old Feller had early troubles, but he struck out all three batters he faced in the first inning, and recorded 15 strikeouts in earning his first career win. His strikeout total was the highest for a (starting) pitching debut.[6][8] Three weeks later, he struck out 17 batters,[6][9] tying a single-game strikeout record previously set by Dizzy Dean, in a win over the Philadelphia Athletics. He finished the season with a 5–3 record, having appeared in 14 games; he had 47 walks and 76 strikeouts in 62 innings.[10] Feller's fame reached such a level that when he returned to Van Meter for his senior year of high school, the governor of Iowa greeted him.[11] His record-setting rookie year made him, according to baseball writer Richard Goldstein, "the best-known young person in America, with the possible exception of Shirley Temple."[11] Feller's entrance to the big leagues was later described:

    It is difficult to imagine now what a marvel Feller was when he burst upon the scene in 1936, a callow youth of 17. Many athletes are great. Bob Feller was seminal. In the long-ago time, unlike nowadays, it was unheard of for teenagers to succeed in the big top of athletics. Children politely waited their turn in the sunshine. Perhaps in all the world only Sonja Henie had previously excelled at so young an age in any sport that mattered, and, after all, she was but a little girl wearing tights and fur trim, performing dainty figure eights. Feller dressed in the uniform of the major league Cleveland Indians, striking out – fanning! – American demigods ... in the only professional team sport that mattered then in the United States.

β€”β€ŠFrank Deford, Sports Illustrated, August 2005[6]

As the 1937 season began, Feller appeared on the cover of the April 19, 1937 issue of Time magazine.[12] In his first appearance of the season on April 24, Feller suffered an injury to his elbow while throwing a curveball. He spent April and May healing the arm, and in May graduated from high school; the ceremony aired nationally on NBC Radio.[2]:β€Š69β€Š[13][14] In mid-May, the Indians considered ending Feller's season early. "We're not taking any chances on that arm and we're not going to allow him to pitch again until the last trace of soreness has disappeared", said Slapnicka.[15] On May 18, Feller appeared in his first game since April 24 but did not record an out. He did not pitch again until June 22, when he recorded two innings, then returned to normal pitching duties on July 4.[16]

On October 2, 1938, Feller was the starting pitcher of a season-ending double-header against the Detroit Tigers. Detroit's Hank Greenberg was two home runs short of Babe Ruth's then-single-season record of 60 home runs. By the ninth inning, Feller had recorded 16 strikeouts, one fewer than the MLB record in a nine-inning game. He tied the record when he struck out Detroit's Pete Fox and, when he struck out Chet Laabs for the fifth time that day, broke the record, to set the modern major league record of 18. Greenberg went 1–4 with a double,[17] then 3–3 in the nightcap, all singles.[18] He later said of the game, "Feller's curve was jumping wickedly and with that and his fast ball, he was murder."[19] Feller did not earn a win, however, as the Indians lost, 4–1. "It was one of those days when everything feels perfect, your arm, your coordination, your concentration, everything. There was drama in the air because of Greenberg's attempt to break Ruth's record, and the excitement grew even greater when my strikeouts started to add up", Feller said.[20][21] For the 1938 season, Feller led all pitchers with 208 walks and 240 strikeouts.[10]

In 1939, Feller received his first career Opening Day start, against the Tigers, after a match against the Browns was rained out. He won the game 5–1, allowing three hits.[2]:β€Š84β€Š On Mother's Day, Feller pitched against the Chicago White Sox with his family in attendance. One pitch was fouled off by Marv Owen into the seats and into the face of Feller's mother; he went on to win the game.[22] Feller finished the 1939 season leading the AL in wins (24), complete games (24) and innings pitched (296+2⁄3), and led the majors for a second consecutive year in both walks (142) and strikeouts (246).[23][24]
Feller's signature, circa 1992–93

Opening Day of the 1940 season featured a no-hitter from Feller against the Chicago White Sox. Feller was assisted by Indians second baseman Ray Mack when he made a diving play to record the final out.[25] This is the only no-hitter to be thrown on Opening Day in major league history. However, he followed his no-hitter with a six-run, three-inning performance in his next start, in a game against the Detroit Tigers.[26] By the end of the season, he had a 27–11 record, with his win total the best in the majors that season, and a career-high for Feller.[10] He accomplished the pitching triple crown for the 1940 season, as he led the AL in ERA (2.61), wins (27) and strikeouts (261) (the latter two led the entire majors).[27] Feller also led the majors with 31 complete games and 320+1⁄3 innings pitched, and won the Sporting News Player of the Year Award.[10] Feller later assessed his first few years in the majors: "I relied on the catcher too much. It's swell to have a good catcher calling 'em for you, but the pitcher should take responsibility on his own shoulders."[28]

To publicize Feller's extraordinary pitching speed, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball commissioned sports film analysis pioneer and former major leaguer Lew Fonseca to pit Feller's fastball against a motorcycle in a "100 mph" speed trial. The test was conducted in Chicago's Lincoln Park, with Feller in street shoes, suit pants, dress shirt, and tie, pitching without a mound on an asphalt roadway. He was required to hit a target 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter from 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m) away, "as control is as important as speed".[29] The still accelerating Harley-Davidson passed Feller going 86 mph (138 km/h), yet even with a generous head start the ball beat the bike to the target by several feet. Feller's throw was calculated at the time to have reached 98.6 mph (158.7 km/h), later raised to 104 mph (167 km/h) using updated measuring methods.[3]:β€Š27β€Š[6][20]

Feller again led the majors in wins (25), strikeouts (260), innings pitched (343), and walks (194) for the 1941 season. His six shutouts were an AL-best on the season.[10] That year, Joe DiMaggio talked about Feller's pitching ability, stating "I don't think anyone is ever going to throw a ball faster than he does. And his curveball isn't human."[11] Feller appeared in the May 12, 1941, edition of Life, which said: "... he is unquestionably the idol of several generations of Americans, ranging in age from 7 to 70. They represent every city, town and village in the land, speak of him familiarly as 'Bob', and talk about him by the hour, with enthusiasm."[30]
Military service (1941–1945)

The United States entered World War II with the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Feller heard about the bombing while returning from a visit to his terminally ill father at Des Moines to Chicago where he was to sign a new Indians contract.[6] Two days later, he volunteered for the United States Navy, becoming the first American professional athlete to enlist.[31] Originally he tried to enlist as a fighter pilot but failed hearing tests. Feller attended basic training at Norfolk Naval Base and served as a physical fitness instructor there. He also pitched in baseball games hosted by the military. Although he had received a military exemption owing to his father's failing health, he wanted to serve in combat missions.[32] Feller said, "I told them I wanted to ... get into combat; wanted to do something besides standing around handing out balls and bats and making ball fields out of coral reefs."[33] Feller was assigned to USS Alabama;[34] he had hoped to serve on USS Iowa, but it would not be commissioned for another six months after Alabama, joining the fleet February 22, 1943.[2]:β€Š119β€Š

Shortly before Feller left for combat, his father died of brain cancer in early January 1943. Five days later, he married Virginia Winther, whom he had met while in Florida for spring training; she was a student at Rollins College.[8] After the marriage, Feller returned to service as Gun Captain aboard Alabama and kept his pitching arm in shape by throwing near a gun turret.[35] Feller and the Alabama crew spent most of 1943 in the British Isles along with USS South Dakota, but in August were reassigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations.[2]:β€Š119β€Š Feller's first taste of direct combat was at Operation Galvanic in November 1943. Alabama also served during Operation Flintlock while primarily being used as an escort battleship in 1944. Feller participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea before his combat duty ended in January 1945; he spent the rest of the war at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station as an instructor.[2]:β€Š124–127β€Š

When the war ended, Feller was discharged as a Chief Petty Officer on August 22, 1945.[8] He was decorated with six campaign ribbons and eight battle stars while serving on missions in both the Pacific and North Atlantic, and was made an honorary member of the Green Berets later in life.[3]:β€Šxiiiβ€Š[8]
Baseball during Naval service (1942, 1945)

Feller pitched for the Norfolk Naval Station's Bluejackets baseball team, which went 92–8 in 1942,[36][37] and later for the Naval Station Great Lakes team.[38]

In 1945, from early spring to late summer, Feller's naval duties were again at Great Lakes Naval station, where he replaced Mickey Cochrane as manager of the baseball program, as well as performed as an active pitcher for the team.[39][40]
Return to Cleveland (1945–1948)

Upon arrival in Cleveland after his discharge, Feller was honored with a civic luncheon on August 24, 1945, at the Carter Hotel. Feller said to the thousand-plus crowd: "The real heroes didn't come home."[8][35] Later that day, the city held a parade and Feller was the starting pitcher in the Indians' game against the Detroit Tigers. Feller allowed four hits in the game and earned a win in the Indians' 4–2 victory. "I was so tired from all the receptions I didn't know if I could finish the game", Feller said.[8] For the 1945 season, he appeared in nine games and notched a 5–3 record with 59 strikeouts and 2.50 ERA.[10]

Before the 1946 season, Feller signed a $37,500 (equivalent to $605,000 in 2024) contract for that year, including a bonus for attendance, as the Indians felt many were attending baseball games primarily to see him; he was offered $100,000 by Jorge Pasquel to play in the Mexican League, but declined to leave the States again.[2]:β€Š136β€Š Feller recorded his second career no-hitter on April 30, 1946, against the New York Yankees. He allowed five walks and struck out 11 Yankees.[41] Feller said of the game, "The no-hitter on opening day in Chicago is the one that gets all the attention. But my no-hitter at Yankee Stadium was against a much better team than the White Sox. There was no comparison. I had to pitch to Tommy Henrich, Charlie Keller and Joe DiMaggio in the ninth inning to get the Yankees out."[42] At one point during the season (as he thought he might be nearing Rube Waddell's AL record for strikeouts of 344), Feller claims he confirmed Waddell's total with the AL office.[43] In his last appearance of the season he fanned five Detroit Tigers on September 29 to set what was then believed to be the then-AL single-season strikeout record of 348.[44] Later research into box scores for Waddell's 1904 pitching appearances credited him with five additional strikeouts, moving the mark to 349 and bumping Feller from the top spot.[45] Feller's tally proved the highest for 62 years, until passed by Sandy Koufax's then-record 382 in 1965.[46]

During the 1946 season Feller registered career-highs in strikeouts (348), games started (42), games pitched (48), shutouts (10), complete games (36), and innings pitched (377+1⁄3)–– all major league bests that season.[43][44][47] Feller finished 26–15 with an ERA of 2.18, the latter a career-low.[10][48] Nearly 20 years later, Feller recalled, "For the 1946 season, though, the Indians were so thin in pitching that [player-manager] Boudreau decided I was to pitch every fourth day, regardless of rainouts, open dates, or anything else."[43]

Feller began 1947 by setting up a barnstorming tour, pitting his own selected team against a Negro league baseball team led by Satchel Paige. Feller's team included Stan Musial and Phil Rizzuto, while Paige's included Buck O'Neil and Hilton Smith. They played in 22 games across the United States, and at the conclusion of the tour, each player had made nearly as much money as the St. Louis Cardinals made as a team for their 1946 World Series win.[2]:β€Š150–154β€Š Against the St. Louis Browns, in Feller's second start of the season, he extended his major league record for one-hitters when he recorded his ninth one-hit game in a shutout win on April 22.[49][50] In a June 13 game against the Philadelphia Athletics, having already amassed 10 strikeouts through four innings, Feller fell from the mound, which rain had made slippery, and injured his back. "My fastball was never the same after that", Feller said.[8][49] He ended the season as the AL leader in wins (20) and shutouts (5), and led the majors in strikeouts (196) and innings pitched (299).[10]
World Series champion (1948)

In 1948, the Indians had one of their finest seasons, though Feller experienced a season that had a considerable number of downs as well as ups. Feller was selected to represent the AL All-Stars for the seventh time in his career in the 1948 All-Star Game, but declined to play, feeling that his performance did not warrant selection as an All-Star. At one point he was winless for a month,[8] and by July 22, his record was 9–12. Lou Boudreau, the Indians' player-manager, declared "we sink or swim with Feller", and continued to pick him.[8] Feller proceeded to go 10–3 for the remainder of his appearances to finish the season with a record of 19–15, a league-leading 164 strikeouts, and a 3.56 ERA.[10] The Indians won a one-game playoff against the Boston Red Sox to determine the team to represent the AL in the World Series; it was the first time the team had won the pennant since the 1920 season.[2]:β€Š201β€Š

Feller started Game One of the 1948 World Series against the NL-champion Boston Braves. In the eighth inning, Feller and Boudreau appeared to have picked off the Braves' Phil Masi as he attempted to steal a base, but umpire Bill Stewart ruled he was safe.[8] Masi scored the only run of the game on a Braves single. Despite surrendering just two hits on 85 pitches for the game, Feller and the Indians lost 1–0.[51] Later, photographs showed that Boudreau had tagged Masi out by two feet. Feller said, "Stewart was the only guy in the park who thought he was safe."[8] Feller was again named the starter in Game Five, which set an attendance record; the 86,288 fans at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland was the then-largest attendance at a baseball game.[5]:β€Š432β€Š The Braves put up three runs in the top of the first inning. The Indians came back to tie the game, but by the seventh inning, the Braves regained the lead for good and Feller was removed from the game. He finished having allowed eight hits and seven earned runs.[2]:β€Š204β€Š Lemon won Game Six and gave the Indians their second World Series championship. After the Indians returned to Cleveland and were given a victory parade, Feller said, "This is as good as being President."[52]
Later years (1949–1956)
Feller interviewed by the University of Texas campus newspaper, The Shorthorn, in 1950

After taking a pay cut to start the 1949 season, Feller pitched on Opening Day against the St. Louis Browns. During the game, he injured his shoulder and missed the rest of April. His performances were mixed during the rest of the season, and he finished the year with a 15–14 record and a 3.75 ERA.[2]:β€Š206–211β€Š Before the 1950 season, Feller suggested to Indians management he take a pay cut, and did so. Indians general manager Hank Greenberg said, "He himself made the suggestion. In fact, he offered to take more than the 25 per cent maximum pay cut allowed. There was absolutely nothing to it. We all agreed quickly on the figure after Bob showed up yesterday."[53] In a win over the Detroit Tigers in the second game of a doubleheader, Feller became the 53rd pitcher to win 200 games.[5]:β€Š64β€Š Throughout the year, players noted that his velocity had returned, and, winning games with finesse rather than power, he was again effective. He finished the year with 16 wins and a 3.43 ERA.[2]:β€Š215β€Š

On July 1, 1951, Feller recorded his third career no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers.[42] "I was depending on my slider and I didn't begin to think of a no-hitter until about the seventh inning. I tried to keep it in the back of my mind, bearing down and concentrating on one hitter at a time", Feller said.[54] Feller was the third pitcher, after Larry Corcoran and Cy Young, to record three career no-hitters.[54] He became the first pitcher of the 1951 season to reach 20 wins after he pitched a shutout against the Washington Senators on August 21.[55] Along with Early Wynn and Mike Garcia, Feller reached the 20-win mark during the season; they were the first trio of pitchers on the same staff to earn 20 wins since 1931.[5]:β€Š65β€Š The Cleveland starting rotation was so strong that future Hall of Famer Bob Lemon's 17 wins was the only time in an eight-year stretch he didn't win 20.[56]

Feller went 22–8 in 1951, leading the AL both in wins and with a .733 win percentage. He was named the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year.[57]

Feller started the 1952 season with three wins in his first five starts; one of the losses was an April 23 one-hitter against Bob Cain, who also allowed only one hit. Feller struggled for the rest of the season, and after an argument with an umpire over a strike call in late August, manager Al LΓ³pez shut Feller down for the season,[2]:β€Š227–230β€Š finishing 9–13 and a 4.74 ERA.[10] He improved the following year, winning 10 games and losing 7 in 25 starts after Lopez gave him extra days of rest between appearances.[2]:β€Š234β€Š The Indians won 111 regular-season games during 1954, breaking an AL record previously held by the 1927 New York Yankees.[5]:β€Š67β€Š The 35-year-old Feller finished 13–3 on the year, earning his 250th pitching victory in a May 23 win and his 2,500th career strikeout in a win on June 12.[5]:β€Š68β€Š

The Indians played against the New York Giants in the 1954 World Series, getting swept in four games. Unlike the 1948 Series, Feller did not make an appearance. Indians manager Al LΓ³pez said of not starting Feller, "I know Feller wanted to start one of the games in the 1954 World Series (when the Indians were swept by the New York Giants), though we never really talked about it ... If we had won the first or second game in New York, I was going to start Feller in Cleveland in the fourth game. But when we didn't (win either game in New York), why in the hell was I going to pitch Feller? He was the fifth starter on the club at that time, and wasn't the Feller he'd been (earlier in his career)."[58] In 1955, Feller spent part of the season as a starter, then was moved to the bullpen later in the season. He went 4–4 in 25 appearances.[10] During the off-season, he became chairman of the Ohio March of Dimes and served as player representative for the American League. He worked with National League representative Robin Roberts throughout the off-season, discussing the possibility of player arbitration and pensions with baseball owners; he then became president of the Major League Baseball Players' Association.[2]:β€Š244β€Š

In the 1956 season, Feller started four games and appeared in 15 others, and finished with an 0–4 record and career-worst 4.97 ERA.[10] The Indians held "Bob Feller Night" on September 9, and he appeared in his last major league game on September 30.[5]:β€Š71β€Š After the season, speculation mounted regarding whether Feller would retire as a player.[59] In December 1956, Feller told The Plain Dealer: "I will return to Cleveland later this week and plan to confer with Hank Greenberg before Christmas. I hope to reach a decision at that time."[60] Greenberg had also offered Feller his release or a job with the Indians in their front office. Greenberg said, "We sincerely want Feller to remain with us. As far as I'm concerned, there will always be a job waiting for Bob in the Cleveland organization."[60] On December 28, Feller officially retired from the Indians as a player to continue his work selling insurance.[61] Announcing his retirement, Feller said, "I could have gone with a couple other ball clubs, but anything I might have done with them would have taken the edge off the success I have had with the Cleveland club the last 20 years." He continued, "What if I did pitch another year, so what? I would have to come to the decision I am making now, some time."[62]
Bob Feller's number 19 was retired by the Cleveland Indians in 1956.

He spent his entire career of 18 seasons with the Indians, being one of "The Big Four" in the Indians' pitching rotation in the 1950s, along with Bob Lemon, Early Wynn and Mike Garcia. Feller shares the Major League record of 12 one-hitters with Nolan Ryan, and was the first pitcher to win 20 or more games before the age of 21.[42] He ended his career with 266 wins, 2,581 strikeouts and 279 complete games. Over the course of his career, he led the AL in strikeouts seven times and walks four times.[10] Upon his retirement, Feller was number three all-time in strikeouts, behind only Walter Johnson and Cy Young,[63] and held the major league record for most walks in a career (1,764), and holds the 20th-century record for most walks in a season (208 in 1938).[64] The Indians retired his jersey number, 19, on December 27, 1956.[65]

As a hitter, Feller posted a .151 batting average (193-for-1282) with 99 runs, 28 doubles, 13 triples, 8 home runs, 99 RBI and 100 bases on balls. Defensively, he recorded a .963 fielding percentage.[10]

In 1962, Feller was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, along with Jackie Robinson. Both were the first to be elected on their first ballot appearance since the original induction class of 1936.[47] At the time of his induction, only Ty Cobb (98.2%), Babe Ruth (95.1%), and Honus Wagner (95.1%) had a higher percentage of ballot votes. In 2010, after Feller had been admitted to hospice, a reporter released a story recalling a 2007 interview with an aged Feller where he brought up Feller's candid assessment of Robinson as a ballplayer. "They overhyped Jackie Robinson. He was a good baserunner. He was a fair hitter. He was an average second baseman. He was not as good a ballplayer as Larry Doby. There were a lot of better black ballplayers than Jackie Robinson," said Feller.[66]
Dispute with Commissioner Chandler

Throughout his career, Feller played exhibition games during the off-season, playing in towns unaccustomed to seeing major league ballplayers. His exhibition tours often featured other big leaguers and Negro league players, like Satchel Paige, who was also a teammate of Feller's with the Indians.[67] Other players included Stan Musial, Mickey Vernon, and Jeff Heath.[68] During a barnstorming tour in 1945, Feller pitched against Jackie Robinson after he had been signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers. He told a reporter in Los Angeles that he believed Robinson was too muscle-bound to succeed against pitching in the major leagues, although Robinson recorded two hits off Feller.[11][69][70] Players had to notify the Commissioner of Baseball, A.B. "Happy" Chandler, before participating in exhibition games and were not allowed to begin games before the conclusion of the major-league season. Feller wrote to Chandler, challenging the league's limit on the number of games that were allowed to be played and proposing an increase; the Commissioner agreed to Feller's proposal.[71] To minimize travel time, Feller employed airplanes, such as two Douglas DC-3s in 1947, to transport players from town to town. Feller's involvement, as well as that of other major league players, was the subject of meetings between the Commissioner and AL and NL presidents.[72]

In 1947, Feller announced that he would pitch in the Cuban winter league during the off-season, but Commissioner Chandler ruled no major-leaguer could play in Cuba.[73] Feller said he would donate his profits from playing in the Cuban winter league to the American Major League players' pension fund: "I want to prove I'm not going to Cuba for any selfish interest but because there is a principle involved and that is the right of any ball player to work at his chosen profession".[74] Feller also believed it was "grossly unfair" that major leaguers who were U.S. citizens could not play in winter leagues but Latin Americans were permitted.[75] Indians owner and president Bill Veeck said, "I have no comment on Bob's outside activities. I don't know whether they've hurt him or not. But I do know this. The great majority of the people of Cleveland think they've hurt him."[73]

Feller's barnstorming business savvy and endorsement details made him one of the wealthiest players of his time but he claimed his off-season exhibitions and barnstorming were necessary to pay for increased medical expenses for his family. His first wife developed anemia after giving birth to their second child when she was given the wrong type of blood during transfusions; she subsequently became addicted to the prescribed medication for her condition.[6] Feller was trying to make up lost earnings as a result, since he missed out on $125,000 or more in salary[76] when he served in the Navy; he missed more than three major league seasons.[71] Feller's biographer John Sickels suggested: "They were trying to make money, but part of it was also, he felt that the black players weren't necessarily getting a fair chance and that he wanted to sort of showcase it. And seeing those, I think, those exhibition games helped people realize that the Negro league players were just as good as the Major League players."[77]
Records
91-year-old Feller in March 2009

Feller, who averaged over 25 wins for the three seasons preceding his military service and won 26 his first year out, estimated that the nearly four years he missed while in the U.S. Navy cost him at least 100 career wins. Given his proven performance on both sides of his hitch it is likely that Feller would have finished his career with more than 350 wins and perhaps 3,800 strikeouts.[78][79] The always plain-speaking Feller said, "I know in my heart I would have ended up a lot closer to 400 than 300 if I hadn't spent four seasons in the Navy. But don't take that as a complaint. I'm happy I got home in one piece."[11]

There are numerous claims of how fast Feller could actually throw a ball. Best estimates are at least 98 mph and quite possibly several miles an hour over 100 mph. Among them is footage of a Feller fastball being clocked by Army ordnance equipment (used to measure artillery shell velocity) and registering at 98.6 mph (158.7 km/h).[80] With primitive equipment, Feller was at one point measured at 105 mph (169 km/h).[8] Feller once mentioned that he was clocked at 104 mph (167 km/h) at Lincoln Park in Chicago.[81] He also is credited with throwing the second fastest pitch ever officially recorded, at 107.6 mph (173.2 km/h), in a game in 1946 at Griffith Stadium.[1][3]:β€Š27β€Š Feller said a 1974 test involving Nolan Ryan would be evaluated when he threw the ball rather than when it reached home plate, and as columnist Milton Richman wrote, Feller said "Sandy Koufax had the best live fast ball he ever saw."[82]

Although subjective, an extremely telling assessment of just how hard Feller was to hit – even for a left-handed hitter, who had an advantage compared to right-handers – was the tribute from Ted Williams, regarded by many as the greatest hitter in baseball history.[83] He confessed, "Three days before he pitched I would start thinking about Robert Feller, Bob Feller. I'd sit in my room thinking about him all the time. God I loved it ... Allie Reynolds of the Yankees was tough, and I might think about him for 24 hours before a game, but Robert Feller: I'd think about him for three days."[6] Feller was ranked 36th on The Sporting News's list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and also the publication's "greatest pitcher of his time" as well as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.[84] Each year, American Legion Baseball presents the "Bob Feller Pitching Award" to the pitcher "with the most strikeouts in regional and national competition."[85]
Later life
Feller in 1996

Feller was elected the inaugural president of the Major League Baseball Players' Association in 1956.[86] As president, he appeared before Congress to speak about baseball's reserve clause.[87][88] Feller was the first player to get a franchise to agree to a share of game receipts when he was the starting pitcher for Indians' games. He was also the earliest player to incorporate himself (as Ro-Fel, Inc.).[77][89] He was also one of the first players to work for the right of a player to enter free agency.[77]

Feller and his wife, Virginia Winther, had three sons, Steve, Martin, and Bruce. The couple divorced in 1971; from the divorce settlement, Virginia received the house she and Feller had built. Virginia died on May 6, 1981, in her home in Shaker Heights, Ohio.[90] In retirement, Feller lived with his second wife, Anne (nΓ©e Thorpe), in Gates Mills, a suburb of Cleveland.[2]:β€Š263β€Š

Feller is credited with being the first baseball star to sign autographs at baseball memorabilia conventions,[91] and was such a frequent guest at such events that one ESPN writer speculated that he had signed more autographs than any other person.[92]

In 1990, Feller received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[93] In June 2009, at the age of 90, Feller was one of the starting pitchers at the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame Classic, which replaced the Hall of Fame Game at Cooperstown, New York.[94] Feller was treated for leukemia in August 2010.[95] By October, Feller was fitted with a pacemaker and was diagnosed with pneumonia and thrush, an infection of the mucous membrane lining the mouth and throat. He was transferred on December 8 from the Cleveland Clinic to hospice care.[96] On December 15, Feller died of complications from leukemia at 92.[11]
Legacy
Former Bob Feller Museum in his birthplace, Van Meter, Iowa, today the city hall

Of Feller's death, Mike Hegan, Indians broadcaster and son of former Feller teammate and battery mate Jim Hegan, stated, "The Indians of the 40s and 50s were the face of the city of Cleveland and Bob was the face of the Indians. But, Bob transcended more than that era. In this day of free agency and switching teams, Bob Feller remained loyal to the city and the team for over 70 years. You will likely not see that kind of mutual loyalty and admiration ever again."[97] In 2010, the "Cleveland Indians Man of the Year Award" was renamed the "Bob Feller Man of the Year Award".[97]

On Opening Day of the 2011 season, the Indians invited Feller's widow, Anne, to present a silent first pitch. During pregame introductions, Cleveland players wore a No. 19 jersey in honor of Feller. For the entire 2011 season the players' uniforms were outfitted with an outline of Feller's pitching motion. The organization also made a permanent memorial of the press-box seat that Feller used in later life.[98]

The Bob Feller Museum opened in Feller's birthplace, Van Meter, Iowa, on June 10, 1995. Designed by Feller's son Stephen, on land donated by Brenton Banks,[99] the museum had two rooms that contained Feller memorabilia and items from his own collection. The Feller bat used by Babe Ruth when he made his last public appearance at Yankee Stadium is at the museum. Feller said a teammate had stolen the bat and eventually it was purchased by the Upper Deck sports card company for $107,000. Feller later offered the company $95,000 in return for the bat.[100] Following Feller's death in 2010, the museum faced serious funding issues. In 2015, with family approval, the Bob Feller Museum was donated to the city of Van Meter for use as the city hall. Some artifacts remain on permanent exhibit and can be viewed free of charge.[101][102]

In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award was created to honor the life of Feller. The award recognizes "individuals that possess the values, integrity, and dedication to serving our country that Bob Feller himself displayed."[103] 

Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955.

Following his retirement, Kiner served from 1956 through 1960 as general manager of the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres.[1] He also served as an announcer for the New York Mets from the team's inception until his death. Though injuries forced his retirement from active play after 10 seasons, Kiner led all of his National League contemporaries in home runs between 1946 and 1952. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.

After Kiner's death, baseball writer Marty Noble called him "one of baseball's genuine and most charming gentlemen."[2]
Early life

Kiner was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico, to Beatrice (nΓ©e Grayson) and Ralph Macklin Kiner. His father died when Ralph was four and his mother took a job in Alhambra, California, where Kiner was subsequently raised. He was of Pennsylvania Dutch and Scotch-Irish descent, with German-Jewish ancestry through his maternal grandmother. Kiner graduated from Alhambra High School in Alhambra, California.[3]
World War II Service

Kiner served as a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II.[3]

Kiner was inducted into the Navy during the spring of 1943. As a cadet, he attended St. Mary's Pre-Flight School in California and earned his pilot's wings and commission at Corpus Christi, Texas, in December 1944. Kiner flew PBM Mariner flying boats on submarine patrols from Naval Air Station (NAS) Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii, accumulating 1,200 flying hours. Kiner enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor.[4][5]
Playing career (1946–1955)

Kiner made his major league debut on April 12, 1946, with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He finished the season with 23 home runs, but 109 strikeouts. After the season, the Pirates convinced future Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg not to retire. Greenberg gave Kiner hours of instruction,[6] and in 1947, Kiner led the major leagues with 51 home runs while striking out fewer than 100 times.[7]

Many of Kiner's homers were hit into a shortened left-field and left-center-field porch at Forbes Field (originally built for Greenberg and known in the press as "Greenberg Gardens"); the porch was retained for Kiner and redubbed "Kiner's Korner".[8] Kiner would later use "Kiner's Korner" as the title of his post-game TV show in New York.[2]

In 1949, Kiner topped his 1947 total with 54 home runs, falling just two short of Hack Wilson's then-National League record. It was the highest total in the major leagues from 1939 to 1960, and the highest National League total from 1931 to 1997. It made Kiner the first National League player with two 50 plus home run seasons. Kiner also matched his peak of 127 RBIs. From 1947 to 1951, Kiner topped 40 home runs and 100 RBIs each season. Through 2011 he was one of seven major leaguers to have had at least four 30-HR, 100-RBI seasons in their first five years, along with Chuck Klein, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mark Teixeira, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Ryan Braun.[9][10]

Kiner's string of seasons leading the league in home runs reached seven in 1952, when he hit 37. This also was the last of a record six consecutive seasons in which he led Major League Baseball in home runs, all under the guidance of manager Billy Meyer and Pirate great Honus Wagner. He was selected to participate in the All-Star Game in six straight seasons, 1948 to 1953.[11]

The equally famous "Home run hitters drive Cadillacs and singles hitters drive Fords," frequently misattributed to Kiner himself, was, by his own account, actually coined by teammate Fritz Ostermueller.[12][13] Footage of Kiner hitting a home run in Forbes Field can be seen in the 1951 film Angels in the Outfield.[14]

On June 4, 1953, Kiner was sent to the Chicago Cubs as part of a ten-player trade. The Pirates traded Kiner, Joe Garagiola, George Metkovich, and Howie Pollet to the Cubs in exchange for Bob Addis, Toby Atwell, George Freese, Gene Hermanski, Bob Schultz, Preston Ward, and $150,000.[15] This was largely due to continued salary disputes with Pirates general manager Branch Rickey, who reportedly told Kiner, "We finished last with you, we can finish last without you."[16]

Kiner played the rest of 1953 and all of 1954 with the Cubs, finishing his career with the Cleveland Indians in 1955. A back injury forced him to retire at the age of 32, finishing his career with 369 home runs, 1,015 runs batted in and a .279 lifetime batting average.[2] He hit better than .300 three times, with a career best .313 with the Pirates in 1947.
Broadcasting career (1961–2013)
Ralph Kiner was honored alongside the retired numbers of the New York Mets in 2014.

In 1961, Kiner entered the broadcast booth for the Chicago White Sox. The following year, Kiner, Lindsey Nelson, and Bob Murphy began broadcasting the games of the expansion New York Mets on WOR-TV in New York City. The trio rotated announcing duties. Kiner also hosted a post-game show known as "Kiner's Korner" on WOR-TV. Nationally, he helped call the Mets' appearance in the 1969 and 1973 World Series for NBC Radio. He won a local Emmy Award for his broadcasting work.[16]

Kiner was known for his occasional malapropisms, usually connected with getting people's names wrong, such as calling broadcasting partner Tim McCarver as "Tim MacArthur" and calling Gary Carter "Gary Cooper".[16] He even once called himself "Ralph Korner".[17]

Despite a bout with Bell's palsy, which left him with slightly slurred speech,[18] Kiner continued broadcasting for 53 seasons.[19] Kiner's tenure with the Mets was the third-longest for an active broadcaster with a single team as of his final season. He is the third longest-tenured broadcaster in baseball history, trailing only Los Angeles Dodgers announcers Vin Scully (1950–2016) and Jaime JarrΓ­n (1959–2022). His traditional home run callβ€”"It is gone, goodbye," was a signature phrase in baseball.

As illness reduced his appearances, Kiner featured less frequently on SportsNet New York (SNY) and WPIX, which currently televise Mets games. During these visits (usually once a week), regular announcers Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling would welcome Kiner as he shared stories of the Golden Age of baseball, as well as the contemporary game. During his final season in 2013, he was the oldest active announcer in Major League Baseball.
Personal life
Kiner with his first wife, tennis player Nancy Chaffee at the Racquet Club of Palm Springs in 1953.

Kiner is the second cousin twice removed of MLB infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, through their common ancestor Mary McPherran Kiner of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, who was Kiner’s great-grandmother and Kiner-Falefa’s great-great-great-grandmother.[20]

Partly because Hollywood megastar Bing Crosby was part-owner of the Pirates, Kiner was often closely linked with celebrities such as Crosby's colleague Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra, but even more to publicized romances, dates, or photos with leading ladies, such as Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, and Janet Leigh.[21] He was Taylor's date to the premiere of Twelve O'Clock High in 1949 and began dating Leigh when Angels in the Outfield was being filmed at Forbes Field.[1]

Kiner was married four times; his first spouse was 1950s tennis star Nancy Chaffee from 1951 to 1968. They had three children together: Michael, Scott, and Kathryn.[22][23]

Kiner was also married to Barbara (nΓ©e George)[1] Kiner from 1969 to 1980, and to DiAnn Kiner from 1982 until her death in 2004.[24][25]

In his 80s, Kiner married, then divorced, Ann Benisch.[3]
Death

Ralph Kiner died from natural causes in Rancho Mirage, California, on February 6, 2014, at the age of 91.[26] Upon his death, New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon said, "Ralph Kiner was one of the most beloved people in Mets history - an original Met and extraordinary gentleman."[27] At the time of his death, Kiner had been battling Bell's palsy, and the effects of a stroke that he had suffered a decade prior that forced him to reduce his broadcast schedule to a handful of games a season.[28]
Legacy
Ralph Kiner's number 4 was retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1987.

Kiner was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.[29] Kiner had garnered 273 votes by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, one more than the minimum required for election. It was in his final year of eligibility (his 13th, as no vote was held in 1963 and 1965), and it was the closest call possible for any player elected by the BBWAA (any further votes would be before the Veterans Committee if he was not elected). Kiner was also the only player voted in that year.[30][31] He attended every Hall of Fame ceremony from the time he was inducted until his death.[2]
Kiner throws out the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field in 2011

Kiner was elected to the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1984.[32]

The Pittsburgh Pirates retired his uniform number 4 on September 19, 1987.[33] He was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2022 as part of the inaugural class.[34]

In 1999, The Sporting News placed Kiner at number 90 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Baseball Players".[35] That same year, he was one of the 100 finalists for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team that year.

The Mets honored him with an on-field ceremony on "Ralph Kiner Night" at Shea Stadium on Saturday, July 14, 2007. On that night, fans were given photos of Kiner. Franchise icon Tom Seaver gave a commemorative speech recalling Kiner's legacy. Other guests of note were Yogi Berra, Bob Feller, and broadcaster Ernie Harwell. To honor his tenure, the Mets announced that the home broadcast booth at future home Citi Field would be named for Kiner (the booth at Shea had previously been named for him in 2002).[36] As a present from the Mets, Kiner received a cruise of his choice.[37]

In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Kiner as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Navy during World War II.[38]

In 2014, the Mets "retired" Kiner's broadcast microphone and added a logo featuring his name, dates and a vintage broadcast microphone to the left-field wall at Citi Field. They also wore patches with the logo for the season.[39] The logo was later moved from the wall to the stadium's top tier alongside the franchise's other non-player honorees.[40] 
Walter Fenner "Buck" Leonard (September 8, 1907 – November 27, 1997) was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball and in the Mexican League. After growing up in North Carolina, he played for the Homestead Grays between 1934 and 1950, batting fourth behind Josh Gibson for many years. The Grays teams of the 1930s and 1940s were considered some of the best teams in Negro league history. Leonard and Gibson are two of only nine players in league history to win multiple batting titles.

Leonard never played in Major League Baseball (MLB); he declined a 1952 offer of an MLB contract because he felt he was too old. Late in life, Leonard worked as a physical education instructor and was the vice-president of a minor league baseball team. He and Gibson were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. In 1999, he was ranked number 47 on the 100 Greatest Baseball Players list by The Sporting News.
Early life

Born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina,[2] Leonard was the brother of fellow Negro leaguer Charlie Leonard.[3] His father worked as a railroad fireman while his mother was a homemaker who cared for the six Leonard children. Leonard's parents called him "Buddy", but his younger brother began mispronouncing it "Bucky". Family members began calling him "Buck", a name which stuck with him throughout his life.[4] When Leonard was about seven years old, he would sneak over to the baseball field of the local white team and watch games through the fence. Local police even once arrested Leonard and his friends when they were caught peeking through the fence at the segregated field.[5]

Leonard's father died when he was eleven and Leonard picked up jobs after school to help his family. There was no black high school in Rocky Mount, so Leonard finished the eighth grade and went to work shining shoes for a rail station.[6] He also worked in a hosiery mill and for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. He later earned a GED by correspondence. He began playing semiprofessional baseball while working for the railroad, then decided to pursue his living with the sport.[7]
Negro league career

He began his Negro league career in 1933 with the Brooklyn Royal Giants, then moved to the legendary Homestead Grays in 1934, the team he played for until his retirement in 1950. The Grays of the late 1930s through the mid-1940s are considered one of the greatest teams of any race ever assembled. The team won nine league pennants in a row during that time.[8]

Leonard batted fourth in their lineup behind Josh Gibson. He led the Negro leagues in batting average in 1948 with a mark of .395, and usually either led the league in home runs or finished second in homers to teammate Gibson. Since Gibson was known as the "Black Babe Ruth" and Leonard was a first baseman, Buck Leonard was inevitably called the "Black Lou Gehrig." Together, the pair was colloquially known as the "Thunder Twins" or "Dynamite Twins".[9] In fact, Negro league star Monte Irvin said that if Leonard had been allowed in the major leagues, baseball fans "might have called Lou Gehrig the white Buck Leonard. He was that good."[8] The Grays disbanded after 1950.[10]
Mexican League career

Beginning in 1951, Leonard went to the Mexican League. Teams played three games per week in this league, a pace that worked well for the aging player.[11] Leonard said that he got sick from the water every year that he returned to Mexico, but he otherwise enjoyed the league. For much of his time in Mexico, he was managed by Cuban baseball star MartΓ­n Dihigo. Leonard was impressed by Dihigo's baseball knowledge. In 1952, Leonard was offered a major league contract, but he believed that at age 45 he was too old and might embarrass himself and hurt the cause of integration. He stayed in Mexico through 1955, playing for teams in TorreΓ³n, Xalapa, Durango and ObregΓ³n.[12]
Minor league career

In 1953, Leonard made his only appearances in "organized" ball, playing for the unaffiliated Portsmouth Merrimacs of the class B Piedmont League, hitting .333 in 10 games and 46 at bats.[13]
Later life
Leonard following his playing career

After retiring as a player, Leonard worked as a truant officer, served as a physical education instructor and started a realty company. From 1962 to 1972, he was vice president of the Rocky Mount Leafs and then, from 1973 to 1975, of the Rocky Mount Phillies.[7] The Leafs were a Class A Carolina League farm team for the Detroit Tigers from 1965 to 1972. In 1962 and 1963. the Leafs were a farm club of the Cincinnati Reds and in 1964, the Leafs were a farm club of the Washington Senators. The Phillies were a farm team for the Philadelphia Phillies.[14]

Leonard was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 along with Gibson. At his induction ceremony on August 7 of that year, Leonard said, "We in the Negro leagues felt like we were contributing something to baseball, too, when we were playing. We played with a round ball and we played with a round bat. And we wore baseball shoes and wore baseball uniforms and we thought we were making a contribution to baseball. We loved the game and we liked to play it. If we didn't, we wouldn't have played because there wasn't any money in it."[10]

Leonard was also inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1974.[7] He suffered a stroke in the 1980s.[7] In 1994, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held in Pittsburgh, hometown of the Grays, and the 88-year-old Leonard was named an honorary captain. He appeared wearing a replica of a Grays uniform. Shortly before his death in 1997, Leonard was the subject of a North Carolina General Assembly proclamation recognizing his contributions to baseball. His death late that year stemmed from complications of his earlier stroke.[7]
Legacy
Baseball Hall of Fame induction plaque

In 1999, he ranked Number 47 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, one of five players so honored who played all or most of their careers in the Negro leagues, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Leonard's contemporaries, including catcher Roy Campanella and pitcher Dave Barnhill, cited his quick bat as one of his greatest strengths. "You could put a fastball in a shotgun and you couldn't shoot it by him," Barnhill said.[8] Negro league pitcher Leon Day said that he would have rather pitched against Gibson than Leonard.[8] Grays owner Cumberland Posey described Leonard as one of the most talented clutch hitters in the Negro leagues.[8]

He was named to the Washington Nationals Ring of Honor for his "significant contribution to the game of baseball in Washington, D.C." as part of the Homestead Grays on August 10, 2010.
Career statistics
Negro leagues

The first official statistics for the Negro leagues were compiled as part of a statistical study sponsored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and supervised by Larry Lester and Dick Clark; a research team collected statistics from thousands of boxscores of league-sanctioned games.[15] The first results from this study were the statistics for Negro league Hall of Famers elected prior to 2006, which were published in Shades of Glory by Lawrence D. Hogan. These statistics included the official Negro league statistics for Buck Leonard as of 2006.[16][17]
Year     Team     G     AB     R     H     2B     3B     HR     RBI     SB     BB     BA     SLG
1934     Homestead     20     79     16     28     4     0     5     14     0     3     .354     .595
1935     Homestead     36     147     26     50     10     1     3     10     3     15     .340     .483
1936     Homestead     17     62     15     15     1     1     2     3     1     12     .242     .387
1937     Homestead p     28     105     39     39     8     1     7     17     1     20     .371     .667
1938     Homestead p     27     99     21     33     0     0     3     8     0     11     .333     .424
1939     Homestead     22     72     23     30     5     0     5     23     2     17     .417     .694
1940     Homestead p     44     152     40     60     12     3     8     44     4     32     .395     .671
1941     Homestead p     36     123     40     36     4     5     8     29     6     30     .293     .602
1942     Homestead p     26     87     10     18     3     0     0     10     1     14     .207     .241
1943     Homestead c     55     200     55     59     11     7     4     41     2     38     .295     .480
1944     Homestead c     34     121     30     34     8     5     5     27     1     18     .281     .554
1945     Homestead p     16     59     7     17     1     2     0     7     0     7     .288     .373
1946     Homestead     30     102     18     27     3     1     3     26     3     24     .265     .402
1947     Homestead     11     30     7     16     0     0     4     8     1     8     .533     .933
1948     Homestead c     10     34     5     9     3     0     3     8     0     8     .265     .618
Total     15 seasons     412     1472     352     471     73     26     60     275     25     257     .320     .527
   p = pennant; c = pennant and Negro World Series championship.

After seven Negro leagues were declared major leagues in December 2020, Baseball Reference added Negro League statistics compiled by the Seamheads Negro Leagues Database to its website.[18]



These statistics include the official Negro major league statistics (which differ from Major League Baseball's own record book) for Buck Leonard as of 2021.[19][b]
Year     Team     G     AB     R     H     2B     3B     HR     RBI     SB     BB     BA     SLG     OBP
1935     Homestead     40     157     30     61     18     3     4     36     5     17     .389     .618     .451
1936     Homestead     35     124     35     43     3     4     6     34     2     29     .347     .581     .471
1937     Homestead p     42     170     54     64     15     3     13     55     2     25     .376     .729     .462
1938     Homestead p     42     150     41     63     11     5     9     53     1     24     .420     .740     .500
1939     Homestead     30     109     35     42     10     0     11     48     2     21     .385     .780     .485
1940     Homestead p     49     168     44     62     12     3     8     48     2     34     .369     .619     .475
1941     Homestead p     47     161     54     56     9     6     11     40     6     38     .348     .683     .472
1942     Homestead p     30     100     16     22     5     0     0     12     3     19     .220     .270     .345
1943     Homestead c     67     254     71     84     16     8     4     63     2     47     .331     .504     .439
1944     Homestead c     49     179     47     60     14     6     7     43     1     29     .335     .598     .428
1945     Homestead p     36     138     30     47     5     3     5     30     0     20     .341     .529     .431
1946     Homestead     50     169     37     57     7     4     7     47     3     38     .337     .550     .459
1947     Homestead     35     109     20     33     5     1     6     24     4     26     .303     .532     .441
1948     Homestead c     35     113     20     30     7     0     4     17     1     27     .265     .434     .415
Total     14 seasons     587     2101     534     724     137     46     95     550     34     394     .345     .589     .450
   p = pennant; c = pennant and Negro World Series championship.
Mexican League
Year     Team     G     AB     R     H     2B     3B     HR     RBI     SB     BB     BA     SLG
1951     TorreΓ³n     83     273     64     88     19     1     14     64     5     87     .322     .553
1952     TorreΓ³n     86     295     50     96     15     1     8     71     12     90     .325     .464
1953     TorreΓ³n     58     190     39     63     20     2     5     38     4     58     .332     .537
Total     3 seasons     227     758     153     247     54     4     27     173     21     235     .326     .515 

Frederick Charles Lindstrom (November 21, 1905 – October 4, 1981) was an American professional baseball player who was a third baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers from 1924 until 1936. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.

Lindstrom debuted in MLB for the Giants in 1924. In 1930, Giants manager John McGraw ranked Lindstrom ninth among the top 20 players of the previous quarter century.[1] Babe Ruth picked him as his NL all-star third baseman over Pie Traynor for the decade leading up to the first inter-league All-Star Game in 1933.[2] Modern-day statistics guru Bill James, who rates Lindstrom No. 43 on his all-time third basemen list, placed him among the top three under-21 players at that position and called the 1927 Giants infield of Lindstrom, Hornsby, Travis Jackson and Bill Terry the decade's best.[3]

In 1931, injuries – including a chronic bad back and broken leg – brought about his switch to the outfield. The Giants traded him to the Pirates before the 1933 season. He also played for the Cubs and Dodgers before he retired after 13 seasons in 1936.[4]
Early life

Lindstrom was born on November 21, 1905, on Chicago's South Side, near Comiskey Park. Lindstrom as a youngster was an ardent Chicago White Sox fan, often playing hooky from school to watch their games. He was devastated when his hero, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and other teammates were banned from baseball for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series.[5]

Lindstrom attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, and was in his sophomore year when he tried out for the Chicago Cubs in 1922. He instead signed with the New York Giants, who assigned him to the Toledo Mud Hens.[6] He played for Toledo for two years with such future Giants teammates as Travis Jackson and Bill Terry.[7]
New York Giants

The Giants promoted Lindstrom to the major leagues for the 1924 season. The 18-year-old Lindstrom batted .333 in the 1924 World Series, including four hits in one game against Washington's Walter Johnson while playing errorless baseball in the field.[8] The youngest player ever in a post-season game, he was described by Johnson after the fifth game as "a wonder, easily the brightest star in this series."[9] But a bad-hop bouncer over his head in the 12th inning of the seventh game gave the series to the Senators and became an enduring moment in baseball lore. A number of later accounts of the Series called Lindstrom "the goat for his 12th-inning error." Actually, there was no error on the play, and Groh was later quoted as saying: "It wasn't Freddie's fault. It could have happened to anyone. He never had a chance to get the ball."[10] "So they won it," Lindstrom later recalled. "(Giants pitcher) Jack Bentley, who was something of a philosopher, I think summed it up after the game. β€˜Walter Johnson,’ Bentley said, β€˜is such a loveable character that the good Lord didn't want to see him get beat again.’"[11]
Lindstrom's 1933 Goudey baseball card

Playing in an era when fielders’ gloves were little more than padded strips of leather with a baseball-sized pocket in the palm, Lindstrom for three of the next four seasons led National League third basemen in fielding percentage. He also topped the league in assists in 1928, finishing second with 34 double plays and 506 total chances. All while posting 231 hits in both 1928 and 1930 including nine hits in a double header, a record never surpassed to this day.[12] By the time Lindstrom reached the age of 25, he had accumulated 1,186 hits, the fourth highest total for a 25-year-old player in MLB history, behind only Ty Cobb (1,433), Mel Ott (1,249) and Al Kaline (1,200).[13]

A "million-dollar infield," said writer Arnold Hano of the late-1920s Giants quartet. "Fans would come early just to watch their fielding-practice magic." In an essay on Willie Mays' famous back-to-the-plate World Series catch off Cleveland's Vic Wertz in 1954, Hano claimed that an even more sensational play was Lindstrom's full-length, leaping grab before crashing into the outfield wall in a 1932 Giants-Pirates game that the New York Herald Tribune later called "the greatest catch ever made in the Polo Grounds."[14] During his nine seasons with the Giants, Lindstrom batted .318 (fourth on the team's all-time list in the 20th century), while demonstrating his ability to come through in the clutch with pennant-chasing hitting streaks in September 1928 that raised his average from .342 to .358 and in 1930 from .354 to .379.[15] As late as 1935 while playing center field for the Chicago Cubs, his .427 batting average during a stretch of 21 consecutive victories was credited by such Chicago newsmen as John P. Carmichael and Warren Brown as the main factor in the Cubs’ drive for the NL championship.[16]

Often referred to as "the last of the great place hitters" on McGraw teams that emphasized advancing runners into scoring position rather than relying on the long ball,[17] Lindstrom in 1931 was led to believe that he would succeed the long-time Giants manager. "We’re making that change we spoke about next year," Lindstrom, recuperating from a broken leg, said he was told by Giants’ club secretary Jim Tierney. "McGraw is going out and we want to make you manager."[18] Instead, for reasons that some traced to Lindstrom's leadership role in a player revolt against their often dictatorial manager (a charge he consistently denied, although admitting that he often spoke out against the feisty skipper nicknamed Little Napoleon), club owner Horace Stoneham chose first baseman Bill Terry to replace McGraw.[19] Although the two remained friends, Lindstrom demanded a trade, which took him to Pittsburgh in 1933. To the press, Terry said, "Fred no longer has that burst of speed he used to have."[20] Several years later, Lindstrom conceded "It was the worst mistake I ever made. If I could have just accepted that setback, it would have worked out in time. But I fouled the whole thing up -- forever."[21]
Pirates, Cubs, and Dodgers

Playing in the outfield between Lloyd and Paul Waner, Lindstrom finished second on the Pirates to shortstop Arky Vaughan by four percentage points with a .310 batting average (eighth highest in the National League), hitting 39 doubles and leading the league's center fielders with a .986 fielding average.[12]

In the 1934 season, George Gibson was fired as manager 51 games into the season with the Pirates mired in fourth place. His replacement, Pie Traynor, moved Lindstrom to left field and then to the bench after breaking his finger in a fungo game.[22] At season's end, despite fielding .990 and again outhitting Lloyd Waner while playing in 43 fewer games, Lindstrom was traded to the Chicago Cubs where he quickly became what Cubs manager Charley Grimm later called "a vital asset" in the team's 1935 league championship.[23] Starting at third base ahead of Stan Hack, he was later shifted to fill a void in center field. There, Grimm said, as boss of the outfield he allowed only seven pop flies to fall safely during that 21-game streak. He also drove in the winning run, or scored it, in seven of the games including three singles and a double off Dizzy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals in the pennant-clinching contest. "And why isn't Lindstrom in the Hall of Fame?" Grimm asked in a 1968 interview.[24]

After the Cubs lost to the Detroit Tigers in the 1935 World Series, however, the following January he was released and later signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers. After only 26 games and a .264 batting average, Lindstrom abruptly retired from baseball following a collision with infielder Jimmy Jordan while going for a routine pop fly. "I have been in this league 12 years," Lindstrom reportedly said, "and it never happened to me until I put on a Brooklyn uniform."[25]

In 13 years and 1,438 games played, Lindstrom compiled a .311 batting average (1,747-for-5,611), with 895 runs, 301 doubles, 81 triples, 103 home runs and 779 runs batted in. His on-base percentage was .351 and slugging percentage was .449. He hit .300 or better seven times. Lindstrom recorded six 5-hit games. He hit for the cycle on May 8, 1930. In 11 World Series games (1924 and 1935), he hit .289 (13–45) with four RBIs.
Later career and personal life
Lindstrom with his son, Andy, in 1936

In later years, Lindstrom managed minor league teams at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Knoxville, Tennessee. After coaching the Northwestern University baseball team for 13 seasons, he was appointed postmaster of Evanston, Illinois, a position he held until 1972. He died nine years later and is buried with his wife, Irene, in Chicago's All Saints Cemetery.[26] The youngest of their three sons, Chuck Lindstrom, played briefly for the 1958 Chicago White Sox, walking and tripling for a perfect 1.000 batting average and on-base percentage in two plate appearances.[27]

Freddie Lindstrom died at Mercy Hospital in Chicago on October 4, 1981, and was buried at All Saints Cemetery.[28]
Legacy
Lindstrom's plaque at the Baseball Hall of Fame

Although many modern-day baseball historians refer to Traynor as the era's premier fielding third baseman, the Pirate Hall of Famer led the league in errors five times including 37 in 1931 and 27 in both 1932 and 1933. Lindstrom's high mark was 21 errors in both 1928 and 1930. For the seven comparable seasons that Lindstrom played third base, his fielding percentage tops that of Traynor each year.[29]

Donald Dewey and Nick Acocella (All Time All Star Baseball Book, Elysian Fields Press, 1992) list Lindstrom as the New York Giants all-time third baseman. The esteemed sportswriter, Red Smith, placed him at third base on an all-time New York all-star team that had no room for the likes of Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider or Mel Ott.[30]

John Kieran (Sports of the Times), reported the following: "Arthur Nehf was sitting in the Chicago dugout talking about the Giant hitters. He talked of Roush, Jackson, Terry and Hogan and then remarked decisively that Freddie Lindstrom was the cleverest of them all at the plate and the hardest man to fool in the clutch."[31]

Lindstrom's four hits in Game 5 of the 1924 World Series stood as the rookie record until matched by San Francisco's Buster Posey in the 2010 series.

Along with a 24-game hitting streak in 1930 and a 25-game streak in 1933, Lindstrom also ranks among the all-time top 10 in lifetime strikeouts to batting average ratio, 276 strikeouts to .311 batting average in 6,104 plate appearances. Lloyd Waner, Pie Traynor and Arky Vaughan are also on the list.[32]

Lindstrom led the league in outfield assists in 1932 and putouts in 1933. He came to the Pirates as "a strong defensive player and even better right-handed line drive hitter."[33]

The Hall of Fame's Bill Francis posted an undated article titled "Research Sheds New Light on Lindstrom's 1930 Season" that shows he batted .480 that year with runners in scoring position, the highest in Major League history. According to the Society for American Baseball Research's Records Committee, in a publication authored by SABR Records Committee Chairman Trent McCotter, "In discussions of George Brett’s magical 1980 season, his overall .390 batting average is often mentioned alongside his .469 average with runners in scoring position, which is occasionally cited as the highest such figure in history. However, thanks to Retrosheet, we now know that Brett’s .469 figure had actually been β€˜surpassed’ - fifty years earlier in 1930 by Giants’ third baseman Freddie Lindstrom, who went 59-for-123 (.480) with runners in scoring position. Lindstrom hit .379 overall that season."[34]

Lindstrom was included in the balloting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame starting in 1949, but never received more than 4.4% of the vote from the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).[35] Former Giants teammates Terry and Frankie Frisch joined the Veterans Committee in 1967, and aided the elections of several of their former teammates, including Jesse Haines in 1970, Dave Bancroft and Chick Hafey in 1971, Ross Youngs in 1972, George Kelly in 1973, Jim Bottomley in 1974, and Lindstrom in 1976.[36][37]

Lindstrom's selection, along with some of the other selections made by Terry and Frisch, has been considered one of the weakest in some circles.[38] According to the BBWAA, the Veterans' Committee was not selective enough in choosing members.[39] Charges of cronyism were levied against the Veterans' Committee.[40] This led to the Veterans Committee having its powers reduced in subsequent years.[41] In 2001, baseball writer Bill James ranked Lindstrom as the worst third baseman in the Hall of Fame.[42] Like a number of selections by the Veterans Committee, Lindstrom's nomination was controversial. With opinions on both sides, legendary baseball writer Red Smith wrote "The present members would be pleased to welcome him into their company."[43] Frank True of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune,[44] Bob Broeg of The Sporting News,[45] and Lou O'Neill of the Long Island Press [46] were equally complimentary. 

William Jennings Bryan Herman (July 7, 1909 – September 5, 1992) was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1930s and 1940s. He reached the World Series four times (1932, 1935, 1938, 1941) but lost each time. Known for his stellar defense and consistent batting, Herman still holds many National League (NL) defensive records for second basemen and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.
Biography
    
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Early life

Born in New Albany, Indiana, in 1909, and named after William Jennings Bryan, the three-time presidential candidate and statesman of the turn of the 20th century,[1] Herman attended New Albany High School.
Baseball career

Herman broke into the majors in 1931 with the Chicago Cubs and asserted himself as a star the following season, 1932, by hitting .314 and scoring 102 runs. His first at-bat was memorable. Facing Cincinnati Reds pitcher Si Johnson, Herman chopped a pitch into the back of home plate, which then bounced up and hit Herman in the back of the head, knocking him out.[2] A fixture in the Chicago lineup over the next decade, Herman was a consistent hitter and solid producer. He regularly hit .300 or higher (and as high as .341 in 1935) and drove in a high of 93 runs in 1936. He also hit 57 doubles in both 1935 and 1936.
A 1933 Goudey baseball card of Herman.

After a sub-standard offensive year in 1940, Herman was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941. He had one of his finest offensive season in 1943, when he batted .330 with a .398 on-base percentage and 100 runs driven in.

Herman missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons to serve in World War II, but returned to play in 1946 with the Dodgers and Boston Braves (after being traded mid-season). At 37, he was considered prime managerial material by the new owners of the Pittsburgh Pirates. On September 30, 1946, Herman was traded to Pittsburgh with three marginal players (outfielder Stan Wentzel, pitcher Elmer Singleton and infielder Whitey Wietelmann) for third baseman Bob Elliott and catcher Hank Camelli. Herman was promptly named playing manager of the 1947 Pirates, but he was aghast at the costβ€”Elliottβ€”the Pirates had paid for him. "Why, they've gone and traded the whole team on me", he said.[3] Elliott won the 1947 NL Most Valuable Player award and led Boston to the 1948 National League pennant. Herman's 1947 Pirates lost 92 games and finished tied for seventh in the NL, and he resigned before the season's final game. (His last appearance as a Major League player was on August 1 of that year.)

Herman then managed in the minor leagues and became a Major League coach with the Dodgers (1952–57) and Braves (now based in Milwaukee) (1958–59)β€”serving on five National League pennant winners in eight seasons. Then he moved to the American League (AL) as the third-base coach of the Boston Red Sox for five years (1960–64), before managing the Red Sox to lackluster records in 1965 and 1966; his 1965 Boston club lost 100 games. After his firing by the Red Sox in September 1966, he coached for the California Angels (1967) and San Diego Padres (1978–79) and served in player development roles with the Padres and Oakland Athletics.

Herman finished his 1,922-game big-league career with a .304 batting average, 1,163 runs scored, 2,345 hits, 486 doubles, 82 triples, 47 home runs, 839 runs batted in, 737 bases on balls and 428 strikeouts. Defensively, he recorded an overall .968 fielding percentage. He won four NL pennants (1932, 1935, 1938, and 1941) but no World Series championships as a player (although he was a coach on the 1955 World Series champion Brooklyn Dodgers). His record as a Major League manager was 189-274 (.408). Herman holds the NL records for most putouts in a season by a second baseman and led the league in putouts seven times. He also shares the Major League record for most hits on opening day, with five, set April 14, 1936.
Later life
Herman in 1978

Herman moved to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in 1968. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975. He died of cancer in 1992.[4]

In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Herman as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Navy during World War II. According to his honorable discharge, he was awarded the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal. He held the rank of Specialist (A) Third Class at the time of his separation.[5]
Personal

Herman's granddaughter is Cheri Daniels, wife of former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.[6] 

Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played for the Detroit Tigers for 19 seasons from 1924 to 1942. He compiled a .320 career batting average with 2,839 hits and 1,427 runs batted in (RBIs). He had seven seasons with more than 200 hits and was the starting second baseman and played every inning of the first six All Star Games. He won the American League batting title in 1937 with a .371 average and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award. He helped lead the Tigers to three American League pennants (1934, 1935, and 1940) and the 1935 World Series championship.

Gehringer was also one of the best fielding second basemen in history. At the time of his retirement, he ranked first in Major League Baseball (MLB) history with 1,444 double plays turned at second base (now seventh in MLB history).[1] He remains among MLB's all-time leaders with 7,068 assists at second base (second in MLB history) and 5,369 putouts (sixth in MLB history).[2][3]

Gehringer later served as the Tigers general manager during the 1952 and 1953 seasons. After his playing career ended, he operated a company serving as an agent for manufacturers of automobile interior furnishings. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949 and had his jersey (No. 2) retired by the Tigers in 1983.
Early years

Gehringer was born on May 11, 1903, on a farm in Iosco Township, Michigan.[4] The son of German immigrants, he had nine half-siblings from his parents' prior marriages. When Gehringer was a young boy, the family moved to a 220-acre dairy and grain farm two miles south of Fowlerville, Michigan.[4][5][6]

Gehringer later recalled his introduction to baseball:

    We used to play a lot of baseball games out on the farm. We'd just throw three bags out there for bases and choose up sides. We'd usually get enough for two full teams. On a Sunday afternoon, nobody had anything better to do, so we'd just play baseball all day.[6]

Gehringer attended Fowlerville High School where he led the baseball team to a state championship while playing as both an infielder and pitcher. He also played for a Fowlerville summer league team that competed against other town teams.[6]
University of Michigan

In 1921, Gehringer enrolled at the University of Michigan to study physical education and played on the university's freshman baseball team.[6] The Ann Arbor News in May 1923 called him "one of the best third baseman prospects that has reported for a freshman squad in several years."[7] Gehringer later recalled that he also played basketball at the University of Michigan: "Funny thing is, I won a letter in basketball but I didn' get one in baseball."[8]
Professional baseball
Discovery and minor leagues (1923 to 1925)

In the fall of 1923, after his first year at the University of Michigan, Gehringer was discovered by Detroit Tigers left fielder Bobby Veach.[9] Veach was hunting in Fowlerville when a friend, Floyd Smith, recommended that Veach have a look at Gehringer.[10] Veach brought him to Navin Field to work out and show the Tigers what he could do.[9] Player-manager Ty Cobb was reportedly so impressed that he asked club owner Frank Navin to sign Gehringer to a contract on the spot. "I knew Charlie would hit and I was so anxious to sign him that I didn't even take the time to change out of my uniform before rushing him into the front office to sign a contract."'[11]

In 1924, Gehringer played with London Tecumsehs in the Class B Michigan Ontario League. He was called up briefly at the end of September and played five games for the Tigers, batting .462 in 13 at-bats. He returned to the minor leagues where he played in 1925 for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League, compiling a .325 batting average with 206 hits and 25 home runs.[12] In a brief call-up at the end of the 1925 season, he appeared in eight games for the Tigers, compiling a .167 batting average in 18 at bats.[13]
Relationship with Cobb (1926)

Gehringer made the Tigers' regular-season roster in the spring of 1926. When second baseman Frank O'Rourke contracted measles, Gehringer played his first game as a starter on April 28, 1926. Gehringer committed two costly errors and was hitless in four at bats, leading the Associated Press to write:

    Yesterday there was written at Navin field the sad story of the ambitious small town boy from a quiet Michigan village and his big league debut. It was sad because the ambitious boy, who has been called by Ty Cobb one of the best natural ball players he ever saw, made two glaring errors and otherwise deported himself unseemingly.[14]

Gehringer took over as the Tigers' second baseman, appearing in 112 games at the position in 1926. He hit .277 and tallied 17 triples, second best in the American League. Playing for the "small ball" oriented Cobb, Gehringer also had a career-high 27 sacrifice hits in 1926.[13] After Cobb's departure, Gehringer never again came close to 27 sacrifice hits.

Gehringer recalled that, at the start, Cobb "was like a father to me." Gehringer's father had died in 1924. Cobb even made Gehringer use his own bat. According to Gehringer, Cobb's bat was "a thin little thing", and though Gehringer would have preferred a bigger bat, "I didn't dare use another one."[15] Cobb and Gehringer subsequently had a falling out. Cobb told Gehringer he needed more "pepper" and should "chatter like the rest of the infield." Cobb became peeved when Gehringer replied that "there were enough people talking and saying nothing."[10] Gehringer later described Cobb as "a real hateful guy."[16]
Gehringer becomes a star: 1927–1933

After the 1926 season, Cobb left the Tigers and was replaced as manager by George Moriarty. During the off-season, Moriarty acquired Marty McManus from the St. Louis Browns. Moriarty chose McManus as his starting second baseman at the start of the 1927 season, but McManus was benched for disciplinary reasons, giving Gehringer the opportunity to return to the starting lineup at second base.[17]

Gehringer seized the opportunity and had his breakout season in 1927. He led the American League's second basemen with 438 assists, 84 double plays turned, and a range factor of 6.19.[13] He also blossomed as a hitter, batting .317 and scoring 110 runs β€” fourth best in the American League.[13]

In 1928, he played in all 154 games for the Tigers, beginning a streak of 511 consecutive games. He hit .320, collected 193 hits (fifth best in the league), scored 108 runs (fifth best in the league), and had 507 assists (best in the league for a second baseman). At the end of the 1928 season, Gehringer placed 19th in the voting for the American League's Most Valuable Player.[13]

Gehringer's steady improvement continued in 1929, as he hit .339 with an on-base percentage of .405, a slugging percentage of .532, and 106 RBIs. He also led the American League with 215 hits, 45 doubles, 19 triples (including three in one game on August 5), 131 runs scored, and 27 stolen bases. He also led the league in putouts (404) and fielding percentage (.975) by a second baseman and ranked second with 501 assists.[13]

In 1930, Gehringer hit .330 with a .404 on-base percentage and a .534 slugging percentage. He also scored 144 runs (third in the league) and collected 201 hits, 78 extra base hits, 47 doubles (third in the league), 15 triples (fifth in the league), and 19 stolen bases (second in the league).[13]

In relative terms, 1931 was an "off" year for Gehringer. His consecutive game streak ended in May, and he appeared in only 101 games. He also fell below the .300 mark (batting .298) for the only time between 1926 and 1941. Gehringer still had a fine year by most standards, and ended up No. 17 in the 1931 American League Most Valuable Player voting.[13]

In 1932, Gehringer was back at full strength, playing in 152 games and hitting .325 with 112 runs, 107 RBI, and 44 doubles (second best in the league). Not generally known as a power hitter, Gehringer also hit 19 home runs in 1932, seventh best in the American League. At the end of the year, Gehringer was ninth in the league's MVP voting.[13]

In 1933, he played in all 155 games for the Tigers, batting .330 (fifth best in the American League), and collecting 204 hits (second in the league), 42 doubles (fourth in the league), 105 RBIs, and a career-high 542 assists (best in the league for second basemen). Gehringer was once again among the top vote recipients in the 1933 MVP voting, this time placing sixth.[13]
A quiet man
1933 Goudey baseball card

Gehringer had a reputation as a quiet man of few words. Player-manager Mickey Cochrane joked: "He says hello on opening day, goodbye on closing day, and in between, he hits .350."[6][18]

Gehringer acknowledged his quiet demeanor: "I wasn't a rabble rouser. I wasn't a big noisemaker in the infield, which a lot of managers think you've got to be or you're not showing. But I don't think it contributes much." Gehringer also had a sense of humor about his reputation. At a civic banquet in his honor, Gehringer's entire speech consisted of the following: "I'm known around baseball as saying very little, and I'm not going to spoil my reputation." When asked why he signed his name "Chas. Gehringer", he responded: "Why use seven letters when four will do?" On another occasion, when asked about his closed-lip reputation, he responded: "Not true; if somebody asked me a question, I would answer them. If they said, 'Pass the salt,' I would pass the salt."

His unassuming nature is also reflected in his reaction to a "Charlie Gehringer Day" held by the Tigers in 1929. Fans from Gehringer's hometown and throughout Detroit filled the stands for a 17–13 win over the Yankees. Gehringer handled 10 chances at second base, had four hits including a home run, and stole home. In a ceremony, the people of Fowlerville presented Gehringer with a set of golf clubs. Though the clubs were right-handed, and Gehringer was left-handed, Gehringer learned to golf right-handed rather than trade for a left-handed set of clubs.[15]
Back-to-back pennants (1934 and 1935)

In 1934, Gehringer had his best year to date, playing all 154 games and leading the Tigers to their first American League pennant in 25 years. His .356 batting average and .450 on-base percentage were both second best in the league. He led the league with 134 runs scored and 214 hits and tallied 42 doubles (second best in the league) and a career-high 127 RBIs (fifth best in the league).[13] Gehringer finished second in the 1934 American League MVP voting, just two points behind Detroit's player-manager, Mickey Cochrane.

The Detroit infield in the mid-1930s was one of the best-hitting combinations in major league history. With Hank Greenberg at first, Gehringer at second, Billy Rogell at shortstop, and Marv Owen at third, the 1934 Tigers infield collected 769 hits (214 by Gehringer, 201 by Greenberg, 179 by Owen and 175 by Rogell), 462 RBI (139 by Greenberg, 127 by Gehringer, 100 by Rogell, and 96 by Owen), and 179 doubles (63 by Greenberg, 50 by Gehringer, 34 by Owen and 32 by Rogell). Three members of the 1934 Tigers infield (Gehringer, Owen and Rogell) played in all 154 games, and the fourth (Greenberg) played in 153.

Gehringer's 127 RBIs in 1934 is all the more remarkable given the fact that he played in the same lineup with one of the greatest RBI men of all time, Hank Greenberg. Gehringer later recalled that Greenberg would tell him: "Just get the runner over to third", so Hank could drive them in. Gehringer noted that "Hank loved those RBIs", to the point that Gehringer once kidded Greenberg: "You'd trip a runner coming around third base just so you could knock him in yourself."[15]

The 1934 World Series was a match-up between St. Louis's "Gashouse Gang" and Detroit's' "G-Men" (so named because of stars Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, and Goose Goslin). Even 50 years later, Gehringer (interviewed in 1982) felt the Tigers were robbed of the 1934 championship by umpire Brick Owens. Detroit was ahead three games to two, and in Gehringer's view "we should've won the sixth game." Late in the game, Brick Owens called Mickey Cochrane out on a play at third base "even though all of the photographs show that he was safe by a mile." Gehringer insisted that, if Cochrane had been called safe, "we would've had the bases loaded with nobody out and we could've had a big inning."[15] The Tigers wound up losing Game 6 by one run. They then lost Game 7 in an 11–0 shutout thrown by Dizzy Dean, despite a two-for-four game from Gehringer. Gehringer played all seven games of the 1934 World Series, batting .379 with an on-base percentage of .438 and a .517 slugging percentage.

In 1935, Gehringer and the Tigers won the World Series, beating the Chicago Cubs, four games to two. It was the Tigers' first World Series win, after failing in the fall classic in four previous appearances. For the year, Gehringer hit .330 with a .409 on-base percentage and a .502 slugging percentage, collecting 201 hits, 123 runs, 108 RBIs, and 19 home runs.[13]

Gehringer also continued his consistent hitting into the 1935 World Series, where he played all six games, and hit .375 with a .423 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage and four RBIs.[13]
Life in the off-season

During the off-season, Gehringer worked as a sales clerk in the downtown Detroit Hudson's. He also spent many years barnstorming with other Major League players. One year, he traveled with a touring group from the Negro leagues, including Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, Judy Johnson, and Mule Suttles. Gehringer recalled that trying to hit Paige's fastball and hesitation pitch was "no fun." Paige said that Gehringer was the best white hitter he ever pitched against.[15]
Peak years (1936 and 1937)

Although the 1936 Tigers finished in second place, 19Β½ games behind the Yankees, the 33-year-old Gehringer had one of his best seasons. He led the majors with 60 doubles, one of only six times in major-league history that a batter has reached the 60-double mark.[19] He led the American League in assists, double plays, and fielding percentage by a second baseman. And he had career highs in hits (227) slugging percentage (.555), runs (144), extra-base hits (87), total bases (356) and runs created (152). He also had a career-low 13 strikeouts in 641 at-bats during the 1936 season. He finished fourth in the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting, as Lou Gehrig became the only non-Tiger to win the MVP award from 1934 to 1937.

In 1937, Gehringer won the American League batting crown with a career-high .371 batting average, 20 points ahead of second-place Lou Gehrig.[20] He placed second to Gehrig with a .458 on-base percentage, collected 209 hits (his seventh 200-hit season), and scored 133 runs (one of twelve 100-plus run seasons). At the end of the season, he received the American League Most Valuable Player award, receiving six of the eight first-place votes and edging Joe DiMaggio by a total of 78 points to 74 points.[21][22] At a banquet honoring Gehringer in November 1937, Detroit manager Mickey Cochrane said:

    Gehringer is the ideal player from the managerial standpoint. He comes to training camp in the spring and says 'Hello, Mike, how are you.' Then Charley goes along through the season, bats .350 or better and, after the season, comes around and says – 'So long Mike, have a good winter.'[23]

The "Mechanical Man"

Known for his consistency as a hitter and fielder, Gehringer was known as "The Mechanical Man".[19] The earliest known contemporary account referring to Gehringer by the nickname is a May 1936 story crediting Lynwood Lary with creating the nickname and saying, "The guy just ain't human; he's a machine."[24] The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at that time noted, "As steady as a turbine, Gehringer comes nearer to mechanical perfection than any infielder since the days of Napoleon Lajoie."[24] Other sources credit New York Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez with giving him the nickname.[15] According to one source, Gomez said: "You wind him up in the spring, turn him loose, he hits .330 or .340, and you shut him off at the end of the season."[25]

Gehringer was also durable, having compiled two of the longest consecutive game streaks in major-league history β€” a 511-game streak from September 3, 1927, to May 7, 1931, and a 504-game streak from June 25, 1932, to August 11, 1935.[26]
Rogell and Gehringer

Gehringer played over 1,000 games with shortstop Billy Rogell, making them one of the longest-tenured double-play combinations in the history of the game. The pair led the league twice in double plays. (Another Tiger duo, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell, holds the major league record with 1,918 games played as a double-play combination.)

Rogell's fiery demeanor was a stark contrast to the calm, quiet demeanor of Gehringer. On one occasion, after both failed to cover second on a steal attempt, player-manager Mickey Cochrane charged out from behind the plate shouting at Rogell and Gehringer. As reported in The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (2001): "Rogell, astonished, looked at Gehringer to see if he was going to say anything. Gehringer, of course, had nothing to say. 'Goddamn you,' yelled Rogell. 'Don't you come charging out here telling me how to play shortstop. You go back there and do the catching, and I'll play shortstop. If I'm not good enough, you can find someone else.' Cochrane went back to his own position."
1938 to 1939

In 1938, Gehringer was selected as the starting second baseman for the American League All-Star team for the sixth consecutive year. He was the only person to play every inning of the first six All-Star games. He batted .500 and did not strike out or commit an error in his six All-Star games.

Gehringer hit a career-high 20 home runs in 1938 and again ranked among the American League's leaders with 133 runs scored (third), a .425 on-base percentage (sixth), and 113 bases on balls (fourth).[13] Gehringer finished tenth in the AL MVP voting in 1938.[13]

Gehringer had another strong season in 1939. For the sixth time in his career, he led the American League second baseman in fielding percentage (.977), and he ranked among the league leaders in batting with a .325 batting average (ninth in AL), .423 on-base percentage (8th in AL), and .544 slugging percentage (seventh in AL).[13]
Back problems (1940 and 1941)

Gehringer suffered from chronic back trouble.[27] According to one account, he injured his back while shoveling snow.[28] The trouble was such that there were doubts as to whether he would be able to play at all in 1940. Gehringer later recalled his struggles during the 1940 season: "Anytime I tried to field a ball off to either side I felt I'd collapse. Often I couldn't stoop over to pick up a ball after blocking it. I've had so many heat treatments I feel like a boiled oyster. At times I didn't think I could move two steps or get the bat off my shoulder."[27] Despite that back pain, Gehringer started 138 games at second base in 1940 and compiled a .313 batting average.[13] The Tigers won the American League pennant in 1940, but lost to the Cincinnati Reds in the 1940 World Series.[29] Gehringer's back problems were such that, by the time of the World Series, he "covered little ground and seldom got the break on the ball."[27] After Game 7, Gehringer announced that he had likely played his final season noting, "Playing ball was torture for me. I was in agony nearly the entire time."[27]

During the off-season, Gehringer attempted new treatments, felt better, and returned for the 1941 season.[27][30] He started 115 games at second base and registered a .982 fielding percentage, best in the American League. However, his batting average dropped almost 100 points from .313 in 1940 to .220 in 1941.[13] His defensive prowess also suffered, with Detroit sports writer Watson Spoelstra noting in July that "ground balls that once were easy for him are filtering through for base hits."[31]
Coach in 1942

Gehringer decided to retire after the 1941 season. In January 1942, he signed a contract to return to the club as a nonplaying coach assigned to coaching infielders and batters.[32][33] In late May 1942, Gehringer was restored to the active list, allowing him to be available for pinch-hitting duty.[34] He appeared in 45 games in 1942, compiling a .267 batting average in 45 at bats. He also played 16 innings at second base without an error.[13]
Career statistics
G     AB     R     H     2B     3B     HR     RBI     SB     BB     AVG     OBP     SLG     OPS     TB     FLD%
2,323     8,860     1,775     2,839     574     146     184     1,427     181     1,186     .320     .404     .480     .884     4,257     .976[13]

    In 20 World Series games (1934, 1935, and 1940), Gehringer hit .321 (26-for-81) with 12 runs, 4 doubles, 1 home run, 7 RBI, 2 stolen bases, and 7 walks.[13]
    He has recorded six 5-hit games and 52 4-hit games in his MLB career.[35]
    He was difficult to strike out, fanning only 372 times in 8,860 at-bats, or once every 23.8 at-bats.[13]

Military service and retirement from baseball

Following the United States' entry into World War II, baseball players began to be inducted into the military service. In August 1942, the 39-year-old Gehringer reported for a physical examination at the Navy's procurement headquarters in Detroit.[36] At a ceremony in Detroit on December 1, 1942, he was inducted into the Navy as a lieutenant. At the time, Gehringer told reporters, "I think it may be the end of baseball for me."[37][38]

Gehringer was assigned to the Navy's Pre-Flight School at Saint Mary's College of California.[39] He played second base for the St. Mary's Pre-Flight baseball team.[40] He was also the head baseball and soccer coach at the St. Mary's Pre-Flight School.[41]

Gehringer was later transferred to the Navy's Pre-Flight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and in February 1945 to Jacksonville, Florida.[41] In 1945, he led the Jacksonville Naval Air Station Fliers baseball team to a 24–5 record and compiled a .438 batting average.[42]

Gehringer was discharged from the Navy on November 7, 1945, with the rank of lieutenant commander. Upon his release, he was 42 years old and announced his retirement from baseball and his intention to return to work at Gehringer & Forsyth, a manufacturers' agency he formed in 1938 with a friend.[43] He confirmed his retirement at Briggs Stadium in January 1946, signing his "Application for Voluntary Retirement from Organized Baseball".[44] Gehringer later recalled, "I came out of the service in such good shape that I felt I could've played a few years."[15]
Family and later years
Relationship with mother

Gehringer's father died in July 1924. Upon his father's death, Gehringer moved his mother from the family farm outside Fowlerville, Michigan, to live with him in Detroit.[15] Gehringer noted that his mother was a "great fan" who would either come out to the ballpark to watch him play or listen to Harry Heilmann's radio broadcasts on the porch.[15] His mother died in July 1946.[45]
Wedding and Hall of Fame

In the regular voting in 1949 for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Gehringer finished in first place with 102 out of 153 votes, but it fell short of the required 75 percent. The baseball writers decided to conduct a run-off election in May 1949.[46] Gehringer was selected by 159 of the 187 writers (85%) in the runoff voting, qualifying him for the Hall of Fame.[47] Gehringer did not attend the induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, as it was held five days before his wedding. He was married in June 1949 to Josephine Stillen, a secretary at the Nash-Kelvinator Corp. The ceremony was held in Santa Clara, California.[48][49] The couple remained married until Gehringer's death more than four decades later.[50][51]
Tigers' general manager
Gehringer as Detroit Tigers vice-president (1957)

In July 1951, Gehringer was hired as the Tigers' vice president and general manager, effective after the 1951 season.[52] In his first year as general manager, the 1952 Detroit Tigers finished in last place (50–104 record) for the first time in club history. Although manager Red Rolfe did not survive the disappointing season, having been fired in July, the club's board of directors in September 1952 gave Gehringer a unanimous vote of confidence.[53]

The 1953 team improved only marginally, finishing with a 60–94 record, 40Β½ games behind the New York Yankees. After another disappointing season, Gehringer was replaced as general manager in October 1953.[54] Although the team's on-field performance was poor during Gehringer's time as general manager, Lyall Smith of the Detroit Free Press praised Gehringer for his trades that helped rebuild the club and brought 21 players to the team, including Walt Dropo, Fred Hatfield, Johnny Pesky, Ned Garver, Jim Delsing, Ray Boone, and Steve Gromek.[55]

Gehringer later described his time as general manager as a "nightmare." As he put it: "We had a lousy ball club, and I'd been away from baseball at that time for ten years. I didn't know who was and who wasn't."[15]

Gehringer remained a vice president with the Tigers during parts of the 1950s. He was the first Detroit official to scout Al Kaline. After watching Kaline in a high-school all-star game, Gehringer returned to Detroit "raving about the kid" and assigned scout Ed Katalinas to continue watching him.[56]

Gehringer returned to the Tigers in 1963 as a fielding instructor to the team's young second baseman Dick McAuliffe and as a batting instructor.[57]
Later years and honors

After his playing career ended, Gehringer returned to Gehringer & Forsyth,[58][59] a manufacturer's agent for companies making automobile interior furnishings, including Burlington Automotive Fabrics,[60] Barform carpets,[61] and Cadillac Rubber & Plastics.[62] In 1967, the company built the three-story, contemporary Gehringer & Forsyth building on Woodward Avenue north of Long Lake Road in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.[63]

Gehringer also served as a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame's Committee on Baseball Veterans from 1953 to 1990. He also served on the Hall of Fame's board of directors until 1991.[4]

At a June 1983 ceremony in Tiger Stadium, the Tigers retired uniform numbers 2 and 5, worn for many years by teammates Gehringer and Hank Greenberg respectively. Both players attended the ceremony.[64]

At age 82, Gehringer served as the American League honorary captain at the 1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.[25]

Gehringer suffered from a stroke in December 1992 and died the following month at age 89 at a nursing home in Bloomfield Hills.[65][66]
Posthumous honors

In 1999, Gehringer ranked Number 46 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,[67] and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Also in 1999, Sports Illustrated published a list of "The 50 Greatest Sports Figures from Michigan" (in all sports), and ranked Gehringer third on the list behind Joe Louis and Magic Johnson.[68]

In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Gehringer as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Navy during World War II.[69] 


Early Wynn Jr. (January 6, 1920 – April 4, 1999), nicknamed "Gus",[1] was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox, during his 23-year MLB career. Wynn was identified as one of the most intimidating pitchers in the game, having combined his powerful fastball with a hard attitude toward batters. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

Wynn signed with the Senators at the age of 17, deciding to forgo completing his high school education to begin pursuing a baseball career. He spent three seasons in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) before achieving his first MLB stint in 1939. Wynn returned to the big leagues two years later and in 1942 pitched his first full MLB season. The following year, he won 18 games for the Senators. Drafted into the military in 1944, Wynn missed all of 1945 and a portion of the 1946 season while serving in the United States Army during World War II. He spent all of 1947 and 1948 with the Senators before getting traded to the Indians after the 1948 season.

With Cleveland, Wynn was a member of what historian David Fleitz called "one of the greatest pitching rotations of all time," along with Bob Feller, Mike Garcia, and Bob Lemon. Pitching coach Mel Harder taught him a curveball, slider, and knuckleball, which Wynn credited with helping him become a better pitcher in the 1950s. He won 20 or more games in four of his seasons with the Indians, helping them set an American League (AL) record with 111 total wins in 1954. He started Game 2 of the 1954 World Series, which the New York Giants won in four games. In 1955, he was selected to his first of eight straight All-Star Games. Traded to the White Sox after the 1957 season, Wynn won the 1959 Cy Young Award, leading the AL with 22 wins as the team won the AL pennant. At 39, he became the oldest pitcher to win the award, and he was not passed for 19 years.[2] In Game 1 of the 1959 World Series, Wynn struck out six in seven innings, allowing no runs as the White Sox won 11–0. He made two other starts in the Series but failed to pitch past the fourth inning in either, as the Los Angeles Dodgers won the series in six games. Towards the end of his career, Wynn began to rely more heavily on the knuckleball, as the velocity of his pitches declined. The White Sox released him after the 1962 season, but Wynn signed with the Indians in 1963 because he was determined to win 300 games. He picked up his 300th victory against the Kansas City Athletics on July 13, his last major league win, though he remained on the roster for the rest of the season. As of 2025, he is one of 24 MLB pitchers to win 300 games.

After his retirement as a player, Wynn served as a pitching coach for the Indians from 1964 to 1966 and the Minnesota Twins from 1967 to 1969. He later was a broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays and White Sox. Wynn lived in Nokomis, Florida, for many years, operating the Early Wynn Steak House and Bowling Lanes in Venice, Florida, during the 1960s. In 1999, he was included on The Sporting News list of the 100 greatest players in baseball history. Wynn died that year in an assisted living facility following heart-related problems and a stroke.
Early life

Wynn was born January 6, 1920,[3] in Hartford, Alabama, the son of Blanche Wynn and Early Wynn Sr., an automobile mechanic and former semi-professional baseball player.[1] Wynn described his ancestry as being Scottish, Irish, and Cherokee; sportswriter Lew Freedman speculates that Wynn was no more than 1⁄8 Cherokee.[4] As a youth, Wynn lifted 500-pound bales of cotton one summer for 10 cents an hour; the experience left him determined to make a different living for himself. Excelling at both football and baseball, Wynn was about to become the top running back at Geneva County High School as a sophomore, but he suffered a broken leg on a punt return that year. The injury forced him out of football and focused his attention on baseball. Wynn later described it as "my best break ever."[5]

When he was a teenager, Wynn attended a tryout session in Florida for the Washington Senators. He impressed Senators coach Clyde Milan enough that the organization offered him a minor league contract.[6] Wynn signed with Washington for $100 per month and decided not to finish high school.[7] Between 1937 and 1939, Wynn pitched minor league baseball in the Florida State League and the Piedmont League.[8]
Professional career
Washington Senators (1939, 1941–1944, 1946–1948)

Wynn made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 1939, when he was a September callup by the Senators.[1] He threw a complete game in his first outing on September 13, allowing four runs (three earned) in a 4–2 loss to the Chicago White Sox.[9] Wynn made three starts, posting an 0–2 record and a 5.75 earned run average (ERA) before returning to the minor leagues for 1940 and most of 1941.[10] David Fleitz of the Society for American Baseball Research wrote, "Wynn was not yet ready for major-league action."[1] He made it back to the major leagues in 1941, when he was again a September callup.[11] In his first start of the year, the second game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics, he gave up two runs and six hits, earning his first major league win in a 4–2 Senator victory.[12] He started five games this time, completing four of them and finishing with a 3–1 record and a 1.58 ERA.[10]

In 1942, Wynn was named to Washington's four-man pitching rotation and spent the whole season in the major leagues for the first time.[6][10] He threw a shutout on April 30 against the White Sox, allowing the Senators to win by scoring just one run.[13] In the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on September 6, he gave up several runs–11, though only five were earned. The Senators lost 15–2.[14] He pitched 30 games that season, finishing with a 10–16 record and a 5.12 ERA.[10] The 16 losses ranked fifth in the American League (AL).[15]

Wynn opened the 1943 season as the number two starter in the Senators' rotation, behind Dutch Leonard.[16] On April 27, he threw 13 scoreless innings but received a no decision as Philadelphia defeated the Senators 2–1 in 16 innings.[17] Against the Cleveland Indians on July 10, he allowed only four hits and threw a shutout in a 4–0 victory.[18] He pitched 13+1⁄3 innings on August 18, losing the game 3–2 in the 14th to the White Sox when Guy Curtright singled to drive in a run; however, the two runs Wynn had allowed earlier were unearned.[19] Four days later, in the second game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns, Wynn hit his first major league home run against Bob Muncrief. He was less successful on the mound, allowing seven runs in six innings as the Browns won 8–5.[20] On September 10, he held Philadelphia to three hits in a 5–0 victory.[21] In the first game of a doubleheader against the Yankees on September 19, Wynn gave up two runs in 10 innings as the Senators won 3–2.[22] In 37 games, he finished 18–12 with a 2.91 ERA and 89 strikeouts, leading the AL with 33 starts. Wynn finished 18th in AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting.[10]

On April 20, 1944, Wynn threw a two-hit shutout against the Philadelphia Athletics.[23] He held the Indians to three runs (two earned) over 13 innings on May 26 in a 5–3 victory.[24] On June 18, he threw a four-hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox in a 1–0 victory.[25] He had a 6–7 record entering June 29 but would lose 10 decisions in a row starting from that date and lasting through August 13, when he finally won another game.[26] One of those losses in the second game of a doubleheader on July 4 came after Wynn had held the White Sox to two runs in 11 innings; he gave up a third run in the 12th, and Chicago defeated Washington by a score of 3–2.[27] Though his season ended in late August, he led the league in losses in 1944, compiling an 8–17 record and a 3.38 ERA.[10][28]

Wynn's 1944 season ended early, as he joined the United States Army on August 21. He underwent 17 weeks of training at Fort Knox before going to the Philippines to serve in the Tank Corps during World War II.[1][8][28] Though he missed the 1945 major league season, Wynn continued to play baseball, pitching for a Pacific Army team known as the Manila Dodgers.[29]

Returning to the United States in June 1946, Wynn was able to resume pitching for the Senators on July 16.[29][30] He pitched 11 innings against the Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader on September 8, allowing only one run (unearned) and earning the victory in Washington's 2–1 triumph.[31] In 17 games that year, he finished with an 8–5 record and a 3.11 ERA.[10]

In 1947, Wynn was the Senators' Opening Day starter.[32] He came within one out of completing the first game he won that season on April 23, getting relieved by Tom Ferrick with two outs in the ninth inning but still earning the win in a 4–3 triumph over Philadelphia.[33] On June 5, he shut out the Indians in a 3–0 victory.[34] Wynn was selected to the 1947 AL All-Star team for the first time as a replacement for an injured Bob Feller, but he did not pitch in the AL's 2–1 victory.[35] In the first game of a doubleheader on July 10, he gave up 10 hits but threw a shutout in a 4–0 victory over the White Sox.[36] On July 22, he gave up only two hits and one run (unearned) in a 6–1 victory over the Detroit Tigers.[37] He pitched 33 games that year and earned a decision in almost every game, totaling 17 wins with 15 losses and a 3.64 ERA. After the season, he finished 23rd in AL MVP voting.[10]

Wynn made the Opening Day start again for the Senators in 1948 but gave up 12 runs (10 earned) over 8+1⁄3 innings in a 12–4 loss to the Senators.[38] On May 6, he limited Cleveland to three hits in a shutout as the Senators beat the Indians by a score of 5–0.[39] He had a 7–7 record through the end of June but only won one more game the rest of the season (against the Indians on August 29), losing 12 games and posting a 6.96 ERA in the season's second half.[40] In 1948, Wynn was the victim of inconsistency, posting an 8–19 record and a 5.82 ERA.[10] He gave up a league-high 128 earned runs, and his 19 losses were third in the league (behind Fred Sanford's 21 and Bill Wight's 20).[41] When hitting, though, he had a career-high 16 runs batted in (RBI).[10]

During the offseason, the Senators made Wynn available for trade. The Boston Red Sox offered Johnny Pesky to Washington for Wynn in November, but the trade did not go through.[42] However, Bill Veeck, who owned the Indians, had been trying to acquire Wynn since before the 1948 season.[1] In December, Wynn and Mickey Vernon were sent to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Joe Haynes, Ed Klieman and Eddie Robinson.[43]
Cleveland Indians (1949–1957)

The Indians were excited about Wynn's potential, but they felt he needed more pitches to be truly successful. Though he threw a changeup, Wynn relied almost exclusively on his fastball and did not have any other pitches available at his disposal. Pitching coach Mel Harder, a four-time All-Star with the Indians in the 1930s, taught Wynn how to throw a curveball, slider, and knuckleball; Wynn had the curveball and slider "mastered" by the middle of the 1949 season, according to Fleitz.[1][44] "I could throw the ball when I came here [to Cleveland],” remembered Wynn, β€œbut Mel made a pitcher out of me."[1] With Cleveland, he developed into a key part of what Fleitz called "one of the greatest pitching rotations of all time," joining Feller, Bob Lemon and Mike Garcia.[1] Cleveland manager Al LΓ³pez later called those four pitchers "the greatest pitching staff I ever saw during 33 years in the majors."[45]

Wynn pitched all 11 innings of a game against the White Sox on May 28, allowing two runs as the Indians prevailed 3–2.[46] On June 3, Wynn held the Red Sox to four hits and one run as the Indians prevailed 8–1.[47] Interestingly, though he was perfecting his new pitches as the 1949 season wore on, Wynn had more success earlier in the year. He had a 7–1 record with a 3.60 ERA through July 17; thereafter, he posted a 4–6 record with a 4.62 ERA.[48] On August 2, he held his former team to one run in an 8–1 victory.[49] Wynn's 23 starts were his fewest in a season not interrupted by military service since 1941; he posted an 11–7 record and a 4.15 ERA.[10]

By 1950, Wynn was the number two starter in Cleveland's rotation, behind Lemon and ahead of Feller (third).[50] From June 16 through July 9, he won six straight appearances, including a game on July 9 in which he pitched five shutout innings of relief.[51] Wynn struck out a season-high 11 batters on July 6 in a 5–2 win over the White Sox.[52] He limited the Tigers to two runs over 10 innings on August 14 in a 3–2 victory.[53] Five days later, he held the White Sox to three hits and no runs in a 1–0 triumph.[54] He shut out the White Sox again in his last start of the year on September 26, allowing six hits in a 2–0 victory.[55] In 1950, he recorded 18 wins and led the AL with a 3.20 ERA, the highest of any player to lead the league in that category. Wynn also surpassed the 100-strikeout mark for the first time, finishing the year with 143. 1950 was the first of seven straight seasons in which Wynn would win at least 17 games.[10]

On April 18, 1951, Wynn held the Tigers to two runs in 10 innings, earning the win in a 4–2 victory.[56] Though he had a 3.62 ERA through June 17, Wynn's record was merely 4–8; he won 16 games after that date to earn his first 20-win season.[57] On July 14, he held the Yankees to two hits and threw a shutout in an 8–0 victory.[58] Five days later, Boston scored four runs against him in 11 innings, but Cleveland rallied from a 4–3 deficit in the 11th to win 5–4.[59] In the first game of a doubleheader on August 19, he shut out the White Sox in a 4–0 victory.[60] On August 28, he held the Athletics scoreless in a 1–0 victory.[61] The victory started a streak of six straight decisions won by Wynn, lasting until his loss to the White Sox on September 25.[57] Wynn tied for the AL lead in starts (34) and led the league with 274+1⁄3 innings pitched, finishing tied for fourth with 20 wins (along with Ned Garver and teammate Garcia), third in ERA (3.02, behind Saul Rogovin's 2.78 and Eddie Lopat's 2.91), and second in strikeouts (133, behind only Vic Raschi's 164).[62] He finished 16th in AL MVP voting.[10]
Wynn's baseball card in the 1953 Bowman set

Wynn made his first Opening Day start as an Indian in 1952.[63] He held Boston to four hits on June 5, striking out eight batters as the Indians won 5–0.[64] In the first game of a doubleheader against Detroit on July 4, he allowed just two hits as Cleveland won 11–0.[65] Wynn was 16–9 through August 15, but he lost three appearances in a row to fall to 16–12 on August 24. He would not lose another game in 1952, winning all seven of his final starts.[66] On September 5, he held the White Sox to four hits in a 3–0 victory.[67] He shut out the Red Sox again on September 12, holding them to three hits in a 5–0 triumph.[68] Wynn finished the year among AL leaders in several categories. He allowed the most home runs (23) and walks (132) of any AL pitcher, but his 2.90 ERA ranked tenth. His 23 wins ranked second to Bobby Shantz's 24, and his 153 strikeouts were topped only by Allie Reynolds's 160.[69] This season, Wynn finished fifth in AL MVP voting.[10]

In 1953, Wynn was the fourth starter in the Indians' rotation.[70] In the first game of a doubleheader against the Senators on May 3, he allowed just three hits in a 7–0 shutout victory, striking out eight and also hitting a home run against Connie Marrero.[71] On June 28, he held the Yankees to three hits and one run, hitting a home run against Tom Gorman in a 4–1 victory over the Yankees.[72] Against the Yankees again on July 23, he struck out seven and allowed two runs in a 10–2 victory.[73] He recorded 10 strikeouts in eight innings against the Red Sox on September 1, allowing three runs as the Indians won 13–3.[74] In 36 games (34 starts), he had a 17–12 record and a 3.93 ERA.[10] His 17 wins ranked ninth in the AL, and his 138 strikeouts ranked third (behind Billy Pierce's 186 and Virgil Trucks's 149).[75]

Wynn made the Opening Day start for the Indians in 1954, his last of two he would make during his tenure with the team.[63] On May 1, he held the Yankees to two runs and drove in two runs himself with an RBI single against Gorman as the Indians prevailed 10–2.[76] Wynn held the Tigers to two hits on May 28 in a 3–0 victory.[77] On July 15, he held the Athletics to three hits in a 4–0 shutout victory.[78] He threw a second shutout against Detroit on August 18, allowing six hits in a 4–0 victory.[79] In the second game of a doubleheader against New York on September 12, he struck out 12 Yankees in a 3–2 victory.[80] Wynn finished the season with a 2.73 ERA (fourth in the AL), won 23 games (most in the AL) and struck out 155 batters (second to Bob Turley's 185).[81] He led the AL in starts and innings pitched and finished sixth in MVP voting.[10] The Indians won 111 regular season games during 1954, breaking an AL record previously held by the 1927 New York Yankees and earning Wynn his first playoff appearance.[82] In the 1954 World Series against the New York Giants, Wynn started Game 2. He allowed three runs in seven innings, as the Giants defeated the Indians 3–1. That was Wynn's only appearance in the series, as the Giants won four straight games against Cleveland.[83]
Wynn's baseball card in the 1955 Bowman set

Afflicted by pneumonia to begin the 1955 season, Wynn did not earn his first win until May.[84] On May 22, he threw a shutout against the Tigers, allowing just one hit when Fred Hatfield singled in the fourth inning.[85] On June 22, he struck out 10 batters in a 5–0 shutout victory over the Baltimore Orioles.[86] Four days later, in the first game of a doubleheader, he recorded eight strikeouts and allowed just three hits in a 5–0 victory over the Yankees.[87] On July 1, he threw a third shutout in a row as the Indians defeated the White Sox 1–0.[88] He was an All-Star for the second time in his career and pitched three scoreless innings in the game.[89] This selection marked the start of eight consecutive All-Star Games he would be selected to over the next six seasons.[a][10] He finished the 1955 season with a 17–11 record and a 2.82 ERA.[10] Wynn's 17 wins were tied with Turley for fourth in the AL (three pitchers had 18), his 2.82 ERA was third (behind Pierce's 1.97 and Whitey Ford's 2.63), and his 122 strikeouts ranked seventh. Also, his six shutouts were tied with Pierce and Turley for second, behind Billy Hoeft's seven.[91] That season, Wynn began writing a column for The Cleveland News entitled The Wynn Mill, he did it without any assistance from ghostwriters despite the fact that he had never finished high school. He gave his opinions concerning everything from umpires to Indians coaches, to the frustration of Indians' general manager Hank Greenberg. Wynn donated his payment for the column to the Elks Club in Nokomis, Florida, where he lived during the offseason.[1]

Wynn threw a shutout against the Yankees on June 8, 1956, allowing five hits in a 9–0 victory.[92] He shut out the Red Sox on June 21, limiting them to four hits in a 5–0 victory.[93] On July 18, he was struck in the face by a sharp line drive off the bat of Senators shortstop Jose Valdivielso. Replaced by Hank Aguirre on the mound, Wynn lost seven teeth from the impact. The facial wound required 16 stitches.[94][95] He was pitching again four days later, holding the Orioles to six hits in an 8–0 shutout.[96] On July 31, he shut out the Yankees for the second time that year, allowing three hits in a 5–0 victory.[97] He picked up his 20th win of the year with a ten-inning effort against the Kansas City Athletics in a 4–1 victory.[98] His 20 wins put him in a five-way tie for second in the AL, behind Frank Lary's 21. Wynn finished third in ERA (2.72, behind Ford's 2.47 and teammate Herb Score's 2.53) and seventh with 153 strikeouts.[99] In AL MVP voting, Wynn ranked 13th.[10]

In the first game of a doubleheader against the Tigers on April 28, 1957, Wynn took the loss but allowed just two runs and struck out a season-high 10 hitters.[100] He struck out nine Yankees on June 27 in a 2–0 shutout.[101] Seven days later, he had nine strikeouts again, allowing three hits and one unearned run in a 3–1 triumph over Detroit in the first game of a doubleheader.[102] He struck out nine hitters on August 3 as well but gave up 10 hits and four runs in seven innings of a 5–3 loss to the Yankees.[103] Wynn led the AL with 37 starts, but the 1957 season was his first losing season with Cleveland. His record was just 14–17, and his ERA of 4.31 was his highest as an Indian.[1] He led the league in strikeouts (with a career-high 184), but he also led the league in hits (270) and earned runs (126) allowed. After the season, Wynn and Al Smith were traded to the Chicago White Sox for Minnie MiΓ±oso and Hatfield.[10] The trade reunited him with LΓ³pez, who had managed him with the Indians through the 1956 season.[1]
Chicago White Sox (1958–1962)

Wynn's new contract with the White Sox forbade him from writing for newspapers (thus ending The Wynn Mill), but his salary was raised to make up for lost revenue.[1] In his first start against Cleveland since the trade, Wynn threw a two-hit shutout on May 9, 1958.[104] He held the Orioles scoreless on May 23, the necessary total for the White Sox to prevail 1–0.[105] On June 19, he gave up just two hits against Boston in a 4–0 victory.[106] He threw another two-hit shutout on August 31 in a 3–0 victory over Detroit.[107] He had a winning record on September 9 but lost three of his final four starts to finish the year with a 14–16 record.[104] In 1958, Wynn became the first MLB pitcher to lead his league in strikeouts in consecutive years with different teams (184 with Cleveland, 189 with Chicago).[108] His ERA was 4.13.[10]

Fleitz writes that in 1959, "everything clicked for both Wynn and the White Sox."[1] He began relying further on the knuckleball, since his fastball was losing velocity. "For years they've been accusing me of throwing it when I didn't even know how to hold it ... I can't throw as hard as I did six, seven years ago. And I get tired quicker. I find that you can throw the knuckler with a little more effort and no strain", Wynn said.[1][109] On May 1, Wynn became the second pitcher in major league history to win a game 1–0 while recording at least ten strikeouts and hitting a home run; Red Ruffing had done the same for the Yankees in 1932.[1][110] He also allowed just one hit to Boston in the game.[1] Wynn served as the starting pitcher in the first All-Star Game of the year on July 7, allowing one run in three innings and receiving a no-decision as the National League defeated the AL 5–4.[111] He threw back-to-back shutouts on August 9 (second game of a doubleheader) and August 13, allowing three hits in each as the White Sox won both games 9–0.[112] On September 8, he pitched 10 innings, allowing two runs to the Athletics as Chicago prevailed 3–2.[113] Facing the Indians on September 22, Wynn picked up his 21st win, a victory that clinched the AL pennant for the White Sox.[1] Wynn won the Cy Young Award in 1959 at the age of 39, posting a record of 22–10, with 179 strikeouts and a 3.17 ERA.[10] He became the third-oldest MLB pitcher to win 20 games in a season, following Cy Young and Grover Cleveland Alexander.[114] Wynn's 22 wins led the AL, his 3.17 ERA ranked ninth, his 179 strikeouts were third (behind Jim Bunning's 201 and Camilo Pascual's 179), his 255+2⁄3 innings pitched led the league, and his 37 starts tied Paul Foytack for most in the AL. He also ranked second in shutouts with five, one fewer than Pascual's total.[115] Wynn was third in AL MVP voting, trailing teammates Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio.[1]

Wynn was "magnificent" in Game 1 of the 1959 World Series, according to Sports Illustrated. He allowed no runs, merely singles, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for seven innings before exiting because the cold weather was affecting his elbow; the White Sox defeated Los Angeles 11–0.[116] In Game 4, he kept the Dodgers scoreless for the first two innings but allowed four runs (three earned) in the third inning before getting replaced with two outs by Turk Lown; the Dodgers won that game 5–4, though Wynn had a no-decision.[117] He gave up a two-run home run to Duke Snider in the third inning of Game 6, then allowed three runs in the fourth inning, taking the loss in the 9–3 defeat as the Dodgers clinched the Series victory in six games.[118]

In the first game of a doubleheader on May 15, 1960, Wynn shut out the Indians, limiting them to five hits in a 4–0 triumph.[119] He lost five straight decisions from May 25 through June 18, but he won 11 of his next 15.[120] In 1960, Wynn was selected to the All-Star Games for his seventh and last year, pitching two scoreless innings in the second All-Star Game, which the AL lost 6–0.[121] On August 19, he shut out the Athletics, allowing seven hits as Chicago defeated Kansas City by a score of 10–0.[122] His final two wins of the season were shutouts thrown within 12 days of each other in September, the first coming in a 1–0 victory over Boston on September 11.[119] He finished the 1960 season with a 13–12 record (his fewest wins since 1949), a 3.49 ERA, and 158 strikeouts, the third-highest total in the AL (behind Bunning's 201 and Pedro Ramos's 160). Wynn also tied Ford and Jim Perry for the AL lead in shutouts, with four.[10][123]

Wynn struck out a season-high seven batters in back-to-back wins on May 12 and May 16, 1961.[124] He held Baltimore scoreless and pitched seven shutout innings with six strikeouts on July 22 but received a no-decision; the White Sox won 7–4.[125] In 1961, Wynn was 8–2 but his season ended after the start against the Orioles because his gout, which had affected him since 1950, finally became too much for him to pitch through.[10][1] He had 64 strikeouts and a 3.51 ERA.[10] Wynn missed the rest of the season, even giving up eating meat in an attempt to get the ailment under control.[1]

By 1962, Wynn had started pitching mainly with the slider and the knuckleball.[1] By that season, he was the oldest player in the AL.[10] Facing the Indians on May 28, he threw a three-hit shutout as Chicago won 2–0.[126] His next win (over a month later) was also a shutout, when he struck out eight batters and allowed only five hits in a 7–0 victory over Cleveland.[127] 24 days later, Wynn had another shutout in a five-hit, 6–0 victory over the Washington Senators.[128] He pitched to a 7–15 record in 1962, with a 4.46 ERA (his highest since 1948) and just 91 strikeouts.[10] The 15 losses were tied with Don Schwall's total for fourth in the AL,[129] and his 4.46 ERA was 0.49 over the league average.[10][130] Thinking he was finished, the White Sox released him after the season.[1]
1963: The pursuit of win #300

Wynn, however, had picked up his 299th victory before the end of 1962 and was determined to get to 300 career wins.[8] He attended spring training with the White Sox in 1963 failing to make the team. Several teams offered him one-game contracts, but Wynn held out for a full-time deal, which he got from the Indians on June 21. Cleveland then added him to the starting rotation to give him the opportunities he needed.[1] He failed to win in his first three starts with the Indians that year, and the nine months and seven starts that had elapsed from 1962 to 1963 are still, as of 2007, the longest gap between any pitcher's 299th and 300th wins in MLB history.[131]

The night before his fourth start of the year, against the Athletics on July 13, Wynn struggled to sleep due to gout-related pain.[7] In that outing, Wynn finally picked up the milestone. Opposing Kansas City batter Ed Charles recalled Wynn's performance: "His fastball, if it reached 80, that was stretching it. He was laboring, throwing nothing but bloopers and junk."[131] He left the game with a 5–4 lead after pitching five innings. "Jerry Walker relieved me and saved the game for me. He was my roommate and pitched like a man possessed", Wynn recalled.[132] Long after his retirement, which came at the end of the 1963 season, Wynn reflected on his 300th win stating he was not proud of the milestone. "If I had pitched a good game and gone nine innings, that would be something. But that's not the way it was", Wynn said.[132] He remains one of only 24 pitchers to win 300 games.[133]

Following the 300th win, Wynn made just one more start, a 3–2 win over Kansas City on July 27 (though Wynn received a no-decision because he was removed from the game in the fifth inning).[134] He did make several relief appearances for the Indians before the end of the season. His last of these came on September 13, when he entered a game against the Los Angeles Angels in relief of Jack Kralick with two outs in the sixth inning with runners on first and second. Wynn gave up an RBI single to Jim Fregosi, then got Charlie Dees to line out to shortstop to end the inning. Lifted in favor of pinch-hitter Willie Kirkland in the bottom of the inning, Wynn had pitched his last game.[134][135] In 20 games (five starts), Wynn had a 1–2 record, a 2.28 ERA, and 29 strikeouts.[10] After the season, he retired.[1]
Legacy

Wynn approached the game with passion, sometimes throwing chairs in frustration after losses. He also hated getting removed from games, once throwing a baseball at LΓ³pez when the manager walked to the mound to remove him (though Wynn apologized to LΓ³pez after the game). First afflicted by gout in 1950, he endured pain through much of the second half of his career.[1] Nevertheless, he was the first player to pitch at least 23 seasons in the major leagues, and he appeared in games over four decades.[136] His durability helped him lead the AL in innings three times (1951, 1954, 1959) and propelled him to an AL record for most years pitched (23). Wynn won an even 300 games, 23rd most by any major leaguer. He registered five 20-win seasons, 2,334 strikeouts, 290 complete games, 49 shutouts, and 4,556 innings pitched in 691 games.[10]

In the 1950s, Wynn had more strikeouts (1,544) than any other pitcher in the major leagues.[137] He was one of the best hitting pitchers of his day as well.[138] A switch hitter, Wynn batted .214 (365-for-1,704), with 17 home runs and 173 RBI.[10] His 90 pinch-hit appearances included a grand slam (which he hit with the Senators on September 15, 1946), making him one of five MLB pitchers to record a grand slam as a pinch-hitter.[138][137][139][140]

As of 2020, Wynn still ranks among the Indians' career leaders in many categories. He is fifth in wins (164), tied for fourth in strikeouts (1,277, equal to Lemon's total), seventh in shutouts (24), and seventh in total games started (296).[141] In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Wynn number 100 on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.[142]
Later life

Wynn remained with the Indians following retirement, becoming their pitching coach in 1964.[1] Several of his players – including Sam McDowell, Sonny Siebert, Luis Tiant and Steve Hargan – were still with the team in 1967 when they set a record for team strikeouts in a season with 1189.[143][144] Tommy John considered him "abrasive" and not "very informative or helpful," though Wynn did teach John how to throw a slider.[145] In August 1965, Wynn flirted with the idea of making a comeback as a knuckleball pitcher.[146] Wynn left Cleveland after the 1966 season and joined the Minnesota Twins as pitching coach.[147] He later served as a minor league manager for the Twins.[94] Off the field, Wynn advocated for better pensions for retired baseball players.[148]

Wynn proposed the idea of a one-game comeback to the Twins in 1970.[149] In 1972, the Twins considered activating the 52-year-old Wynn to pitch one inning if retired star Ted Williams would hit against him. The move would have made Wynn the first player to pitch in five different decades, but Williams was not interested and the team dropped the idea.[150] Williams called him "the toughest pitcher I ever faced."[151]

In 1972, Wynn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Sandy Koufax and Yogi Berra. He was disappointed that he had not received the required votes on his first three ballots, but he was grateful for the honor. "I'd been hoping for it, but I didn't want to build up my hopes too high," he said. "It's like being placed up there on a pedestal, not like getting a gold watch for your longtime efforts. It's recognition I was waiting for a long time."[152] He was inducted as a member of the Indians on his plaque.

From their inaugural 1977 season through the end of the 1981 season, Wynn provided the color commentary for radio broadcasts of Toronto Blue Jays games, working alongside Tom Cheek. He also provided color commentary for Chicago White Sox radio broadcasts in 1982 and 1983, paired with Joe McConnell. When he was replaced by Lorn Brown in December 1983, White Sox president Eddie Einhorn described Wynn as "a link to baseball's past."[138][153]

In the last years of his life, Wynn suffered a heart attack and a stroke.[154] His health had declined after the death of his second wife in 1994.[138] He moved to an assisted living facility in Venice, Florida, where he died in April 1999.[154][155] Wynn's body was cremated, and his family kept his ashes.[138]

In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Wynn as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army during World War II.[156]
Personal life

Wynn married Mabel Allman in 1939. She was killed in a car accident in 1942. They had one child together, son Joe, whom Wynn's relatives helped to raise after Mabel's death. In the fall of 1944, just after entering the Army, Wynn married his second wife, Lorraine Follin. They later had a daughter, Sherry.[1][8] Early and Lorraine resided in Nokomis, Florida. Wynn had several hobbies, including flying his Cessna 170, hunting, and operating powerboats.[1] In the 1960s, he owned the Early Wynn Steak House and Bowling Lanes in Venice, Florida.[157]
Toughness

Wynn was remembered for his toughness and for the frequency with which he threw at batters. He once stated, "I'd knock down my own grandmother if she dug in on me."[158] He also said to reporters: "Why should I worry about hitters? Do they worry about me? Do you ever find a hitter crying because he's hit a line drive through the box? My job is getting hitters out. If I don't get them out I lose. I don't like losing a game any more than a salesman likes losing a big sale. I've got a right to knock down anybody holding a bat."[159] When he was then asked whether he would have the same opinion if the batter were his own mother, he paused, then responded, "Mother was a pretty good curveball hitter."[159]

In fact, when Wynn was with the Indians, he actually threw a pitch at his own 15-year-old son, Joe. Wynn was throwing pre-game batting practice to Joe, and Joe hit two long drives in a row. Ushers in the nearly empty stadium began to clap. Moments later, Joe was lying flat on his back in the batting cage, frightened by his father's knockdown pitch.[b] Wynn said later, "He was leaning in on me, and I had to show him who was boss."[c][161]

His attitude was encouraged early in his career by manager Bucky Harris, who ordered Wynn to throw brushback pitches[d] when he got two strikes on a batter. Otherwise he faced a $25 fine. "I was making $350 a month. I couldn't afford giving up $25", Wynn said.[7] Whenever an opposing batter lined one of his pitches back toward the mound, Wynn would retaliate by throwing a brushback pitch at the batter the next time the batter faced him.[161] "That space between the white lines – that's my office, that's where I conduct my business,” he said in an interview with sportswriter Red Smith. β€œYou take a look at the batter's box, and part of it belongs to the hitter. But when he crowds in just that hair, he's stepping into my office, and nobody comes into my office without an invitation when I'm going to work."[1]

In 1962, when Wynn was with the White Sox, he was throwing batting practice and his teammate Joe Cunningham hit a line drive that missed Wynn by inches. Wynn responded by throwing three straight pitches under his teammate's chin. Whenever one of his teammates was knocked down by an opposing pitcher, Wynn would retaliate by knocking down two of the opposing pitcher's teammates.[159] According to Minnesota Twins player Rod Carew, Wynn's competitiveness did not end when his playing career did. As the Twins pitching coach from 1967 to 1969, "Early would knock you down in batting practice. If you hit a ball good off of him, he'd knock you down and then challenge you. He told you to expect it when you stepped in the cage against him."[163]