Some good starts for Cleveland players:
April 16, 1939: Earl Averill homered his first at-bat in majors. It was against the Tigers.
April 16, 1957: Rogers Maris went three for five in his first major league game. It was against the White Sox. Two days later his grand slam in the 11th inning beat the Tigers and easily made up for his three earlier strikeouts. In all, he opened his career by hitting in his first nine games.
July 30, 1969: Outfielder Frank Baker, starting his first game, went four for five with a triple. In his first 32 at-bats, he hit .432 with three triples and two homers.
1971: Gomer Hodge had four hits in four at-bats during his first three games.
Sept. 29, 1986: Jay Bell hit the first big league pitch he ever saw for a homer. Twins' Bert Blyleven was the victim.
Aug. 23, 2002: Capped his first start with his second hit of the day, a two-run walk-off homer against Mariners. He hit it lefthanded. Next day he homered righthanded.
Sept. 2, 2006: Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a grand slam on the first big league pitch he saw. It came against Rangers and reportedly was unprecedented.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Workbook 5
First, let’s mention two players we discussed earlier. Workbook 2 told about Gene Bearden, one of Cleveland’s all-time sports heroes. Sadly, he died March 18, 2004 in Alexander City, Alabama. He and Lois, his wife of 59 years, had moved there to be near their daughter Jean. The Beardens had lived in West Helena, Arkansas, for many years. Their son Shea, 51, died of leukemia in 1996.
The second player, also discussed in Workbook 2, is Al Benton. I found some information that had eluded me earlier. Benton was pitching for the Detroit Tigers on the afternoon of Aug. 6, 1941. In that game, in Cleveland, the Tigers got Benton 11 runs in the third inning. Here are some of the gruesome details.
The Indians’ pitcher, Jim Bagby, got the first out of the inning but then walked Frank Croucher. Benton bunted. The Indians’ catcher, Rollie Hemsley, picked up the ball, dropped it, then threw it past first base. Benton was credited with a sacrifice and was safe on the error. Things went downhill from there. Benton batted again in the inning, this time with an eight-run lead and with two teammates aboard and only one out. Naturally, he sacrificed.
Al Milnar and Joe Krakauskas also pitched in the ghastly inning. Benton, of course, set a record: he sacrificed twice in one inning. The big hits, though, were Pinkie Higgins’ homer and Barney McCosky’s triple.
Benton was the toughest pitcher in the AL to hit in 1941. Batters hit .221 against him. They hit .226 against Bob Feller. Thornton Lee and Tommy Bridges tied for third at .232. A knot in his forearm hindered him in 1934; it disappeared before the ‘35 season but his career faltered nonetheless. . . . By the time he got to the Indians he was huge. In 1950 he weighed 234 pounds.
DAVE BRESNAHAN
Catcher, BB TR; 5-10, 180
Born Dec. 29, 1961 Chicago
Back in 1987 he was baseball’s notorious “Mr. Potato Head,” appearing on talk shows as a celebrity, albeit an unemployed celebrity. He was the fellow who substituted a skinned potato for a baseball in an Eastern League game.
His great uncle Roger Bresnahan made the Hall of Fame. Dave never even made the majors. After he left Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, the Mariners picked him in the 18th round of the June ‘84 draft. They released him after two seasons of A ball. He signed with the Indians March 21, 1986.
The infamous game came Aug. 28, 1987 against the Reading Phillies. With Rick Lundblade on third base, Bresnahan called time, saying the web on his glove was broken. He trotted into the dugout, where he hid the potato in his uniform. The pitcher and third baseman were in on the gag.
Then, on a low and outside pitch, Bresnahan pulled out the potato and appeared to try to pick Lundblade off base. Third baseman Rob Swain let the potato get past him, whereupon Lundblade set out for home. Bresnahan then produced the ball and tagged Lundblade.
After a vigorous dispute, Lundblade was called safe at home, and the Williamsport team’s manager, Orlando Gomez, pulled Bresnahan. Next day, the catcher was released.
He soon appeared on the Letterman Show and with Marv Albert on game of the Week. “I was just trying to have some fun,” he told everyone. And apparently Gomez and the Indians front office were the only spoil sports.
During the furor, the media set his BA at .140.Apparently the official stats differ. Incidentally, the real Mr. Potato Head was a popular toy of that era.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1984 Bellingham, Northwest A 64 197 51 1 28 .259 15SB
1985 Wausau Midwest A 31 96 17 2 10 .177
1986 Waterloo, Midwest A 89 281 62 6 29 .221 56W 72K
1987 Williamsport, Eastern AA 52 147 22 0 5 .150
LLOYD BROWN
Pitcher, BL TL; 5-9, 170
Born Dec. 25, 1904 Beeville, Texas; died Jan. 14, 1974 Opalocka, Fla.
"Gimpy" was the familiar little lefty, a proven winner in the majors until he reached 35. He then hung on for another decade and a half in the minors. It took guts for anyone of any age to pitch in the thin-air Arizona-Texas and West Texas-New Mexico leagues (everybody hit rockets). He last pitched in 1955 at age 50.
His full record is in the Minor League Register. That estimable book has a couple of apparent errors, though. It shows that Brown last played in 1953 and that he managed in Paul Valley of the Class D Sooner State League in 1954. The Sporting News Guide shows that Lloyd Pearson was that manager. The Register also says that Lloyd Brown managed in Cordele, Ga., in 1955 but did not play. Actually the playing records show that he did play. He didn’t play when he managed yjr Thomson team of the Class Georgia State League in 1956. He managed in Sanford of the Florida State League in 1960 then scouted into the late 1970s.
G IP W-L ERA
1923 Newark, IL 2 3 0-1 6.00
Williamsport, New York-Penn. 21 130 8-8 0.00
1924 Paris, East Texas 30 231 14-12 - 224K*
Wichita Falls, Texas 8 40 2-2 6.75
1925 Ardmore, Western Association 18 158 17-1 2.45*
Brooklyn, NL 17 63 0-3 4.14
1926 Spartanburg, Sally 11 65 3-5 5.92
Memphis, Southern Association 16 32 2-2 -
1927 Memphis, Southern Association 36 207 18-7 3.35
1928 Washington Senators, AL 27 107 4-4 4.04
1929 Washington Senators, AL 40 168 8-7 4,18
1930 Washington Senators, AL 38 197 16-12 4.25
1931 Washington Senators, AL 42 269 15-14 3.20
1932 Washington Senators, AL 46 203 15-12 4.44
1933 St. Louis Browns, AL 8 39 1-6 7.15
Boston Red Sox, AL 33 163 8-11 4.02
Totals 41 202 9-17 4.63
1934 Cleveland Indians, AL 38 117 5-10 3.85
1935 Cleveland Indians, AL 42 122 8-7 3.61
1936 Cleveland Indians, AL 24 140 8-10 4.18
1937 Cleveland Indians, AL 31 77 2-6 6.55
1938 St. Paul, American Assn. 36 189 12-8 3.52
1939 St. Paul, American Assn. 31 190 13-12 4.74
1940 Philadelphia Phillies, NL 18 38 1-3 6.16
1941 Seattle, PCL 33 105 5-7 4.20
1942 (Voluntarily retired)
1943 Toronto, IL 17 28 2-4 4.50
Memphis, SA 11 49 5-2 2.39
1944 Memphis, SA 30 169 9-13 3.57
1945 Buffalo Bisons, IL 28 167 12-9 4.04
1946 Chattanooga, SA AA 2 1 0-1 --
Noonan, Georgia-Alabama D 20 149 9-8 *2.17
1947 Miami-Globe, Arizona-Texas C 31 ??? 14-10 4.50 M 167K*
1948 Tucson, Arizona-Texas C 31 212 15-7 *3.01 M.
1949 Burlington, Central Assn. C 3 11 0-2 --. M
1950 Pittsfield, Canadian-American C 1 - 0-0 -- M
1951 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. IL B 8 26 0-2 6.92 M
Borger, West Texas-New Mexico C 20 125 6-10 6.84 M
1952 Borger, West Texas-New Mexico C 31 235 16-9 5.09 M
1953 Borger, Albuquerque, WT-N.M. C 30 167 13-9 5.78 M (a)
1954 Unknown
1955 Cordele, Georgia-Florida D 10 73 4-5 2.84 M till 6/22
Majors, 12 seasons 404 1693 91-105 4.20
(a) He managed in Borger until Aug. 3, then played under Tom Jordan, a former Indians catcher, in Albuquerque.
JOE CHARBONEAU
Outfielder, BR TR; 6-2, 200
Born June 17, 1955 Belvidere, Ill.
The Phillies didn’t want him. They loaned him to the Twins organization for all of the ‘78 season. Then on Dec. 6, 1978, the Phillies traded him to the Indians for a fringe pitcher, Cardell Camper.
Not only did he unexpectedly make the ‘80 Indians, he became the toast of the town. “Super Joe” was AL rookie of year and looked like another Rocky Colavito on the field. He led the team in homers and RBI. Off the field he was a lot more colorful than Rocky, drinking beer through his nose and doing his own dental repair.
Pelvis and back injuries the next year ruined him for good. He had back surgery in 1981 and '82. The Indians released him from their Buffalo farm in June 1983. He played some semipro ball in Buffalo and worked as a part-time bouncer in a bar. He signed with the Pirates organization for 1984. He broke a leg on icy steps before the '85 season, which was the last straw. In 1985 he became a liquor distributor in Phoenix. He last appeared in the '83 Register.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1976 Spartanburg, Western Carolina 43 121 36 4 18 .298
1977 Peninsula#, Carolina A 12 29 5 1 2 .172
1978 Visalia, California A 130 497 174 18 116 .350*
1979 Chattanooga, Southern AA 109 372 131 21 78 .352*
1980 Cleveland Indians, AL 131 453 131 23 78 .289
1981 Cleveland, AL 48 138 29 4 18 .210
Charleston, AAA International 14 46 10 0 3 .217
1982 Cleveland, AL 22 56 12 2 9 .214
Charleston, AAA International 20 77 18 1 5 .234
Chattanooga, AA Southern 13 29 6 1 2 .207
1983 Buffalo, AA Eastern 11 35 7 2 3 .200
1984 Prince William, A Carolina 108 342 99 8 52 .289
Hawaii, AAA PCL 15 49 11 0 3 .224
Majors, 3 seasons 201 647 172 29 114 .266
# Suspended from May 19, 1977 to Feb. 25, 1978
ALLIE CLARK
Outfielder, BR TR; 6-0, 185
Born June 16, 1923 South Amboy, N.J.
He wore Babe Ruth's old No. 3 when he first joined the '47 Yankees. (It hadn’t yet been retired.) That Dec. 10 he was traded to the Indians for Red Embree.
He was more important to the ‘48 championship Inidans than his stats would indicate. Today, we’d call him an important role player. He hit .310 as a part-timer, usually platooning with Dale Mitchell in leftfield.
He made headlines when Lou Boudreau used him at first base in the playoff game. It was the first time he’d ever played there in the majors. (In the minors, he played a lot of second and third base, but big-league teams seem not to have liked him as an infielder. Boudreau, of course, was stacking his lineup with righthanders in that playoff game in Boston’s Fenway Park.)
Clark couldn’t get going in 1949, though, and never built on his success of the prior year. The Indians sent him down in mid-1949 to make room for Luke Easter.
On May 10, 1951, he and infielder Lou Klein were traded to the A’s for centerfielder Sam Chapman. (But Chapman, a solid player for many previous years, was finished.)
The recent deaths of Lou Boudreau, Gene Bearden and Steve Gromek leave few of the ‘48 Indians stalwarts. Bob Feller is the most prominent. Otherwise, first baseman Eddie Robinson and outfielders Bob Kennedy and Clark survive.(Ray Boone and Al Rosen were September recalls. Among obscure players from the early season who were alive at last report: pitchers Al Gettel, Butch Wensloff, Ernie Groth and Lyman Linde and catcher Ray Murray. We discuss Murray below.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1941 Easton, Eastern Shore 70 268 87 7 47 .325
Amsterdam, Canadian-American 20 76 28 1 10 .368
1942 Norfolk, Piedmont 129 506 166 8 76 .328
Newark Bears, IL 1 3 1 0 0 .333
1943 Newark Bears, IL 24 73 15 0 7 .219
1943-45 in military service
1946 Newark Bears, IL 97 352 121 14 70 .344
1947 Newark Bears, IL 110 437 146 23 86 .334
New York Yankees, AL 24 67 25 1 14 .373
1948 Cleveland Indians, AL 81 271 84 9 38 .310
1949 Cleveland, American 35 74 13 1 9 .176
San Diego, AAA PCL 42 149 44 11 39 .295
1950 Cleveland, American 59 163 35 6 21 .215
1951 Cleveland Indians, AL 3 10 3 1 3 .300
Philadelphia Athletics, AL 56 161 40 4 22 .248
Totals 59 171 43 5 25 .251
1952 Philadelphia, American 71 186 51 7 29 .274
1953 Philadelphia Athletics, AL 20 74 15 3 13 .203
Chicago White Sox, AL 9 15 1 1 0 .067
AL Totals 29 89 16 4 13 .180
Rochester, AAA International 80 265 87 7 43 .328
1954 Rochester, AAA International 128 467 151 18 81 .323
1955 Rochester, AAA International 130 415 128 23 84 .308
1956 Rochester, AAA International 129 450 130 15 75 .289
1957 Rochester, AAA International 112 355 101 12 57 .285
1958 New Orleans, AA SA 31 81 20 3 13 .247
San Antonio, AA TL 13 12 3 0 1 .250
Majors, 7 seasons 358 1021 267 32 149 .262
RED EMBREE
Pitcher, BR TR; 6-0, 165
Born Aug. 30, 1917 El Monte, Calif.; died Sept. 29, 1996 Eugene, Ore.
Some people claimed this scholarly looking fellow had more “stuff” than even Bob Feller. (“Stuff” meant breaking balls, not necessarily speed.) He was in the rotation in 1946-47 but couldn’t break .500. He’d pitch just well enough to lose, whether by 1-0 or 4-3. Finally in December 1947 the Indians traded him to the Yankees. He couldn't help them, or the Browns, either. He was later with the PCL's San Diego Padres, with whom the Indians had a working agreement. But he never returned to the majors. (1949 Register)
Transactions:
● On Dec. 10, 1947, he was traded to the Yankees for outfielder Allie Clark.
● On Dec. 13, 1948, he was traded, along with pitcher Ray Starr, catcher Sherman Lollar and $100,000 for catcher Roy Partee and much-coveted pitcher Fred Sanford.
G IP W-L ERA
1939 Springfield, Middle Atlantic 33 184 11-11 3.47
1940 Cedar Rapids, Three-I 16 79 8-3 4.87
Flint, Michigan State 10 74 4-6 2.80
1941 Wilkes-Barre, Eastern 31 229 *21-5 1.69T 213K*
Cleveland Indians, AL 1 4 0-1 6.75
1942 Cleveland Indians, AL 19 63 3-4 3.86
1943 Cleveland Indians, AL (farmer; voluntarily retired list)
1944 Baltimore Orioles, IL 34 225 19-10 3.20
Cleveland Indians, AL 3 3 0-1 15.00
1945 Cleveland Indians, AL (a) 8 70 4-4 1.93
1946 Cleveland Indians, AL 28 200 8-12 3.47
1947 Cleveland Indians, AL 27 163 8-10 3.15
1948 New York, American 20 77 5-3 3.76
1949 St. Louis, American 35 127 3-12 5.37
1950 San Diego, AAA PCL 38 255 18-12 3.32
1951 San Diego, AAA PCL 33 176 11-15 4.70
1952 Toledo, Charleston (W.Va.),
AAA Amer. Assn. 28 136 6-10 5.16
Majors, 8 seasons 141 707 31-48 3.72
(A) In military service from June 11, 1945 till Jan. 18, 1946
KARIM GARCIA
Outfielder, BL RL; 6-0, 195
Born Oct. 29, 1975 Ciudad Obregon, Mexico
The Sporting News made him minor league player of the year for 1995, but that didn’t seem to help. He soon became a veteran fringe player.
He seemed to find a home in Cleveland, twice; But the Indians really didn’t want him; they wanted youngsters. He came closest to sticking in Cleveland in 2003. He didn’t help matters by complaining that he slept wrong on one of his wrists before the opener. It kept getting sorer. He was soon on DL, and he simply never got things going. The Indians packed him off to the Yankees.
.During the third game of the ALCS on Oct. 11, Pedro Martinez hit Garcia with a pitch. Tensions already had been high, and this led to Martinez dumping coach Don Zimmer to the turf. And soon there was a brawl in the visitors’ bullpen. This farce apparently developed after pitcher Jeff Nelson of the Yankees asked a groundskeeper to quit cheering for the Red Sox. When the two began fighting, Garcia joined in, apparently to aid Nelson.
On Dec. 18, 2003, Garcia was formally charged with assault and battery. The Yankees let him go the next day by declining to offer him a contract. He signed with the Mets.
Nothing more came of that fracas, at least at last report, but Garcia was in trouble again. In March 2004 a pizza delivery man, Eric Vidal, 20, accused Garcia and teammate Shane Spencer of roughing him up in a parking-lot dispute in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The team fined each $500 but state prosecutors didn’t press charges.
His transactions:
On Nov. 18, 1997, the Diamondbacks picked him in the first round of the expansion draft. He was the eighth selection overall.
On Dec. 28, 1998, the Diamondbacks dealt him to the Tigers for outfielder Luis Gonzalez.
On June 12 2000, the Tigers traded him to the Orioles for “future considerations.”
The Orioles released hi9m Oct. 17, 2000. He signed with the Indians organization that Dec. 22.
The Indians released him March 27, 2002. He signed with the Yankees organization that April 2.
The Yankees released him July 2, 2002, whereupon he signed with the Indians organization that July 12.
The Indians virtually gave him to the Yankees June 25, 2003.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1993 Bakersfield, California A 123 460 111 19 54 .241
1994 Vero Beach, Florida State A 121 452 120 21* 84 .265
1995 Albuquerque, Pacific Coast AAA 124 474 151 20 91T .319
Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 13 20 4 0 0 .200
1996 Albuquerque, Pacific Coast AAA 84 327 97 13 58 .297
San Antonio, Texas AA 35 129 32 5 22 .248
Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 1 1 0 0 0 .000
1997 Albuquerque, Pacific Coast AAA 71 262 80 20 66 .305
Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 15 39 5 1 8 .128
1998 Arizona Diamondbacks, NL 113 333 74 9 43 .222
Tucson, Pacific Coast AAA 27 106 33 10 27 .311
1999 Detroit Tigers, AL 96 288 69 14 32 .240
2000 Detroit Tigers, AL 8 17 3 0 0 .176
Toledo, American Assn. AAA 40 155 46 15 38 .297
Rochester Red Wings, IL AAA 76 270 75 13 54 .278
Baltimore Orioles, AL 8 16 0 0 0 .000
AL Totals 16 33 3 0 0 .091
2001 Buffalo, IL AAA 125 462 122 31 85 .264
Cleveland Indians, AL 20 45 14 5 9 .311
2002 Columbus (Ohio), Am. Assn. AAA 74 288 78 12 49 .271
New York Yankees, AL 2 5 1 0 0 .200
Buffalo, IL AAA 23 91 36 3 22 .396
Cleveland Indians, AL 51 197 59 16 52 .299
AL Totals 53 202 60 16 52 .297
2003 Cleveland Indians, AL 24 93 18 5 14 .194
New York Yankees, AL 52 151 46 6 21 .305
AL Totals 76 244 64 11 35 .262
Totals with Indians, 3 seasons
Majors, 9 seasons (active) 403 1205 293 56 179 .243
HAROLD “GOMER” HODGE
Infielder, BB TR; 6-2, 185
Born April 3, 1944 Rutherfordton, N.C.
Teammates nicknamed him for Jim Nabors’ character on TV’s Gomer Pyle, U.S,M.C. He inched through the minors. He was 27 and a seven-year pro when he unexpectedly made the ‘71 Indians as a utility man. The press, of course, loved him. When he got hits his first four pinch hits, he calculated that his batting average was 4.000. He ended the season 16 for 68 as a pinch hitter, both figures topping the league. That figured at .235, not enough to keep him around. (1972 Register)
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1963 Dubuque, Midwest A 80 238 52 3 23 .218
1964 Burlington, Carolina A 127 466 127 5 55 .273
1965 Salinas, Carolina A 117 322 117 2 50 .277
1966 Pawtucket, Eastern AA 114 354 78 2 20 .220
1967 Pawtucket, Eastern AA 46 138 28 0 6 .203
1968 Waterbury, Eastern AA 120 425 98 6 34 .231
1969 Waterbury, Eastern AA 76 274 81 8 24 .296
Portland, PCL AAA 46 155 42 3 12 .271
1970 Savannah, Southern A 138 506 147 9 66 .291 214TB*
1971 Cleveland Indians, AL 60 83 17 1 9 .205
1972 Portland Beavers, PCL AAA 116 336 83 4 47 .247
1973 Oklahoma City, Amer, Assn. AAA 43 120 24 0 10 .200
Majors, 1 season 60 83 17 1 9 .205
WALT/WALLY JUDNICH
Outfielder/first baseman, BL TL; 6-1, 205
Born Jan. 2, 1917 San Francisco, died July , 12, 1971 Glendale, Calif.
He built a big reputation in the Yankees’ system but they dealt him to the Browns before he ever played a major-league game. On Nov. 20, 1947, he and pitcher Bob Muncrief were swapped to the Indians for pitcher Bryan Stephens, outfielders Joe Frazier and Dick Kokos and $25,000.
This was considered the Indians’ biggest deal of the off-season. They figured on Walt as their regular centerfielder and they put Muncrief into their rotation. Injuries virtually negated the trade. Muncrief’s arm went south and an assortment of ills left Judnich an overweight part timer. Thurman Tucker, a speedy journeyman became the Indians’ most frequent centerfielder. (It turned out that the Bearden trade was the big one for the Indians.)
Judnich went 1 for 13 in the World Series (.077).On Feb. 9, 1949, he was sold to the Pirates, the Indians’ favorite dumping ground. His next stop was his hometown of San Francisco. His full record is in the Minor League Register. (1949 Register)
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1935 Akron, Middle Atlantic 109 398 109 8 61 .274
1936 Norfolk, Piedmont 143 565 171 24 108 .303
1937 Oakland Oaks, PCL 175 651 206 11 81 .316
1938 Kansas City Blues, Am. Assn. 150 557 152 22 104 .273
1939 Newark Bears, IL 149 538 153 21 105 .284
1940 St. Louis Browns, AL 137 619 157 24 89 .303
1941 St. Louis Browns, AL 146 546 155 14 83 .284
1942 St. Louis Browns, AL 132 457 143 17 82 .313
1943-45 In military service
1946 St. Louis Browns, AL 142 511 134 15 72 .262
1947 St. Louis Browns, AL 144 500 129 18 64 .258
1948 Cleveland Indians, AL 79 218 56 2 29 .257
1949 Pittsburgh, NL 10 35 5 0 1 .229
San Francisco, AAA PCL 116 379 102 18 63 .269
1950 Seattle, AAA PCL 166 505 144 19 84 .285
1951 Seattle, AAA PCL 147 517 170 21 102 .329
1952 Seattle, Open PCL 177 668 192 15 105 .287
1953 Seattle, Open PCL 163 583 174 16 101 .298
1954 Portland, Open PCL 156 547 149 18 81 .272
1955 Portland 25,
112 San Francisco, Open PCL 137 451 126 9 60 .279
Majors, 7 seasons 790 2786 782 90 420 .281
BRAD KOMMINSK
Outfielder, BR TR; 6-2, 205
Born April 4, 1961 Lima, Ohio
A first-round draft pick, he homered on his first pro at-bat. But he eventually provided the Atlanta Braves’ biggest disappointment of the ‘80s. Hot only didn’t he become a star, he never became a big-league regular. At best, he eventually was a usable fill-in for big-league teams -- a hired gun who’d come to town briefly and do a decent job.(1992 Register)
His transactions:
● On Jan. 20, 1987, the Braves dealt him to the Brewers for outfielder Dion James.
● The Brewers let him become a free agent Oct. 15, 1988.
● That Dec. 21, he signed with the Indians’ Colorado Springs farm.
● On April 5, 1990, he was waived to the Giants.
● On May 2, 1990, he was waived to the Orioles.
● He became a free agent Oct. 5, 1990 and signed with the A’s on Jan. 25, 1991.
● After becoming a free agent Oct. 15, 1991, he signed with the White Sox on Dec. 6, 1991.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1979 Kingsport, Appalachian 59 185 41 7 34 .222 74K*
1980 Anderson, Sally A 121 425 111 20 67 .261
1981 Durham, Carolina A 132 459 148I 33 104* .322*
1982 Savannah, Southern AA 133 454 124 26 78 .273
Richmond, IL AAA 5 17 6 2 5 .353
1983 Richmond, IL AAA 117 413 138 24 103 .334
Atlanta Braves, NL 19 36 8 0 4 .222
1984 Richmond, IL AAA 42 144 37 5 28 .257
Atlanta Braves, NL 90 301 61 8 36 .203 77K
1985 Atlanta Braves, NL 106 300 68 4 21 .227
1986 Richmond, IL AAA 133 465 109 13 65 .234 124K*
Atlanta Braves, NL 5 5 2 0 1 .400
1987 Denver, Amer. Assn. AAA 135 494 147 32* 95 .298
Milwaukee Braves, AL 7 15 1 0 0 .067
1988 Denver, Amer. Assn. AAA 105 348 83 16 57 .239
1989 Colorado Springs Sky Sox, PCL AAA 54 190 55 9 34 .289
Cleveland Indians, AL 71 198 47 8 33 .237
1990 San Francisco Giants, NL 8 5 1 0 0 .200
Baltimore Orioles, AL 46 101 24 3 8 .238
1991 Tacoma, PCL AAA 74 270 79 5 43 .293
Oakland A’s, AL 24 25 3 0 2 .120
1992 Chicago White Sox, AL didnt make team
Majors, 8 seasons 376 986 215 23 105 .218
LUIS LOPEZ
First baseman/catcher, BR TR; 6-1, 190
Born Sept. 1, 1964 New York City
Luis Antonio Lopez is not to be confused with Luis Manuel Lopez (Santos), a contemporary shortstop. Luis Antonio was basically a hitter without a position. He tried the infield, the outfield and even behind the plate; he did everything but pitch.
He had hard time getting beyond A-ball. Even when he won a Triple-A batting title in 1990, his reward was his release. (The Dodgers dumped him Dec. 13, 1990.) The Indians signed him Jan. 11, 1991. They let him become a free agent that fall but gave him a minor league contract Dec. 19, 1991.
He had surgery on his elbow in 1992. On Aug. 11, when he was ready to play, he was assigned to Double-A ball, hardly a good omen for a 10-year vet.) Not until June 21, 1993 was he promoted to Triple-A. By then, of course, he was a revolving fringe player, a free agent every fall. He was the Richmond Braves’ MVP in 1994. After he re-signed with the Indians, they put him on their 1995 spring roster.
He was a major star in Japan, fans chasing him wherever he went. Then he made a bad business decision. In 1998 he switched to the Hawks for more money. That fall, the team retrenched because of the bad economy; it bought him out. That left him bouncing between Japan and the lowly independent Atlantic League. (1992 Register)
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1983 Lethbridge, Rookie League Didn’t play
1984 Great Falls, Pioneer A 68 275 90 6 61 .327
1985 Vero Beach, Florida State A 120 382 106 1 43 .277
1986 Vero Beach, Florida State A 122 434 124 1 60 .286
1987 Bakersfield, California A 142 550 181* 16 96 .329 MVP
1988 San Antonio, Texas AA 124 470 116 7 65 .247
1989 San Antonio, Texas AA 99 327 87 10 51 .266
Albuquerque, PCL AAA 19 75 37 2 16 .493
1990 Albuquerque, PCL AAA 128 448 158 11 81 .353*
Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 6 6 0 0 0 .000
1991 Colorado Springs, PCL AAA 41 176 61 1 31 .347
Cleveland Indians, AL 35 82 18 0 7 .220
1992 Canton-Akron, Eastern AA 20 82 21 0 7 .256
1993 Canton-Akron, Eastern AA 60 231 84 2 41 .277
Charlotte, IL AAA 67 242 76 12 37 .314
1994 Richmond Braves, IL AAA 123 521 159 18 79 .305
1995 Buffalo Bisons, IL AAA 123 455 119 17 66 .262
1996 Hiroshima Carp, Central (Japan) 130 503 157 25 109* .312
1997 Hiroshima Carp, Central (Japan) 134 532 170* 30 112* .320
1998 Fukuoki Daiea Hawks, Pac. (Jap) NA
1999 Somerset Patriots, Atlantic 72 255 84 15 60 .329
2000 Somerset Patriots, Atlantic 10 39 16 1 - .385
Hiroshima Carp, Central (Japan) 93 - - 20 88 .313
2001 unknown
2002 unknown
2003 Somerset Patriots, Atlantic 164 280 83 8 - .296
Majors, 2 seasons 41 88 18 0 7 .220
BARNEY McCOSKY
Outfielder, BL TL; 6-1, 184
Born April 11, 1918 Coal Run, Pa.; died Sept. 6, 1996 Venice, Fla.
With luck, he was a likely Hall of Famer. But besides losing three years to the war, he busted up his back.
After going to high school in Detroit, he began in the Tigers' farm system. No question, he could hit, but his arm was weak. The Tigers considered him as a prospective leftfielder, until the winter of 1938, when he had his tonsils removed. That somehow led the front office to believe that he'd throw better sans tonsils. Maybe so, because he did well from the get-go. Playing centerfield between Earl Averill Sr. and Pete Fox in 1939, he got 190 hits, not bad for a rookie, and he led ML outfielders in putouts.
In 1940, he tied the Browns' Rip Radcliff and the Red Sox' Doc Cramer for the ML lead with 200 hits and topped the majors with 19 triples. He and Hank Greenberg led the team with .340 averages, then he batted .304 in the World Series. Not till 1942 did he fail to hit .300, yet his .293 that season was his worst in the dozen years after 1937.
He went in the navy Dec. 11, 1942, played some service ball in the Pacific and was discharged Oct. 14, 1945. That was too late for the '45 World Series but in plenty of time for a double wedding June 19, 1946 at St. John Cantius Church in Detroit. He married Jane Malicki while her sister Evelyn married Don Hughes of Detroit.
On May 18, 1946, Barney was traded to the Philadelphia A's for a novice third baseman, George Kell. Barney was 28, Kell 23. Angry, Barney considered jumping to the Mexican League. The Pasquel brothers offered a pay raise, but now he had a wife and she wasn't eager to move to Mexico. Connie Mack, who owned the A's, came up with a modest raise, sufficient to deter any Mexican adventures.
The A’s had veteran Sam Chapman in center, so they put McCosky in left. (Rightfielder Elmer Valo completed the best outfield the team had had in years.) Up to that time, McCosky had hit .320 since coming to the AL.
On June 15, 1948, the A’s were playing in Detroit. Nearly 55,000 fans turned out for Briggs Stadium’s first night game. In the home eighth, Dick Wakefield hit a drive far into leftfield. McCosky rammed the wall hard as the ball barely cleared it. After Wakefield circled the bases, teammates carried McCosky from the field on a stretcher. (The A’s lost 4-1.) He was back in the lineup a few days later and got through the season, even leading the majors in sacrifices.
But the mishap had left him with a lame back. That winter surgeons fused three of his vertebra. Not only did he miss all of the 1949 season, he never again played regularly. Adding insult to literal injury, the Tigers' Kell hit .343 to win the AL batting title that season. Barney hit poorly when he came back in 1950, then on May 2, 1951 was sold to the Reds.
On July 21, 1951, GM Hank Greenberg of the Indians picked former teammate McCosky off waivers. (Outfielder Milt Nielson was optioned to San Diego to make room.)
His throwing arm was shot and his back hurt, but going into the '52 season, he was one of only eight players with a lifetime batting average above .300. With Bob Kennedy in the service, Barney sometimes played rightfield. When Hank Majeski was obtained in the summer of 1952, he and Barney became a good left-right pinch hitting combination.
With Ted Williams of the Red Sox in the service most of 1952 and Joe DiMaggio having retired, Barney had the highest lifetime average of anyone in the AL. The Indians' leftfielder, Dale Mitchell, had the second best. Oddly, Barney might have played more for the Indians had it not been for Mitchell, another line-drive hitter with a weak arms. Mitchell and McCosky in the same outfield meant opponents took extra bases.
As a pinch hitter, Barney went nine for 30 in 1952. He played 22 games in 1953 before he was released. Thus Barney was stuck with the dubious honor of having been traded even-up for a future Hall of Famer in a remarkably bad deal. It was a bit of a bad rap becaise. Oddly, Barney's career batting average is six points better than Kell's. Barney became a car salesman in Dearborn, Mich.
An old pal keeps trying to push his election to HOF. No way. Too few seasons. Even Al Rosen couldn’t squeeze through in so few seasons, (But Dizzy Dean did make the Hall of Fame on only about six good seasons.) If not for the injury, McCosky might have made it.
His name is often misspelled "McCoskey." Actually, he was Lithuanian and Polish. His family had anglicized a Polish name that sounded like "McCosky.” I don't know exactly what it was, but it must have been something akin to Ray Mack's Mlckovsky."
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1936 Charleston (W.Va.) Middle Atl. 108 407 163 7 77 .400* 10-3B*
Beaumont, Texas 20 66 15 0 8 .227
1937 Beaumont, Texas 158 633 201* 1 73 .319 116R*
1938 Beaumont, Texas 133 517 156 0 57 .302
1939 Detroit Tigers, AL 147 611 190 4 58 .311
1940 Detroit Tigers, AL 143 589 200T 4 57 .340 19-3B*
1941 Detroit Tigers, AL 127 494 160 3 55 .324
1942 Detroit Tigers, AL 154 600 176 7 50 .293
1943-45 in navy
1946 Detroit Tigers, A’s, AL 117 399 127 2 45 .318
1947 Philadelphia Athletics, AL 137 546 170 1 62 .328
1948 Philadelphia Athletics, AL 135 115 168 0 46 .326
1949 Philadelphia Athletics, AL (disabled all season)
1950 Philadelphia Athletics, AL 66 179 43 0 11 .240
1951 Philadelphia Athletics, AL 12 27 8 1 1 .296
Cincinnati Reds, NL 25 50 16 1 11 .320
Cleveland Indians, AL 31 61 13 0 2 .213
AL totals 43 88 21 1 3 .230
1952 Cleveland Indians, AL 54 80 17 1 6 .213
1953 Cleveland Indians, AL 22 21 4 0 3 .190
Majors, 11 seasons 1170 4172 1301 24 397 .312
LUIS MEDINA
First baseman/Outfielder/DH, BR TL; 6-4, 200
Born March 26, 1963 Santa Monica, Calif.
Cleveland fans liked him because he reminded them of Rocky Colavito. The front office took him much less seriously. One reason might have been that he didn’t turn pro out of high school. He attended junior college, then Arizona State. He didn't really have a position and once, while in the outfield, he dropped a routine fly that cost the Indians a game. He began the ‘89 season as the Indians’ righthanded DH. Of his 10 big-league homers, two were off Tommy John, who was in the majors before Medina was born. Note that Medina was one of those rare birds who batted right and threw left. (1992 Register)
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1985 Batavia, NY-Penn. A 76 290 77 12 43 .266
1986 Waterloo, Midwest A 136 505 160* 35* 110* .317 107R* MVP
1987 Williamsport, Eastern AA (a) 96 341 109 16 68 .320
1988 Colorado Springs, PCL AAA 111 406 126 28* 81 .310 107K
Cleveland Indians, AL 16 51 13 6 8 .255
1989 Cleveland Indians, AL 30 83 17 4 8 .206
Colorado Springs, PCL AAA 51 166 29 3 19 .175
1990 Colorado Springs, PCL AAA 94 320 87 18 53 .272
1991 Colorado Springs, PCL AAA 117 450 146 27T 98 .324
Cleveland Indians, AL 5 16 1 0 0 .063
1992 Omaha, American Association AAA 91 341 94 16 49 .276
1993 Hiroshima Carp, Central, Japan 3 9 3 0 1 .333
1994 Hiroshima Carp, Central, Japan 106 384 104 14 70 .271
1995 Hiroshima Carp, Central, Japan 35 103 23 4 11 .223
Majors, 3 seasons 51 150 31 10 16 .207
(a) had bone chips removed from left elbow Aug. 12
ANDRES MORA
We had Mora in Notebook 4. We failed to note that teammate Jim Palmer once said Mora was the best cripple-shooter ever. He apparently hit .500 with the count 3 and 0.
ED MORGAN
First baseman, BR TR; 6-0, 178
Born May 22, 1904 Cairo, Illinois; died May 9, 1980 New Orleans
The records say Ed attended Tulane from 1921 through '27, which indicates he had an advanced degree or had trouble getting through. He was a star halfback, end and tackle on the football team in that one-platoon era. He began pro baseball as an outfielder with the Indians' New Orleans farm team. He moved up to the varsity in 1928 and had some fine seasons. (But those big numbers in 1930 didn't put him in the top five in the AL in any category. Three-hundred hitters were a dime a dozen in those days.)
By 1931 his power diminished greatly. Before the mid-point of the '33 season, the Indians put Harley Boss at first base and returned Morgan to New Orleans. The Red Sox drafted him Oct. 2, 1933. But he hit with no power during his return to the majors. Soon he was back in New Orleans. He soon went into the lumber and oil business in Kenner, Louisiana. His full record is in the '53 Register. Hal Trosky, incidentally, quickly succeeded Boss at first base in Cleveland.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1927 New Orleans, Southern Assn. 157 607 215 12 99 .354
1928 Cleveland Indians, AL 76 265 83 4 54 .313
1929 Cleveland Indians, AL 93 318 101 3 38 .318
1930 Cleveland Indians, AL 150 584 204 26 136 .350
1931 Cleveland Indians, AL 131 462 162 11 86 .351 83BB
1932 Cleveland Indians, AL 144 532 156 4 68 .293
1933 Cleveland Indians, AL 39 121 32 1 13 .264
New Orleans, Southern Assn. 67 245 78 4 45 .318
1934 Boston, American 138 528 141 3 79 .267
1935 New Orleans, Southern Assn. 139 504 156 1 80 .310
1936 New Orleans, Southern Assn. 136 507 137 1 83 .270
Majors, 7 seasons 771 2810 879 52 473 .313
HOWIE MOSS
Third baseman, BR TR; 5-11½, 185
Born Oct. 17, 1919 Gastonia, N.C.; died May 7, 1989 Baltimore
In 72 at-bats in the majors he had seven singles (.097). He drove in one run. Yet he was “Howitzer Howie,” one of the best Triple-A sluggers ever. He’s in the International League Hall of Fame.
His career began haltingly. Homesick, he left the Greenwood team in 1937 to go home and play semipro ball. Organized Baseball suspended him for five years for jumping his contract. There was some fuss; at least one older player appealed on his behalf, telling Commissioner Landis that OB shouldn't treat a teenager so harshly.
The suspension couldn't have helped his career, although he was allowed back in OB in 1941. He ultimately thrived in Baltimore, where he developed a knack of clearing short fences in the Orioles’ International League era. He was a September recall in 1946. After he quit baseball, he took an office job in Baltimore.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1936 Greenwood, Cotton States 110 430 100 1 40 .233
1937 Greenwood, Cotton States 25 94 21 0 - .223
1938 Suspended
1939 Granby, Provincial (not OB) 71 298 96 11* 59 .322
1940 Suspended
1941 Salisbury, NC State 21 90 25 7 22 .300
Ft. Smith, Western Assn. 103 422 146 24 123 .346
1942 New York Giants, NL 7 14 0 0 0 .000
Columbus, American Association 95 310 82 3 34 .265
1943 Jersey City, International 121 408 95 5 49 .233
1944 Baltimore, International 149 581 178* 27* 141* .306
1945 In military service
1946 Cincinnati Reds, NL 7 26 5 0 1 192
Baltimore Orioles, IL AAA 130 492 137 38* 112 .278
Cleveland Indians, AL 8 32 2 0 0 .063
1947 Baltimore Orioles, IL AAA 152 528 142 53* 129 .269
1948 Baltimore Orioles, IL AAA 131 451 136 33* 94 .301
1949 Milwaukee Brewers, AmAssn. AAA 147 575 160 29 117 .294
1950 Milwaukee Brewers, AmAssn. AAA 123 435 124 26 87 .285
1951 Milwaukee Brewers, AmAssn. AAA 18 58 15 3 8 .259
Springfield, Balt, IL AAA 94 321 79 16 54 .246
1952 Augusta, Sally A 10 32 5 1 3 .156
Gastonia, Tri-State B 49 169 53 9 41 .314
St. Petersburg, Fla. IL B 50 188 50 4 20 .266
Majors, 2 seasons 22 72 7 0 1 .097
RAY MURRAY
Catcher, BR TR; 6-3, 204
Born Oct. 12, 1917 Spring Hope, NC; died April 9, 2003 Fort Worth
He was the Indians' commuting third-string catcher, the fellow sent out on option when the Indians needed another pitcher, infielder or outfielder.
Note that he didn't manage in Dallas in 1955. Nor did he bat often enough to win the batting title. He didn't manage in Dallas in 1957 but became manager of the club in Springfield, Mass., July 25, 1957. While managing in Corpus Christi in 1958, he easily out-hit the batting champ but didn't play enough to qualify. He managed in Corpus Christi in 1959 again. He played only briefly while managing the Texas League's Rio Grande Valley-Victoria team in 1960, then stayed on the team's bench the next season. He appears in the '51-54 Registers.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1940 Pocomoke City, Eastern Shore 90 308 81 2 39 .264
1941 Tarboro, Coastal Plain 75 283 91 0 34 .322
1942-45 Baltimore, International (in military service)
1946 Baltimore, AAA International 33 88 20 2 10 .227
1946 Oklahoma City, AA Texas 42 130 33 2 15 .254
1947 Oklahoma City, AA Texas 122 388 102 9 57 .263
1948 Cleveland, American 4 4 0 0 0 .000
1948 Oklahoma City, AA Texas 64 202 60 5 34 .297
1949 Oklahoma City, AA Texas 123 430 137 16 94 .319
1950 Cleveland, American 55 139 38 1 13 .273
1951 Cleve. 1, Philadelphia 40, AL 41 123 27 0 14 .220
1952 Philadelphia, American 44 136 28 1 10 .206
1953 Philadelphia, American 84 268 76 6 41 .284
1954 Baltimore, American 22 61 15 0 2 .246
1955 Dallas, AA Texas 110 362 119 25 80 .329
1956 Dallas, AA Texas 29 64 16 1 7 .250
1957 Dallas, AA Texas 41 111 34 8 22 .306
Springfield, A Eastern 27 68 18 1 11 .265
1958 Corpus Christi, AA Texas 93 283 101 19 63 .357
1959 Corpus Christi, AA Texas 83 198 65 4 38 .328
1960 Rio Grande Valley, AA Texas 2 2 0 0 - .000
Majors, 6 seasons 250 731 184 8 80 .252
JOHNNY PODGAJNY
Pitcher, BR TR; 6-2 1/2, 178
born June 10, 1920 Chester, Pa. died there March 2, 1971
Specs made the Phillies in a hurry, in those prewar days when the majors were still at full strength. He should have flourished during World War II, when talent was spread thin, but he ended the war back in the minors.
During his NL days, the joke was that the Cubs kept him in the league. Half of his big-league victories came at their expense.
● In 1951 he was 4-1 versus the Cubs.
● In 1942 he was 4-3 versus the Cubs
● In 1942 he was 2-0 versus the Cubs while with Phillies, and 0-1 with Pirates
During his brief stay in Cleveland, he merely confounded AL announcers with his name (pronounced "poe-JOHNNY." Pitcher Joe Krakauskas and outfielder Felix Mackiewicz gave the Indians other tongue-twisters that season.
Johnny had a temper. There’s a great old photo of him, glove in hand, going head to head with an umpire. (1943 Register)
G IP W-L ERA
1939 Moultrie, Georgia-Florida 31 194 14-10 2.92
1940 Ottawa-Ogdensburg, Can-Amer. 30 214 18-7 2.57
Philadelphia Phillies, NL 4 35 1-3 2.83
1941 Philadelphia Phillies, NL 34 181 9-12 4.62
1942 Philadelphia Phillies, NL 43 187 6-14 3.90
1943 Philadelphia Phillies, NL 13 64 4-4 4.22
Pittsburgh Pirates, NL 15 34 0-4 4.72
Totals 28 98 4-8 4.39
1944 Columbus, Amer. Assn. 13 80 6-2 4.61
Baltimore Orioles, IL 14 51 3-3 6.35
1945 Baltimore Orioles, IL 66* 226 20-11 3.78
1946 Cleveland, American 6 13 0-0 5.00
Baltimore, AAA International 46 172 12-11 3.40
1947 Baltimore, AAA International 59 213 13-18 4.73
1948 Baltimore, AAA International 40 131 9-12 3.44
1949 Birmingham, AA Southern Assn. 22 77 6-2 4.68
1950 Milwaukee, AAA Amer. Assn. 22 Fewer than 45 IP
Majors, 5 seasons 115 510 20-37 4.20
RUDOLPH VALENTINO "RUDY" REGALADO
Third baseman, BR TR; 8-1, 185
Born May 21, 1930 Los Angeles
Movie idol Valentino died four years before Mrs. Regalado named her son. Rudy Regalado became only slightly famous, and only briefly, in Cleveland.
He began late in pro ball, waiting until after he graduated from the University of Southern California in education. After his first year in pro ball, the '54 Indians took him to camp as a non-roster player. Besides looking like a Latin screen star, he hit like Babe Ruth. The newspapers, of course, made him the team’s spring training hero.
With Al Rosen, the team hardly needed another third baseman. But there was no way the Indians could cut Rudy. Manager Al Lopez even moved Rosen to first base part of the time to get Regalado into the lineup. The results were middling, just as they were the next two seasons. Rudy went one for three in the '54 World Series. He simply was a wonderful springtime hitter who couldn't sustain things over a whole season. And he lacked power and didn’t stay in training. (1956 Register)
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1953 Reading, A Eastern 89 330 105 7 60 .318
Indianapolis, AAA Amer. Assn. 36 126 41 4 20 .325
1954 Cleveland, American 65 180 45 2 24 .250
1955 Indianapolis, AAA Amer. Assn. 139 545 172 9 73 .316
Cleveland, American 10 26 7 0 5 .269
1956 Cleveland, American 16 47 11 0 2 .234
Indianapolis, AAA Amer. Assn. 95 311 100 14 60 .322
1957 San Diego, Open PCL 134 480 147 8 50 .306
1958 San Diego, AAA PCL 104 325 90 8 42 .277
1959 SD 70, Seattle 63, AAA PCL 133 461 134 16 58 .291
1960 Seattle, PCL AAA 96 263 72 2 32 .274
Majors, 3 seasons 91 253 63 2 31 .249
HERM REICH
First baseman/outfielder BR TL; 6-2, 200
Born Nov. 23, 1917 Bell, Calif.
Reich, who pronounced his name "rich," was another oddball (like Luis Medina, above) who batted righthanded and threw lefty. He also was an accomplished violinist who played baseball and basketball at Loyola of Los Angeles..
He was a veteran PCL player when the Cleveland Indians drafted him as a backup first baseman. Owner Bill Veeck said that his Indians had planned to draft Reich a year earlier but at the last minute had (foolishly) opted for Len Ratto. The Indians wanted Reich as a backup for Eddie Robinson, who had orthopedic problems and even when healthy couldn’t get off a dime.
Veeck didn’t keep either Robinson or Reich. Robinson was dealt to the Washington Senators for first baseman Mickey Vernon, then Reich was soon waived to the Senators.
Clark Griffith, who owned the Senators, hoped to trade Reich. But Veeck, seeking to irritate Griffith, soon reclaimed him on waivers, then quickly waived him to the Cubs. After this whirlwind of activity, Reich found a temporary home in Chicago, taking over at first base while Phil Cavarretta moved to the outfield. Besides hitting decently for the Cubs, Reich led NL first baseman in assists. When the Sporting News picked its all-rookie team, he was the NL's only rookie first baseman, so he got the honor. He also got demoted back to the PCL.
Although his career spanned 1936-57. he played in the majors only that one year. He'd begun as a pitcher, and he pitched a bit as his career wound down. He managed the Idaho Falls team in the Class C Pioneer League in 1961. He was replaced July 10 and hadn't played.
Some other one=shot regulars who come to mind: Hector Rodriguez, Sparky Anderson. Don Lang and Charlie Kress. The Mexican League had unsuccessfully recruited Reich in 1946. He did live for a time in Hermosillo in the state of Sonora. (1950 Register)
His transactions:
● On Nov. 10, 1948, the Indians drafted him from the Beavers for $10,000.
● On April 30, 1949, he was waived to the Washington Senators.
● On May 10, 1949, he was waived back to the Indians.
● On May 18, the Indians sold him to the Cubs.
● On Feb. 2, 1950, he was waived to the White Sox.
● On April 7, 1950, the White Sox optioned him to Sacramento Solons.
● On Dec. 15, 1950 he was sold to the Solons.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1936 Siloam Springs, Ark.-Mo. 12 21 7 0 2 .333
Bartlesville, Western Assn. 10 22 3 0 2 .136
1937 Bartlesville, Western Assn. 106 291 67 3 27 .230
1938 (Didn’t play Organized Baseball)
1939 Tacoma, Western International 139 548 164 18 91 .299
1940 Portland, PCL 164 592 136 11 54 .230
1941 Portland, PCL 151 556 170 11 66 .306
1942-45 in U.S. Army Air Corps
1946 Portland, PCL 170 629 190 9 75 .302
1947 Portland, PCL 153 533 150 18 98 .281
1948 Portland, PCL 187 677 219 19 100 .323
1949 Cleveland Indians, AL 1 1 0 0 0 .000 1K
Washington Senators, AL 2 3 1 0 0 .333
Cleveland Indians, AL Didn’t play
AL Totals 3 4 1 0 0 .250
Chicago Cubs, NL 108 386 108 3 34 .280
1950 Sacramento Solons, PCL AAA 126 410 112 10 65 .273
1951 Sacramento Solons, PCL AAA 134 388 96 9 49 .247
1952 Sacramento, Portland, PCL Open 105 326 72 4 28 .221
1953 Portland Beavers, PCL Open 125 399 118 12 53 .296
1954 Portland, Seattle, PCL Open 62 131 34 2 19 .260
Modesto, California C 21 74 21 2 12 .284
1955 Yakima, Northwest B 65 236 70 2 33 .297
1956 Yakima, Northwest B 91 274 77 5 50 .281
1957 Eugene, Northwest 21 65 18 0 10 .277
Majors, 1 season 111 390 109 3 34 .279
Pitching Records
G IP W-L ERA
1936 Bartlesville, Western Assn. 10 41 1-3 6.15
1937 Bartlesville, Western Assn. 32 185 7-17 4.77
1940 Portland, PCL 1 4 0-0 4.50
1955 Yakima, Northwest 1 - 0-0 -
1956 Yakima, Northwest 1 - 0-0 -
CORY SNYDER
Outfielder, BR TR; 6-3, 206
Born Nov. 11, 1962 Inglewood, Calif.
He was an all-America shortstop at Brigham Young, a star on the U.S. Olympic team and, although primarily an outfielder with the Indians, he played all positions in the majors except pitch and catch. He threw extremely well and in 1989 led AL outfielders in fielding.
The Indians loved him, but they didn’t like his father. The elder Snyder functioned as his son’s batting coach, which the Indians saw as interference. And neither Snyder could figure out how to curtail Cory’s strikeouts. Matters went sour in 1989. On Dec. 4, 1990, the Indians traded Cory to the White Sox, along with minor league infielder Lindsay Foster, for pitchers Eric King and Shawn Hillegas.
The change of scenery didn’t help. On July 14, 1991, the White Sox dealt him to the Blue Jays for outfielder Shawn Jeter and an unnamed player (pitcher Steve Wapnick).
On Oct. 26, 1991, the Blue Jays released him. He signed with the Giants on Jan. 13, 1992. Although he seemed to find himself somewhat, the Giants let him become a free agent that Oct. 26. He then signed with the Dodgers on Dec. 5, 1992. Again, he played fairly well, but not enough to keep a job. The Dodgers let him become a free agent Oct. 11, 1994. His last fling was in the Red Sox chain.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1985 Waterbury, Eastern AA 139 512 144 28* 94* .281
1986 Maine, IL AAA 49 192 58 9 32 .302
Cleveland Indians, AL 103 416 113 24 69 .272
1987 Cleveland Indians, AL 157 577 136 33 82 .236 166K
1988 Cleveland Indians, AL 142 511 139 26 75 .272
1989 Cleveland Indians, AL 132 489 105 18 59 .215
Canton-Akron, Eastern AA (rehab) 4 11 5 0 2 .455
1990 Cleveland Indians, AL 123 438 102 14 55 .233
1991 Chicago White Sox 50 117 22 3 11 .188
Toronto Blue Jays 21 49 7 0 6 .143
Totals 71 166 29 3 17 .175
Syracuse, IL AAA 17 67 18 6 17 .269
1992 San Francisco Giants, NL 124 390 105 14 57 .269
1993 Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 143 516 137 11 56 .266
1994 Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 73 153 36 6 18 .235
1995 Las Vegas, PCL AAA 8 34 9 0 5 .265
Pawtucket, IL AAA 20 66 15 3 8 .227
Majors, 9 seasons 1068 3656 902 149 488 .247
BRYAN STEPHENS
Pitcher, BR TR; 6-4, 200
Born July 14, 1920 Fayetteville, Ark.; died Mpv. 21, 1991 Santa Ana, Calif.
We discussed Stephens’ missing finger in Notebook 4. Recently, in revising my history of the Mexican Jumping Beans of 1946, I came across an old news story about the Mexicans recruiting Stephens when he was with the Oakland Oaks.
After he’d lost three seasons to the war, the ‘47 Indians tried him in their rotation. He completed one of five starts, proving hard to hit but too wild to hold onto the job.
On Nov. 27, 1947, he was traded. Going with him to the St. Louis Browns were outfielders Joe Frazier and Dick Kokos and a reported $25,000. The Indians received pitcher Bob Muncrief and outfielder/first baseman Walt Judnich. The bottom then dropped out. Batters teed off on him and his control didn’t improve. (1948 Register)
G IP W-L ERA
1939 Henderson, East Texas 36 204 11-10 3.40
1940 Wilkes-Barre, Eastern 7 24 1-1 --
Charleston, Middle Atlantic 25 128 9-10 3.30
1941 Cedar Rapids, Three-I 2 3 0-1 --
Tacoma, Western International 24 146 9-9 4.56
1942 Cedar Rapids, Three-I 34 182 20-4 3.66
1943-45 In military service
1946 Oakland Oaks, PCL AAA 29 159 10-9 3.40
1947 Cleveland Indians, AL 31 92 5-10 4.01 79H
1948 St. Louis, AL 43 123 3-6 6.02 141H
1949 Baltimore, AAA International 11 72 4-5 4.50
1949 Los Angeles, AAA PCL 17 102 3-11 6.00
1950 San Antonio, AA Texas 11 X45
Majors, 2 seasons 74 215 8-16 5.16
LEON WAGNER
Outfielder, BL TR; 6-1, 192
Born May 13, 1934 Chattanooga; died Jan. 3, 2004 Los Angeles
A colorful character, he owned a clothing star for awhile (“Get your rags at Daddy Wags’”). He attended Tuskegee Institute, was a roller skater and he also appeared in some movies (most notably The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars ^ Motor Kings).
On Dec. 15, 1959, the Giants traded him to the Cardinals, with shortstop Daryl Spencer, for second baseman Don Blasingame. The Cardinals soon demoted him to their Rochester farm. On Oct. 11, 1960, the Cardinals dealt him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a multi-player transaction. Also going to the Maple Leafs were pitcher Wade Browning, outfielder Ellis Burton and cash. The Cardinals got pitcher Al Cicotte, nephew of the old Black Soxer.(Burton wasn’t added until Jan. 26, 1961.) On April 13, 1961 the Maple Leafs traded him to the AL’s Angels for outfielder Lou Johnson.
After finally becoming a productive major leaguer, he made The Sporting News all-star team in 1962. He was dealt to the Indians on Dec. 2, 1963. The Tribe gave up pitcher Barry Latman that day, then added first baseman Joe Adcock to the deal on Dec. 6.
Wagner played in three all-star games while with the Indians (two in 1962), batting .455. In 1967 the Indians’ new manager, Adcock, platooned Wagner and Rocky Colavito in leftfield, which angered both players. Wagner demanded a trade. Soon Wagner, Colavito and Adcock were gone.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1954 Danville, Miss.-Ohio Valley D 125 482 160* 24 115 .332
1955 St. Cloud, Northern C 125 501 157 29* 127* .313
1956 Danville, Carolina B 152 543 179 51* 166* .330
1957 Minneapolis, Amer. Assn. AAA In military service
1958 Phoenix, PCL AAA 65 233 74 17 58 .318
San Francisco Giants, NL 74 221 70 13 35 .317
1959 San Francisco Giants, NL 87 129 29 5 22 .225
1960 St. Louis Cardinals, NL 39 98 21 4 11 .214
Rochester Red Wings, IL AAA 93 294 78 16 48 .265
1961 Los Angeles Angels, AL 133 453 127 28 79 .280
1962 Los Angeles Angels, AL 160 612 164 37 107 .268
1963 Los Angeles Angels, AL 149 550 160 26 90 .291
1964 Cleveland Indians, AL 163 641 162 31 100 .253
1965 Cleveland Indians, AL 144 517 152 28 79 .294
1966 Cleveland Indians, AL 150 549 153 23 66 .279
1967 Cleveland Indians, AL 135 433 105 15 54 .242
1968 Cleveland Indians, AL 38 49 9 0 6 .184
Chicago, AL 69 162 46 1 18 .284
Totals 107 211 55 1 24 .261
1969 San Francisco, NL 11 12 4 0 2 .333
Phoenix, AAA PCL 78 166 49 6 41 .295
1970 Phoenix, AAA PCL 49 53 10 2 8 .189
1971 Hawaii, AAA PCL 75 143 36 9 33 .252
Majors, 12 seasons 1352 4426 1202 211 669 .272
ELMER WEINGARTNER
Infielder, BR TR; 5-11, 178
Born Aug. 13, 1918 Cleveland
I’ve added several lines to Elmer’s record, which was in Notebook 3.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1939 Rayne, Evangeline 82 333 78 2 23 .234
1940 Rayne, Evangeline 91 353 111 2 51 .314
Oklahoma City, Texas 11 29 3 1 1 .103
1941 Oklahoma City, Texas 13 47 9 1 5 .191
Salina, Western Association 126 497 145 3 39 .292
1942 Augusta, Sally 138 510 154 2 55 .302
1943-44
1945 Cleveland Indians, AL 20 39 9 0 1 .231
Baltimore Orioles, IL 32 124 37 5 32 .298
Milwaukee, Amer. Assn. 28 104 30 0 6 .288
Nashville, Southern Assn. 6 22 2 - - .091
1946 Oklahoma City, Texas AA 4 8 0 0 - .000
Greenville, A Sally 33 105 26 0 5 .248
1947 Greenvl 12, Augusta 20, A Sally 32 94 22 2 11 .234
Denver, Western A 17 54 11 0 4 .204
Sunbury, B Inter-State 70 261 56 3 27 .215
1948 Sunbury 79, Trenton 5, B I-St 84 278 72 1 25 .259
1949 Poughkeepsie, B Colonial 39 136 31 2 23 .228 M
Majors, 1 season 20 39 9 0 1 .231
The second player, also discussed in Workbook 2, is Al Benton. I found some information that had eluded me earlier. Benton was pitching for the Detroit Tigers on the afternoon of Aug. 6, 1941. In that game, in Cleveland, the Tigers got Benton 11 runs in the third inning. Here are some of the gruesome details.
The Indians’ pitcher, Jim Bagby, got the first out of the inning but then walked Frank Croucher. Benton bunted. The Indians’ catcher, Rollie Hemsley, picked up the ball, dropped it, then threw it past first base. Benton was credited with a sacrifice and was safe on the error. Things went downhill from there. Benton batted again in the inning, this time with an eight-run lead and with two teammates aboard and only one out. Naturally, he sacrificed.
Al Milnar and Joe Krakauskas also pitched in the ghastly inning. Benton, of course, set a record: he sacrificed twice in one inning. The big hits, though, were Pinkie Higgins’ homer and Barney McCosky’s triple.
Benton was the toughest pitcher in the AL to hit in 1941. Batters hit .221 against him. They hit .226 against Bob Feller. Thornton Lee and Tommy Bridges tied for third at .232. A knot in his forearm hindered him in 1934; it disappeared before the ‘35 season but his career faltered nonetheless. . . . By the time he got to the Indians he was huge. In 1950 he weighed 234 pounds.
DAVE BRESNAHAN
Catcher, BB TR; 5-10, 180
Born Dec. 29, 1961 Chicago
Back in 1987 he was baseball’s notorious “Mr. Potato Head,” appearing on talk shows as a celebrity, albeit an unemployed celebrity. He was the fellow who substituted a skinned potato for a baseball in an Eastern League game.
His great uncle Roger Bresnahan made the Hall of Fame. Dave never even made the majors. After he left Grand Canyon College in Phoenix, the Mariners picked him in the 18th round of the June ‘84 draft. They released him after two seasons of A ball. He signed with the Indians March 21, 1986.
The infamous game came Aug. 28, 1987 against the Reading Phillies. With Rick Lundblade on third base, Bresnahan called time, saying the web on his glove was broken. He trotted into the dugout, where he hid the potato in his uniform. The pitcher and third baseman were in on the gag.
Then, on a low and outside pitch, Bresnahan pulled out the potato and appeared to try to pick Lundblade off base. Third baseman Rob Swain let the potato get past him, whereupon Lundblade set out for home. Bresnahan then produced the ball and tagged Lundblade.
After a vigorous dispute, Lundblade was called safe at home, and the Williamsport team’s manager, Orlando Gomez, pulled Bresnahan. Next day, the catcher was released.
He soon appeared on the Letterman Show and with Marv Albert on game of the Week. “I was just trying to have some fun,” he told everyone. And apparently Gomez and the Indians front office were the only spoil sports.
During the furor, the media set his BA at .140.Apparently the official stats differ. Incidentally, the real Mr. Potato Head was a popular toy of that era.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1984 Bellingham, Northwest A 64 197 51 1 28 .259 15SB
1985 Wausau Midwest A 31 96 17 2 10 .177
1986 Waterloo, Midwest A 89 281 62 6 29 .221 56W 72K
1987 Williamsport, Eastern AA 52 147 22 0 5 .150
LLOYD BROWN
Pitcher, BL TL; 5-9, 170
Born Dec. 25, 1904 Beeville, Texas; died Jan. 14, 1974 Opalocka, Fla.
"Gimpy" was the familiar little lefty, a proven winner in the majors until he reached 35. He then hung on for another decade and a half in the minors. It took guts for anyone of any age to pitch in the thin-air Arizona-Texas and West Texas-New Mexico leagues (everybody hit rockets). He last pitched in 1955 at age 50.
His full record is in the Minor League Register. That estimable book has a couple of apparent errors, though. It shows that Brown last played in 1953 and that he managed in Paul Valley of the Class D Sooner State League in 1954. The Sporting News Guide shows that Lloyd Pearson was that manager. The Register also says that Lloyd Brown managed in Cordele, Ga., in 1955 but did not play. Actually the playing records show that he did play. He didn’t play when he managed yjr Thomson team of the Class Georgia State League in 1956. He managed in Sanford of the Florida State League in 1960 then scouted into the late 1970s.
G IP W-L ERA
1923 Newark, IL 2 3 0-1 6.00
Williamsport, New York-Penn. 21 130 8-8 0.00
1924 Paris, East Texas 30 231 14-12 - 224K*
Wichita Falls, Texas 8 40 2-2 6.75
1925 Ardmore, Western Association 18 158 17-1 2.45*
Brooklyn, NL 17 63 0-3 4.14
1926 Spartanburg, Sally 11 65 3-5 5.92
Memphis, Southern Association 16 32 2-2 -
1927 Memphis, Southern Association 36 207 18-7 3.35
1928 Washington Senators, AL 27 107 4-4 4.04
1929 Washington Senators, AL 40 168 8-7 4,18
1930 Washington Senators, AL 38 197 16-12 4.25
1931 Washington Senators, AL 42 269 15-14 3.20
1932 Washington Senators, AL 46 203 15-12 4.44
1933 St. Louis Browns, AL 8 39 1-6 7.15
Boston Red Sox, AL 33 163 8-11 4.02
Totals 41 202 9-17 4.63
1934 Cleveland Indians, AL 38 117 5-10 3.85
1935 Cleveland Indians, AL 42 122 8-7 3.61
1936 Cleveland Indians, AL 24 140 8-10 4.18
1937 Cleveland Indians, AL 31 77 2-6 6.55
1938 St. Paul, American Assn. 36 189 12-8 3.52
1939 St. Paul, American Assn. 31 190 13-12 4.74
1940 Philadelphia Phillies, NL 18 38 1-3 6.16
1941 Seattle, PCL 33 105 5-7 4.20
1942 (Voluntarily retired)
1943 Toronto, IL 17 28 2-4 4.50
Memphis, SA 11 49 5-2 2.39
1944 Memphis, SA 30 169 9-13 3.57
1945 Buffalo Bisons, IL 28 167 12-9 4.04
1946 Chattanooga, SA AA 2 1 0-1 --
Noonan, Georgia-Alabama D 20 149 9-8 *2.17
1947 Miami-Globe, Arizona-Texas C 31 ??? 14-10 4.50 M 167K*
1948 Tucson, Arizona-Texas C 31 212 15-7 *3.01 M.
1949 Burlington, Central Assn. C 3 11 0-2 --. M
1950 Pittsfield, Canadian-American C 1 - 0-0 -- M
1951 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. IL B 8 26 0-2 6.92 M
Borger, West Texas-New Mexico C 20 125 6-10 6.84 M
1952 Borger, West Texas-New Mexico C 31 235 16-9 5.09 M
1953 Borger, Albuquerque, WT-N.M. C 30 167 13-9 5.78 M (a)
1954 Unknown
1955 Cordele, Georgia-Florida D 10 73 4-5 2.84 M till 6/22
Majors, 12 seasons 404 1693 91-105 4.20
(a) He managed in Borger until Aug. 3, then played under Tom Jordan, a former Indians catcher, in Albuquerque.
JOE CHARBONEAU
Outfielder, BR TR; 6-2, 200
Born June 17, 1955 Belvidere, Ill.
The Phillies didn’t want him. They loaned him to the Twins organization for all of the ‘78 season. Then on Dec. 6, 1978, the Phillies traded him to the Indians for a fringe pitcher, Cardell Camper.
Not only did he unexpectedly make the ‘80 Indians, he became the toast of the town. “Super Joe” was AL rookie of year and looked like another Rocky Colavito on the field. He led the team in homers and RBI. Off the field he was a lot more colorful than Rocky, drinking beer through his nose and doing his own dental repair.
Pelvis and back injuries the next year ruined him for good. He had back surgery in 1981 and '82. The Indians released him from their Buffalo farm in June 1983. He played some semipro ball in Buffalo and worked as a part-time bouncer in a bar. He signed with the Pirates organization for 1984. He broke a leg on icy steps before the '85 season, which was the last straw. In 1985 he became a liquor distributor in Phoenix. He last appeared in the '83 Register.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1976 Spartanburg, Western Carolina 43 121 36 4 18 .298
1977 Peninsula#, Carolina A 12 29 5 1 2 .172
1978 Visalia, California A 130 497 174 18 116 .350*
1979 Chattanooga, Southern AA 109 372 131 21 78 .352*
1980 Cleveland Indians, AL 131 453 131 23 78 .289
1981 Cleveland, AL 48 138 29 4 18 .210
Charleston, AAA International 14 46 10 0 3 .217
1982 Cleveland, AL 22 56 12 2 9 .214
Charleston, AAA International 20 77 18 1 5 .234
Chattanooga, AA Southern 13 29 6 1 2 .207
1983 Buffalo, AA Eastern 11 35 7 2 3 .200
1984 Prince William, A Carolina 108 342 99 8 52 .289
Hawaii, AAA PCL 15 49 11 0 3 .224
Majors, 3 seasons 201 647 172 29 114 .266
# Suspended from May 19, 1977 to Feb. 25, 1978
ALLIE CLARK
Outfielder, BR TR; 6-0, 185
Born June 16, 1923 South Amboy, N.J.
He wore Babe Ruth's old No. 3 when he first joined the '47 Yankees. (It hadn’t yet been retired.) That Dec. 10 he was traded to the Indians for Red Embree.
He was more important to the ‘48 championship Inidans than his stats would indicate. Today, we’d call him an important role player. He hit .310 as a part-timer, usually platooning with Dale Mitchell in leftfield.
He made headlines when Lou Boudreau used him at first base in the playoff game. It was the first time he’d ever played there in the majors. (In the minors, he played a lot of second and third base, but big-league teams seem not to have liked him as an infielder. Boudreau, of course, was stacking his lineup with righthanders in that playoff game in Boston’s Fenway Park.)
Clark couldn’t get going in 1949, though, and never built on his success of the prior year. The Indians sent him down in mid-1949 to make room for Luke Easter.
On May 10, 1951, he and infielder Lou Klein were traded to the A’s for centerfielder Sam Chapman. (But Chapman, a solid player for many previous years, was finished.)
The recent deaths of Lou Boudreau, Gene Bearden and Steve Gromek leave few of the ‘48 Indians stalwarts. Bob Feller is the most prominent. Otherwise, first baseman Eddie Robinson and outfielders Bob Kennedy and Clark survive.(Ray Boone and Al Rosen were September recalls. Among obscure players from the early season who were alive at last report: pitchers Al Gettel, Butch Wensloff, Ernie Groth and Lyman Linde and catcher Ray Murray. We discuss Murray below.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1941 Easton, Eastern Shore 70 268 87 7 47 .325
Amsterdam, Canadian-American 20 76 28 1 10 .368
1942 Norfolk, Piedmont 129 506 166 8 76 .328
Newark Bears, IL 1 3 1 0 0 .333
1943 Newark Bears, IL 24 73 15 0 7 .219
1943-45 in military service
1946 Newark Bears, IL 97 352 121 14 70 .344
1947 Newark Bears, IL 110 437 146 23 86 .334
New York Yankees, AL 24 67 25 1 14 .373
1948 Cleveland Indians, AL 81 271 84 9 38 .310
1949 Cleveland, American 35 74 13 1 9 .176
San Diego, AAA PCL 42 149 44 11 39 .295
1950 Cleveland, American 59 163 35 6 21 .215
1951 Cleveland Indians, AL 3 10 3 1 3 .300
Philadelphia Athletics, AL 56 161 40 4 22 .248
Totals 59 171 43 5 25 .251
1952 Philadelphia, American 71 186 51 7 29 .274
1953 Philadelphia Athletics, AL 20 74 15 3 13 .203
Chicago White Sox, AL 9 15 1 1 0 .067
AL Totals 29 89 16 4 13 .180
Rochester, AAA International 80 265 87 7 43 .328
1954 Rochester, AAA International 128 467 151 18 81 .323
1955 Rochester, AAA International 130 415 128 23 84 .308
1956 Rochester, AAA International 129 450 130 15 75 .289
1957 Rochester, AAA International 112 355 101 12 57 .285
1958 New Orleans, AA SA 31 81 20 3 13 .247
San Antonio, AA TL 13 12 3 0 1 .250
Majors, 7 seasons 358 1021 267 32 149 .262
RED EMBREE
Pitcher, BR TR; 6-0, 165
Born Aug. 30, 1917 El Monte, Calif.; died Sept. 29, 1996 Eugene, Ore.
Some people claimed this scholarly looking fellow had more “stuff” than even Bob Feller. (“Stuff” meant breaking balls, not necessarily speed.) He was in the rotation in 1946-47 but couldn’t break .500. He’d pitch just well enough to lose, whether by 1-0 or 4-3. Finally in December 1947 the Indians traded him to the Yankees. He couldn't help them, or the Browns, either. He was later with the PCL's San Diego Padres, with whom the Indians had a working agreement. But he never returned to the majors. (1949 Register)
Transactions:
● On Dec. 10, 1947, he was traded to the Yankees for outfielder Allie Clark.
● On Dec. 13, 1948, he was traded, along with pitcher Ray Starr, catcher Sherman Lollar and $100,000 for catcher Roy Partee and much-coveted pitcher Fred Sanford.
G IP W-L ERA
1939 Springfield, Middle Atlantic 33 184 11-11 3.47
1940 Cedar Rapids, Three-I 16 79 8-3 4.87
Flint, Michigan State 10 74 4-6 2.80
1941 Wilkes-Barre, Eastern 31 229 *21-5 1.69T 213K*
Cleveland Indians, AL 1 4 0-1 6.75
1942 Cleveland Indians, AL 19 63 3-4 3.86
1943 Cleveland Indians, AL (farmer; voluntarily retired list)
1944 Baltimore Orioles, IL 34 225 19-10 3.20
Cleveland Indians, AL 3 3 0-1 15.00
1945 Cleveland Indians, AL (a) 8 70 4-4 1.93
1946 Cleveland Indians, AL 28 200 8-12 3.47
1947 Cleveland Indians, AL 27 163 8-10 3.15
1948 New York, American 20 77 5-3 3.76
1949 St. Louis, American 35 127 3-12 5.37
1950 San Diego, AAA PCL 38 255 18-12 3.32
1951 San Diego, AAA PCL 33 176 11-15 4.70
1952 Toledo, Charleston (W.Va.),
AAA Amer. Assn. 28 136 6-10 5.16
Majors, 8 seasons 141 707 31-48 3.72
(A) In military service from June 11, 1945 till Jan. 18, 1946
KARIM GARCIA
Outfielder, BL RL; 6-0, 195
Born Oct. 29, 1975 Ciudad Obregon, Mexico
The Sporting News made him minor league player of the year for 1995, but that didn’t seem to help. He soon became a veteran fringe player.
He seemed to find a home in Cleveland, twice; But the Indians really didn’t want him; they wanted youngsters. He came closest to sticking in Cleveland in 2003. He didn’t help matters by complaining that he slept wrong on one of his wrists before the opener. It kept getting sorer. He was soon on DL, and he simply never got things going. The Indians packed him off to the Yankees.
.During the third game of the ALCS on Oct. 11, Pedro Martinez hit Garcia with a pitch. Tensions already had been high, and this led to Martinez dumping coach Don Zimmer to the turf. And soon there was a brawl in the visitors’ bullpen. This farce apparently developed after pitcher Jeff Nelson of the Yankees asked a groundskeeper to quit cheering for the Red Sox. When the two began fighting, Garcia joined in, apparently to aid Nelson.
On Dec. 18, 2003, Garcia was formally charged with assault and battery. The Yankees let him go the next day by declining to offer him a contract. He signed with the Mets.
Nothing more came of that fracas, at least at last report, but Garcia was in trouble again. In March 2004 a pizza delivery man, Eric Vidal, 20, accused Garcia and teammate Shane Spencer of roughing him up in a parking-lot dispute in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The team fined each $500 but state prosecutors didn’t press charges.
His transactions:
On Nov. 18, 1997, the Diamondbacks picked him in the first round of the expansion draft. He was the eighth selection overall.
On Dec. 28, 1998, the Diamondbacks dealt him to the Tigers for outfielder Luis Gonzalez.
On June 12 2000, the Tigers traded him to the Orioles for “future considerations.”
The Orioles released hi9m Oct. 17, 2000. He signed with the Indians organization that Dec. 22.
The Indians released him March 27, 2002. He signed with the Yankees organization that April 2.
The Yankees released him July 2, 2002, whereupon he signed with the Indians organization that July 12.
The Indians virtually gave him to the Yankees June 25, 2003.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1993 Bakersfield, California A 123 460 111 19 54 .241
1994 Vero Beach, Florida State A 121 452 120 21* 84 .265
1995 Albuquerque, Pacific Coast AAA 124 474 151 20 91T .319
Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 13 20 4 0 0 .200
1996 Albuquerque, Pacific Coast AAA 84 327 97 13 58 .297
San Antonio, Texas AA 35 129 32 5 22 .248
Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 1 1 0 0 0 .000
1997 Albuquerque, Pacific Coast AAA 71 262 80 20 66 .305
Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 15 39 5 1 8 .128
1998 Arizona Diamondbacks, NL 113 333 74 9 43 .222
Tucson, Pacific Coast AAA 27 106 33 10 27 .311
1999 Detroit Tigers, AL 96 288 69 14 32 .240
2000 Detroit Tigers, AL 8 17 3 0 0 .176
Toledo, American Assn. AAA 40 155 46 15 38 .297
Rochester Red Wings, IL AAA 76 270 75 13 54 .278
Baltimore Orioles, AL 8 16 0 0 0 .000
AL Totals 16 33 3 0 0 .091
2001 Buffalo, IL AAA 125 462 122 31 85 .264
Cleveland Indians, AL 20 45 14 5 9 .311
2002 Columbus (Ohio), Am. Assn. AAA 74 288 78 12 49 .271
New York Yankees, AL 2 5 1 0 0 .200
Buffalo, IL AAA 23 91 36 3 22 .396
Cleveland Indians, AL 51 197 59 16 52 .299
AL Totals 53 202 60 16 52 .297
2003 Cleveland Indians, AL 24 93 18 5 14 .194
New York Yankees, AL 52 151 46 6 21 .305
AL Totals 76 244 64 11 35 .262
Totals with Indians, 3 seasons
Majors, 9 seasons (active) 403 1205 293 56 179 .243
HAROLD “GOMER” HODGE
Infielder, BB TR; 6-2, 185
Born April 3, 1944 Rutherfordton, N.C.
Teammates nicknamed him for Jim Nabors’ character on TV’s Gomer Pyle, U.S,M.C. He inched through the minors. He was 27 and a seven-year pro when he unexpectedly made the ‘71 Indians as a utility man. The press, of course, loved him. When he got hits his first four pinch hits, he calculated that his batting average was 4.000. He ended the season 16 for 68 as a pinch hitter, both figures topping the league. That figured at .235, not enough to keep him around. (1972 Register)
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1963 Dubuque, Midwest A 80 238 52 3 23 .218
1964 Burlington, Carolina A 127 466 127 5 55 .273
1965 Salinas, Carolina A 117 322 117 2 50 .277
1966 Pawtucket, Eastern AA 114 354 78 2 20 .220
1967 Pawtucket, Eastern AA 46 138 28 0 6 .203
1968 Waterbury, Eastern AA 120 425 98 6 34 .231
1969 Waterbury, Eastern AA 76 274 81 8 24 .296
Portland, PCL AAA 46 155 42 3 12 .271
1970 Savannah, Southern A 138 506 147 9 66 .291 214TB*
1971 Cleveland Indians, AL 60 83 17 1 9 .205
1972 Portland Beavers, PCL AAA 116 336 83 4 47 .247
1973 Oklahoma City, Amer, Assn. AAA 43 120 24 0 10 .200
Majors, 1 season 60 83 17 1 9 .205
WALT/WALLY JUDNICH
Outfielder/first baseman, BL TL; 6-1, 205
Born Jan. 2, 1917 San Francisco, died July , 12, 1971 Glendale, Calif.
He built a big reputation in the Yankees’ system but they dealt him to the Browns before he ever played a major-league game. On Nov. 20, 1947, he and pitcher Bob Muncrief were swapped to the Indians for pitcher Bryan Stephens, outfielders Joe Frazier and Dick Kokos and $25,000.
This was considered the Indians’ biggest deal of the off-season. They figured on Walt as their regular centerfielder and they put Muncrief into their rotation. Injuries virtually negated the trade. Muncrief’s arm went south and an assortment of ills left Judnich an overweight part timer. Thurman Tucker, a speedy journeyman became the Indians’ most frequent centerfielder. (It turned out that the Bearden trade was the big one for the Indians.)
Judnich went 1 for 13 in the World Series (.077).On Feb. 9, 1949, he was sold to the Pirates, the Indians’ favorite dumping ground. His next stop was his hometown of San Francisco. His full record is in the Minor League Register. (1949 Register)
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1935 Akron, Middle Atlantic 109 398 109 8 61 .274
1936 Norfolk, Piedmont 143 565 171 24 108 .303
1937 Oakland Oaks, PCL 175 651 206 11 81 .316
1938 Kansas City Blues, Am. Assn. 150 557 152 22 104 .273
1939 Newark Bears, IL 149 538 153 21 105 .284
1940 St. Louis Browns, AL 137 619 157 24 89 .303
1941 St. Louis Browns, AL 146 546 155 14 83 .284
1942 St. Louis Browns, AL 132 457 143 17 82 .313
1943-45 In military service
1946 St. Louis Browns, AL 142 511 134 15 72 .262
1947 St. Louis Browns, AL 144 500 129 18 64 .258
1948 Cleveland Indians, AL 79 218 56 2 29 .257
1949 Pittsburgh, NL 10 35 5 0 1 .229
San Francisco, AAA PCL 116 379 102 18 63 .269
1950 Seattle, AAA PCL 166 505 144 19 84 .285
1951 Seattle, AAA PCL 147 517 170 21 102 .329
1952 Seattle, Open PCL 177 668 192 15 105 .287
1953 Seattle, Open PCL 163 583 174 16 101 .298
1954 Portland, Open PCL 156 547 149 18 81 .272
1955 Portland 25,
112 San Francisco, Open PCL 137 451 126 9 60 .279
Majors, 7 seasons 790 2786 782 90 420 .281
BRAD KOMMINSK
Outfielder, BR TR; 6-2, 205
Born April 4, 1961 Lima, Ohio
A first-round draft pick, he homered on his first pro at-bat. But he eventually provided the Atlanta Braves’ biggest disappointment of the ‘80s. Hot only didn’t he become a star, he never became a big-league regular. At best, he eventually was a usable fill-in for big-league teams -- a hired gun who’d come to town briefly and do a decent job.(1992 Register)
His transactions:
● On Jan. 20, 1987, the Braves dealt him to the Brewers for outfielder Dion James.
● The Brewers let him become a free agent Oct. 15, 1988.
● That Dec. 21, he signed with the Indians’ Colorado Springs farm.
● On April 5, 1990, he was waived to the Giants.
● On May 2, 1990, he was waived to the Orioles.
● He became a free agent Oct. 5, 1990 and signed with the A’s on Jan. 25, 1991.
● After becoming a free agent Oct. 15, 1991, he signed with the White Sox on Dec. 6, 1991.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1979 Kingsport, Appalachian 59 185 41 7 34 .222 74K*
1980 Anderson, Sally A 121 425 111 20 67 .261
1981 Durham, Carolina A 132 459 148I 33 104* .322*
1982 Savannah, Southern AA 133 454 124 26 78 .273
Richmond, IL AAA 5 17 6 2 5 .353
1983 Richmond, IL AAA 117 413 138 24 103 .334
Atlanta Braves, NL 19 36 8 0 4 .222
1984 Richmond, IL AAA 42 144 37 5 28 .257
Atlanta Braves, NL 90 301 61 8 36 .203 77K
1985 Atlanta Braves, NL 106 300 68 4 21 .227
1986 Richmond, IL AAA 133 465 109 13 65 .234 124K*
Atlanta Braves, NL 5 5 2 0 1 .400
1987 Denver, Amer. Assn. AAA 135 494 147 32* 95 .298
Milwaukee Braves, AL 7 15 1 0 0 .067
1988 Denver, Amer. Assn. AAA 105 348 83 16 57 .239
1989 Colorado Springs Sky Sox, PCL AAA 54 190 55 9 34 .289
Cleveland Indians, AL 71 198 47 8 33 .237
1990 San Francisco Giants, NL 8 5 1 0 0 .200
Baltimore Orioles, AL 46 101 24 3 8 .238
1991 Tacoma, PCL AAA 74 270 79 5 43 .293
Oakland A’s, AL 24 25 3 0 2 .120
1992 Chicago White Sox, AL didnt make team
Majors, 8 seasons 376 986 215 23 105 .218
LUIS LOPEZ
First baseman/catcher, BR TR; 6-1, 190
Born Sept. 1, 1964 New York City
Luis Antonio Lopez is not to be confused with Luis Manuel Lopez (Santos), a contemporary shortstop. Luis Antonio was basically a hitter without a position. He tried the infield, the outfield and even behind the plate; he did everything but pitch.
He had hard time getting beyond A-ball. Even when he won a Triple-A batting title in 1990, his reward was his release. (The Dodgers dumped him Dec. 13, 1990.) The Indians signed him Jan. 11, 1991. They let him become a free agent that fall but gave him a minor league contract Dec. 19, 1991.
He had surgery on his elbow in 1992. On Aug. 11, when he was ready to play, he was assigned to Double-A ball, hardly a good omen for a 10-year vet.) Not until June 21, 1993 was he promoted to Triple-A. By then, of course, he was a revolving fringe player, a free agent every fall. He was the Richmond Braves’ MVP in 1994. After he re-signed with the Indians, they put him on their 1995 spring roster.
He was a major star in Japan, fans chasing him wherever he went. Then he made a bad business decision. In 1998 he switched to the Hawks for more money. That fall, the team retrenched because of the bad economy; it bought him out. That left him bouncing between Japan and the lowly independent Atlantic League. (1992 Register)
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1983 Lethbridge, Rookie League Didn’t play
1984 Great Falls, Pioneer A 68 275 90 6 61 .327
1985 Vero Beach, Florida State A 120 382 106 1 43 .277
1986 Vero Beach, Florida State A 122 434 124 1 60 .286
1987 Bakersfield, California A 142 550 181* 16 96 .329 MVP
1988 San Antonio, Texas AA 124 470 116 7 65 .247
1989 San Antonio, Texas AA 99 327 87 10 51 .266
Albuquerque, PCL AAA 19 75 37 2 16 .493
1990 Albuquerque, PCL AAA 128 448 158 11 81 .353*
Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 6 6 0 0 0 .000
1991 Colorado Springs, PCL AAA 41 176 61 1 31 .347
Cleveland Indians, AL 35 82 18 0 7 .220
1992 Canton-Akron, Eastern AA 20 82 21 0 7 .256
1993 Canton-Akron, Eastern AA 60 231 84 2 41 .277
Charlotte, IL AAA 67 242 76 12 37 .314
1994 Richmond Braves, IL AAA 123 521 159 18 79 .305
1995 Buffalo Bisons, IL AAA 123 455 119 17 66 .262
1996 Hiroshima Carp, Central (Japan) 130 503 157 25 109* .312
1997 Hiroshima Carp, Central (Japan) 134 532 170* 30 112* .320
1998 Fukuoki Daiea Hawks, Pac. (Jap) NA
1999 Somerset Patriots, Atlantic 72 255 84 15 60 .329
2000 Somerset Patriots, Atlantic 10 39 16 1 - .385
Hiroshima Carp, Central (Japan) 93 - - 20 88 .313
2001 unknown
2002 unknown
2003 Somerset Patriots, Atlantic 164 280 83 8 - .296
Majors, 2 seasons 41 88 18 0 7 .220
BARNEY McCOSKY
Outfielder, BL TL; 6-1, 184
Born April 11, 1918 Coal Run, Pa.; died Sept. 6, 1996 Venice, Fla.
With luck, he was a likely Hall of Famer. But besides losing three years to the war, he busted up his back.
After going to high school in Detroit, he began in the Tigers' farm system. No question, he could hit, but his arm was weak. The Tigers considered him as a prospective leftfielder, until the winter of 1938, when he had his tonsils removed. That somehow led the front office to believe that he'd throw better sans tonsils. Maybe so, because he did well from the get-go. Playing centerfield between Earl Averill Sr. and Pete Fox in 1939, he got 190 hits, not bad for a rookie, and he led ML outfielders in putouts.
In 1940, he tied the Browns' Rip Radcliff and the Red Sox' Doc Cramer for the ML lead with 200 hits and topped the majors with 19 triples. He and Hank Greenberg led the team with .340 averages, then he batted .304 in the World Series. Not till 1942 did he fail to hit .300, yet his .293 that season was his worst in the dozen years after 1937.
He went in the navy Dec. 11, 1942, played some service ball in the Pacific and was discharged Oct. 14, 1945. That was too late for the '45 World Series but in plenty of time for a double wedding June 19, 1946 at St. John Cantius Church in Detroit. He married Jane Malicki while her sister Evelyn married Don Hughes of Detroit.
On May 18, 1946, Barney was traded to the Philadelphia A's for a novice third baseman, George Kell. Barney was 28, Kell 23. Angry, Barney considered jumping to the Mexican League. The Pasquel brothers offered a pay raise, but now he had a wife and she wasn't eager to move to Mexico. Connie Mack, who owned the A's, came up with a modest raise, sufficient to deter any Mexican adventures.
The A’s had veteran Sam Chapman in center, so they put McCosky in left. (Rightfielder Elmer Valo completed the best outfield the team had had in years.) Up to that time, McCosky had hit .320 since coming to the AL.
On June 15, 1948, the A’s were playing in Detroit. Nearly 55,000 fans turned out for Briggs Stadium’s first night game. In the home eighth, Dick Wakefield hit a drive far into leftfield. McCosky rammed the wall hard as the ball barely cleared it. After Wakefield circled the bases, teammates carried McCosky from the field on a stretcher. (The A’s lost 4-1.) He was back in the lineup a few days later and got through the season, even leading the majors in sacrifices.
But the mishap had left him with a lame back. That winter surgeons fused three of his vertebra. Not only did he miss all of the 1949 season, he never again played regularly. Adding insult to literal injury, the Tigers' Kell hit .343 to win the AL batting title that season. Barney hit poorly when he came back in 1950, then on May 2, 1951 was sold to the Reds.
On July 21, 1951, GM Hank Greenberg of the Indians picked former teammate McCosky off waivers. (Outfielder Milt Nielson was optioned to San Diego to make room.)
His throwing arm was shot and his back hurt, but going into the '52 season, he was one of only eight players with a lifetime batting average above .300. With Bob Kennedy in the service, Barney sometimes played rightfield. When Hank Majeski was obtained in the summer of 1952, he and Barney became a good left-right pinch hitting combination.
With Ted Williams of the Red Sox in the service most of 1952 and Joe DiMaggio having retired, Barney had the highest lifetime average of anyone in the AL. The Indians' leftfielder, Dale Mitchell, had the second best. Oddly, Barney might have played more for the Indians had it not been for Mitchell, another line-drive hitter with a weak arms. Mitchell and McCosky in the same outfield meant opponents took extra bases.
As a pinch hitter, Barney went nine for 30 in 1952. He played 22 games in 1953 before he was released. Thus Barney was stuck with the dubious honor of having been traded even-up for a future Hall of Famer in a remarkably bad deal. It was a bit of a bad rap becaise. Oddly, Barney's career batting average is six points better than Kell's. Barney became a car salesman in Dearborn, Mich.
An old pal keeps trying to push his election to HOF. No way. Too few seasons. Even Al Rosen couldn’t squeeze through in so few seasons, (But Dizzy Dean did make the Hall of Fame on only about six good seasons.) If not for the injury, McCosky might have made it.
His name is often misspelled "McCoskey." Actually, he was Lithuanian and Polish. His family had anglicized a Polish name that sounded like "McCosky.” I don't know exactly what it was, but it must have been something akin to Ray Mack's Mlckovsky."
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1936 Charleston (W.Va.) Middle Atl. 108 407 163 7 77 .400* 10-3B*
Beaumont, Texas 20 66 15 0 8 .227
1937 Beaumont, Texas 158 633 201* 1 73 .319 116R*
1938 Beaumont, Texas 133 517 156 0 57 .302
1939 Detroit Tigers, AL 147 611 190 4 58 .311
1940 Detroit Tigers, AL 143 589 200T 4 57 .340 19-3B*
1941 Detroit Tigers, AL 127 494 160 3 55 .324
1942 Detroit Tigers, AL 154 600 176 7 50 .293
1943-45 in navy
1946 Detroit Tigers, A’s, AL 117 399 127 2 45 .318
1947 Philadelphia Athletics, AL 137 546 170 1 62 .328
1948 Philadelphia Athletics, AL 135 115 168 0 46 .326
1949 Philadelphia Athletics, AL (disabled all season)
1950 Philadelphia Athletics, AL 66 179 43 0 11 .240
1951 Philadelphia Athletics, AL 12 27 8 1 1 .296
Cincinnati Reds, NL 25 50 16 1 11 .320
Cleveland Indians, AL 31 61 13 0 2 .213
AL totals 43 88 21 1 3 .230
1952 Cleveland Indians, AL 54 80 17 1 6 .213
1953 Cleveland Indians, AL 22 21 4 0 3 .190
Majors, 11 seasons 1170 4172 1301 24 397 .312
LUIS MEDINA
First baseman/Outfielder/DH, BR TL; 6-4, 200
Born March 26, 1963 Santa Monica, Calif.
Cleveland fans liked him because he reminded them of Rocky Colavito. The front office took him much less seriously. One reason might have been that he didn’t turn pro out of high school. He attended junior college, then Arizona State. He didn't really have a position and once, while in the outfield, he dropped a routine fly that cost the Indians a game. He began the ‘89 season as the Indians’ righthanded DH. Of his 10 big-league homers, two were off Tommy John, who was in the majors before Medina was born. Note that Medina was one of those rare birds who batted right and threw left. (1992 Register)
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1985 Batavia, NY-Penn. A 76 290 77 12 43 .266
1986 Waterloo, Midwest A 136 505 160* 35* 110* .317 107R* MVP
1987 Williamsport, Eastern AA (a) 96 341 109 16 68 .320
1988 Colorado Springs, PCL AAA 111 406 126 28* 81 .310 107K
Cleveland Indians, AL 16 51 13 6 8 .255
1989 Cleveland Indians, AL 30 83 17 4 8 .206
Colorado Springs, PCL AAA 51 166 29 3 19 .175
1990 Colorado Springs, PCL AAA 94 320 87 18 53 .272
1991 Colorado Springs, PCL AAA 117 450 146 27T 98 .324
Cleveland Indians, AL 5 16 1 0 0 .063
1992 Omaha, American Association AAA 91 341 94 16 49 .276
1993 Hiroshima Carp, Central, Japan 3 9 3 0 1 .333
1994 Hiroshima Carp, Central, Japan 106 384 104 14 70 .271
1995 Hiroshima Carp, Central, Japan 35 103 23 4 11 .223
Majors, 3 seasons 51 150 31 10 16 .207
(a) had bone chips removed from left elbow Aug. 12
ANDRES MORA
We had Mora in Notebook 4. We failed to note that teammate Jim Palmer once said Mora was the best cripple-shooter ever. He apparently hit .500 with the count 3 and 0.
ED MORGAN
First baseman, BR TR; 6-0, 178
Born May 22, 1904 Cairo, Illinois; died May 9, 1980 New Orleans
The records say Ed attended Tulane from 1921 through '27, which indicates he had an advanced degree or had trouble getting through. He was a star halfback, end and tackle on the football team in that one-platoon era. He began pro baseball as an outfielder with the Indians' New Orleans farm team. He moved up to the varsity in 1928 and had some fine seasons. (But those big numbers in 1930 didn't put him in the top five in the AL in any category. Three-hundred hitters were a dime a dozen in those days.)
By 1931 his power diminished greatly. Before the mid-point of the '33 season, the Indians put Harley Boss at first base and returned Morgan to New Orleans. The Red Sox drafted him Oct. 2, 1933. But he hit with no power during his return to the majors. Soon he was back in New Orleans. He soon went into the lumber and oil business in Kenner, Louisiana. His full record is in the '53 Register. Hal Trosky, incidentally, quickly succeeded Boss at first base in Cleveland.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1927 New Orleans, Southern Assn. 157 607 215 12 99 .354
1928 Cleveland Indians, AL 76 265 83 4 54 .313
1929 Cleveland Indians, AL 93 318 101 3 38 .318
1930 Cleveland Indians, AL 150 584 204 26 136 .350
1931 Cleveland Indians, AL 131 462 162 11 86 .351 83BB
1932 Cleveland Indians, AL 144 532 156 4 68 .293
1933 Cleveland Indians, AL 39 121 32 1 13 .264
New Orleans, Southern Assn. 67 245 78 4 45 .318
1934 Boston, American 138 528 141 3 79 .267
1935 New Orleans, Southern Assn. 139 504 156 1 80 .310
1936 New Orleans, Southern Assn. 136 507 137 1 83 .270
Majors, 7 seasons 771 2810 879 52 473 .313
HOWIE MOSS
Third baseman, BR TR; 5-11½, 185
Born Oct. 17, 1919 Gastonia, N.C.; died May 7, 1989 Baltimore
In 72 at-bats in the majors he had seven singles (.097). He drove in one run. Yet he was “Howitzer Howie,” one of the best Triple-A sluggers ever. He’s in the International League Hall of Fame.
His career began haltingly. Homesick, he left the Greenwood team in 1937 to go home and play semipro ball. Organized Baseball suspended him for five years for jumping his contract. There was some fuss; at least one older player appealed on his behalf, telling Commissioner Landis that OB shouldn't treat a teenager so harshly.
The suspension couldn't have helped his career, although he was allowed back in OB in 1941. He ultimately thrived in Baltimore, where he developed a knack of clearing short fences in the Orioles’ International League era. He was a September recall in 1946. After he quit baseball, he took an office job in Baltimore.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1936 Greenwood, Cotton States 110 430 100 1 40 .233
1937 Greenwood, Cotton States 25 94 21 0 - .223
1938 Suspended
1939 Granby, Provincial (not OB) 71 298 96 11* 59 .322
1940 Suspended
1941 Salisbury, NC State 21 90 25 7 22 .300
Ft. Smith, Western Assn. 103 422 146 24 123 .346
1942 New York Giants, NL 7 14 0 0 0 .000
Columbus, American Association 95 310 82 3 34 .265
1943 Jersey City, International 121 408 95 5 49 .233
1944 Baltimore, International 149 581 178* 27* 141* .306
1945 In military service
1946 Cincinnati Reds, NL 7 26 5 0 1 192
Baltimore Orioles, IL AAA 130 492 137 38* 112 .278
Cleveland Indians, AL 8 32 2 0 0 .063
1947 Baltimore Orioles, IL AAA 152 528 142 53* 129 .269
1948 Baltimore Orioles, IL AAA 131 451 136 33* 94 .301
1949 Milwaukee Brewers, AmAssn. AAA 147 575 160 29 117 .294
1950 Milwaukee Brewers, AmAssn. AAA 123 435 124 26 87 .285
1951 Milwaukee Brewers, AmAssn. AAA 18 58 15 3 8 .259
Springfield, Balt, IL AAA 94 321 79 16 54 .246
1952 Augusta, Sally A 10 32 5 1 3 .156
Gastonia, Tri-State B 49 169 53 9 41 .314
St. Petersburg, Fla. IL B 50 188 50 4 20 .266
Majors, 2 seasons 22 72 7 0 1 .097
RAY MURRAY
Catcher, BR TR; 6-3, 204
Born Oct. 12, 1917 Spring Hope, NC; died April 9, 2003 Fort Worth
He was the Indians' commuting third-string catcher, the fellow sent out on option when the Indians needed another pitcher, infielder or outfielder.
Note that he didn't manage in Dallas in 1955. Nor did he bat often enough to win the batting title. He didn't manage in Dallas in 1957 but became manager of the club in Springfield, Mass., July 25, 1957. While managing in Corpus Christi in 1958, he easily out-hit the batting champ but didn't play enough to qualify. He managed in Corpus Christi in 1959 again. He played only briefly while managing the Texas League's Rio Grande Valley-Victoria team in 1960, then stayed on the team's bench the next season. He appears in the '51-54 Registers.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1940 Pocomoke City, Eastern Shore 90 308 81 2 39 .264
1941 Tarboro, Coastal Plain 75 283 91 0 34 .322
1942-45 Baltimore, International (in military service)
1946 Baltimore, AAA International 33 88 20 2 10 .227
1946 Oklahoma City, AA Texas 42 130 33 2 15 .254
1947 Oklahoma City, AA Texas 122 388 102 9 57 .263
1948 Cleveland, American 4 4 0 0 0 .000
1948 Oklahoma City, AA Texas 64 202 60 5 34 .297
1949 Oklahoma City, AA Texas 123 430 137 16 94 .319
1950 Cleveland, American 55 139 38 1 13 .273
1951 Cleve. 1, Philadelphia 40, AL 41 123 27 0 14 .220
1952 Philadelphia, American 44 136 28 1 10 .206
1953 Philadelphia, American 84 268 76 6 41 .284
1954 Baltimore, American 22 61 15 0 2 .246
1955 Dallas, AA Texas 110 362 119 25 80 .329
1956 Dallas, AA Texas 29 64 16 1 7 .250
1957 Dallas, AA Texas 41 111 34 8 22 .306
Springfield, A Eastern 27 68 18 1 11 .265
1958 Corpus Christi, AA Texas 93 283 101 19 63 .357
1959 Corpus Christi, AA Texas 83 198 65 4 38 .328
1960 Rio Grande Valley, AA Texas 2 2 0 0 - .000
Majors, 6 seasons 250 731 184 8 80 .252
JOHNNY PODGAJNY
Pitcher, BR TR; 6-2 1/2, 178
born June 10, 1920 Chester, Pa. died there March 2, 1971
Specs made the Phillies in a hurry, in those prewar days when the majors were still at full strength. He should have flourished during World War II, when talent was spread thin, but he ended the war back in the minors.
During his NL days, the joke was that the Cubs kept him in the league. Half of his big-league victories came at their expense.
● In 1951 he was 4-1 versus the Cubs.
● In 1942 he was 4-3 versus the Cubs
● In 1942 he was 2-0 versus the Cubs while with Phillies, and 0-1 with Pirates
During his brief stay in Cleveland, he merely confounded AL announcers with his name (pronounced "poe-JOHNNY." Pitcher Joe Krakauskas and outfielder Felix Mackiewicz gave the Indians other tongue-twisters that season.
Johnny had a temper. There’s a great old photo of him, glove in hand, going head to head with an umpire. (1943 Register)
G IP W-L ERA
1939 Moultrie, Georgia-Florida 31 194 14-10 2.92
1940 Ottawa-Ogdensburg, Can-Amer. 30 214 18-7 2.57
Philadelphia Phillies, NL 4 35 1-3 2.83
1941 Philadelphia Phillies, NL 34 181 9-12 4.62
1942 Philadelphia Phillies, NL 43 187 6-14 3.90
1943 Philadelphia Phillies, NL 13 64 4-4 4.22
Pittsburgh Pirates, NL 15 34 0-4 4.72
Totals 28 98 4-8 4.39
1944 Columbus, Amer. Assn. 13 80 6-2 4.61
Baltimore Orioles, IL 14 51 3-3 6.35
1945 Baltimore Orioles, IL 66* 226 20-11 3.78
1946 Cleveland, American 6 13 0-0 5.00
Baltimore, AAA International 46 172 12-11 3.40
1947 Baltimore, AAA International 59 213 13-18 4.73
1948 Baltimore, AAA International 40 131 9-12 3.44
1949 Birmingham, AA Southern Assn. 22 77 6-2 4.68
1950 Milwaukee, AAA Amer. Assn. 22 Fewer than 45 IP
Majors, 5 seasons 115 510 20-37 4.20
RUDOLPH VALENTINO "RUDY" REGALADO
Third baseman, BR TR; 8-1, 185
Born May 21, 1930 Los Angeles
Movie idol Valentino died four years before Mrs. Regalado named her son. Rudy Regalado became only slightly famous, and only briefly, in Cleveland.
He began late in pro ball, waiting until after he graduated from the University of Southern California in education. After his first year in pro ball, the '54 Indians took him to camp as a non-roster player. Besides looking like a Latin screen star, he hit like Babe Ruth. The newspapers, of course, made him the team’s spring training hero.
With Al Rosen, the team hardly needed another third baseman. But there was no way the Indians could cut Rudy. Manager Al Lopez even moved Rosen to first base part of the time to get Regalado into the lineup. The results were middling, just as they were the next two seasons. Rudy went one for three in the '54 World Series. He simply was a wonderful springtime hitter who couldn't sustain things over a whole season. And he lacked power and didn’t stay in training. (1956 Register)
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1953 Reading, A Eastern 89 330 105 7 60 .318
Indianapolis, AAA Amer. Assn. 36 126 41 4 20 .325
1954 Cleveland, American 65 180 45 2 24 .250
1955 Indianapolis, AAA Amer. Assn. 139 545 172 9 73 .316
Cleveland, American 10 26 7 0 5 .269
1956 Cleveland, American 16 47 11 0 2 .234
Indianapolis, AAA Amer. Assn. 95 311 100 14 60 .322
1957 San Diego, Open PCL 134 480 147 8 50 .306
1958 San Diego, AAA PCL 104 325 90 8 42 .277
1959 SD 70, Seattle 63, AAA PCL 133 461 134 16 58 .291
1960 Seattle, PCL AAA 96 263 72 2 32 .274
Majors, 3 seasons 91 253 63 2 31 .249
HERM REICH
First baseman/outfielder BR TL; 6-2, 200
Born Nov. 23, 1917 Bell, Calif.
Reich, who pronounced his name "rich," was another oddball (like Luis Medina, above) who batted righthanded and threw lefty. He also was an accomplished violinist who played baseball and basketball at Loyola of Los Angeles..
He was a veteran PCL player when the Cleveland Indians drafted him as a backup first baseman. Owner Bill Veeck said that his Indians had planned to draft Reich a year earlier but at the last minute had (foolishly) opted for Len Ratto. The Indians wanted Reich as a backup for Eddie Robinson, who had orthopedic problems and even when healthy couldn’t get off a dime.
Veeck didn’t keep either Robinson or Reich. Robinson was dealt to the Washington Senators for first baseman Mickey Vernon, then Reich was soon waived to the Senators.
Clark Griffith, who owned the Senators, hoped to trade Reich. But Veeck, seeking to irritate Griffith, soon reclaimed him on waivers, then quickly waived him to the Cubs. After this whirlwind of activity, Reich found a temporary home in Chicago, taking over at first base while Phil Cavarretta moved to the outfield. Besides hitting decently for the Cubs, Reich led NL first baseman in assists. When the Sporting News picked its all-rookie team, he was the NL's only rookie first baseman, so he got the honor. He also got demoted back to the PCL.
Although his career spanned 1936-57. he played in the majors only that one year. He'd begun as a pitcher, and he pitched a bit as his career wound down. He managed the Idaho Falls team in the Class C Pioneer League in 1961. He was replaced July 10 and hadn't played.
Some other one=shot regulars who come to mind: Hector Rodriguez, Sparky Anderson. Don Lang and Charlie Kress. The Mexican League had unsuccessfully recruited Reich in 1946. He did live for a time in Hermosillo in the state of Sonora. (1950 Register)
His transactions:
● On Nov. 10, 1948, the Indians drafted him from the Beavers for $10,000.
● On April 30, 1949, he was waived to the Washington Senators.
● On May 10, 1949, he was waived back to the Indians.
● On May 18, the Indians sold him to the Cubs.
● On Feb. 2, 1950, he was waived to the White Sox.
● On April 7, 1950, the White Sox optioned him to Sacramento Solons.
● On Dec. 15, 1950 he was sold to the Solons.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1936 Siloam Springs, Ark.-Mo. 12 21 7 0 2 .333
Bartlesville, Western Assn. 10 22 3 0 2 .136
1937 Bartlesville, Western Assn. 106 291 67 3 27 .230
1938 (Didn’t play Organized Baseball)
1939 Tacoma, Western International 139 548 164 18 91 .299
1940 Portland, PCL 164 592 136 11 54 .230
1941 Portland, PCL 151 556 170 11 66 .306
1942-45 in U.S. Army Air Corps
1946 Portland, PCL 170 629 190 9 75 .302
1947 Portland, PCL 153 533 150 18 98 .281
1948 Portland, PCL 187 677 219 19 100 .323
1949 Cleveland Indians, AL 1 1 0 0 0 .000 1K
Washington Senators, AL 2 3 1 0 0 .333
Cleveland Indians, AL Didn’t play
AL Totals 3 4 1 0 0 .250
Chicago Cubs, NL 108 386 108 3 34 .280
1950 Sacramento Solons, PCL AAA 126 410 112 10 65 .273
1951 Sacramento Solons, PCL AAA 134 388 96 9 49 .247
1952 Sacramento, Portland, PCL Open 105 326 72 4 28 .221
1953 Portland Beavers, PCL Open 125 399 118 12 53 .296
1954 Portland, Seattle, PCL Open 62 131 34 2 19 .260
Modesto, California C 21 74 21 2 12 .284
1955 Yakima, Northwest B 65 236 70 2 33 .297
1956 Yakima, Northwest B 91 274 77 5 50 .281
1957 Eugene, Northwest 21 65 18 0 10 .277
Majors, 1 season 111 390 109 3 34 .279
Pitching Records
G IP W-L ERA
1936 Bartlesville, Western Assn. 10 41 1-3 6.15
1937 Bartlesville, Western Assn. 32 185 7-17 4.77
1940 Portland, PCL 1 4 0-0 4.50
1955 Yakima, Northwest 1 - 0-0 -
1956 Yakima, Northwest 1 - 0-0 -
CORY SNYDER
Outfielder, BR TR; 6-3, 206
Born Nov. 11, 1962 Inglewood, Calif.
He was an all-America shortstop at Brigham Young, a star on the U.S. Olympic team and, although primarily an outfielder with the Indians, he played all positions in the majors except pitch and catch. He threw extremely well and in 1989 led AL outfielders in fielding.
The Indians loved him, but they didn’t like his father. The elder Snyder functioned as his son’s batting coach, which the Indians saw as interference. And neither Snyder could figure out how to curtail Cory’s strikeouts. Matters went sour in 1989. On Dec. 4, 1990, the Indians traded Cory to the White Sox, along with minor league infielder Lindsay Foster, for pitchers Eric King and Shawn Hillegas.
The change of scenery didn’t help. On July 14, 1991, the White Sox dealt him to the Blue Jays for outfielder Shawn Jeter and an unnamed player (pitcher Steve Wapnick).
On Oct. 26, 1991, the Blue Jays released him. He signed with the Giants on Jan. 13, 1992. Although he seemed to find himself somewhat, the Giants let him become a free agent that Oct. 26. He then signed with the Dodgers on Dec. 5, 1992. Again, he played fairly well, but not enough to keep a job. The Dodgers let him become a free agent Oct. 11, 1994. His last fling was in the Red Sox chain.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1985 Waterbury, Eastern AA 139 512 144 28* 94* .281
1986 Maine, IL AAA 49 192 58 9 32 .302
Cleveland Indians, AL 103 416 113 24 69 .272
1987 Cleveland Indians, AL 157 577 136 33 82 .236 166K
1988 Cleveland Indians, AL 142 511 139 26 75 .272
1989 Cleveland Indians, AL 132 489 105 18 59 .215
Canton-Akron, Eastern AA (rehab) 4 11 5 0 2 .455
1990 Cleveland Indians, AL 123 438 102 14 55 .233
1991 Chicago White Sox 50 117 22 3 11 .188
Toronto Blue Jays 21 49 7 0 6 .143
Totals 71 166 29 3 17 .175
Syracuse, IL AAA 17 67 18 6 17 .269
1992 San Francisco Giants, NL 124 390 105 14 57 .269
1993 Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 143 516 137 11 56 .266
1994 Los Angeles Dodgers, NL 73 153 36 6 18 .235
1995 Las Vegas, PCL AAA 8 34 9 0 5 .265
Pawtucket, IL AAA 20 66 15 3 8 .227
Majors, 9 seasons 1068 3656 902 149 488 .247
BRYAN STEPHENS
Pitcher, BR TR; 6-4, 200
Born July 14, 1920 Fayetteville, Ark.; died Mpv. 21, 1991 Santa Ana, Calif.
We discussed Stephens’ missing finger in Notebook 4. Recently, in revising my history of the Mexican Jumping Beans of 1946, I came across an old news story about the Mexicans recruiting Stephens when he was with the Oakland Oaks.
After he’d lost three seasons to the war, the ‘47 Indians tried him in their rotation. He completed one of five starts, proving hard to hit but too wild to hold onto the job.
On Nov. 27, 1947, he was traded. Going with him to the St. Louis Browns were outfielders Joe Frazier and Dick Kokos and a reported $25,000. The Indians received pitcher Bob Muncrief and outfielder/first baseman Walt Judnich. The bottom then dropped out. Batters teed off on him and his control didn’t improve. (1948 Register)
G IP W-L ERA
1939 Henderson, East Texas 36 204 11-10 3.40
1940 Wilkes-Barre, Eastern 7 24 1-1 --
Charleston, Middle Atlantic 25 128 9-10 3.30
1941 Cedar Rapids, Three-I 2 3 0-1 --
Tacoma, Western International 24 146 9-9 4.56
1942 Cedar Rapids, Three-I 34 182 20-4 3.66
1943-45 In military service
1946 Oakland Oaks, PCL AAA 29 159 10-9 3.40
1947 Cleveland Indians, AL 31 92 5-10 4.01 79H
1948 St. Louis, AL 43 123 3-6 6.02 141H
1949 Baltimore, AAA International 11 72 4-5 4.50
1949 Los Angeles, AAA PCL 17 102 3-11 6.00
1950 San Antonio, AA Texas 11 X45
Majors, 2 seasons 74 215 8-16 5.16
LEON WAGNER
Outfielder, BL TR; 6-1, 192
Born May 13, 1934 Chattanooga; died Jan. 3, 2004 Los Angeles
A colorful character, he owned a clothing star for awhile (“Get your rags at Daddy Wags’”). He attended Tuskegee Institute, was a roller skater and he also appeared in some movies (most notably The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars ^ Motor Kings).
On Dec. 15, 1959, the Giants traded him to the Cardinals, with shortstop Daryl Spencer, for second baseman Don Blasingame. The Cardinals soon demoted him to their Rochester farm. On Oct. 11, 1960, the Cardinals dealt him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a multi-player transaction. Also going to the Maple Leafs were pitcher Wade Browning, outfielder Ellis Burton and cash. The Cardinals got pitcher Al Cicotte, nephew of the old Black Soxer.(Burton wasn’t added until Jan. 26, 1961.) On April 13, 1961 the Maple Leafs traded him to the AL’s Angels for outfielder Lou Johnson.
After finally becoming a productive major leaguer, he made The Sporting News all-star team in 1962. He was dealt to the Indians on Dec. 2, 1963. The Tribe gave up pitcher Barry Latman that day, then added first baseman Joe Adcock to the deal on Dec. 6.
Wagner played in three all-star games while with the Indians (two in 1962), batting .455. In 1967 the Indians’ new manager, Adcock, platooned Wagner and Rocky Colavito in leftfield, which angered both players. Wagner demanded a trade. Soon Wagner, Colavito and Adcock were gone.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1954 Danville, Miss.-Ohio Valley D 125 482 160* 24 115 .332
1955 St. Cloud, Northern C 125 501 157 29* 127* .313
1956 Danville, Carolina B 152 543 179 51* 166* .330
1957 Minneapolis, Amer. Assn. AAA In military service
1958 Phoenix, PCL AAA 65 233 74 17 58 .318
San Francisco Giants, NL 74 221 70 13 35 .317
1959 San Francisco Giants, NL 87 129 29 5 22 .225
1960 St. Louis Cardinals, NL 39 98 21 4 11 .214
Rochester Red Wings, IL AAA 93 294 78 16 48 .265
1961 Los Angeles Angels, AL 133 453 127 28 79 .280
1962 Los Angeles Angels, AL 160 612 164 37 107 .268
1963 Los Angeles Angels, AL 149 550 160 26 90 .291
1964 Cleveland Indians, AL 163 641 162 31 100 .253
1965 Cleveland Indians, AL 144 517 152 28 79 .294
1966 Cleveland Indians, AL 150 549 153 23 66 .279
1967 Cleveland Indians, AL 135 433 105 15 54 .242
1968 Cleveland Indians, AL 38 49 9 0 6 .184
Chicago, AL 69 162 46 1 18 .284
Totals 107 211 55 1 24 .261
1969 San Francisco, NL 11 12 4 0 2 .333
Phoenix, AAA PCL 78 166 49 6 41 .295
1970 Phoenix, AAA PCL 49 53 10 2 8 .189
1971 Hawaii, AAA PCL 75 143 36 9 33 .252
Majors, 12 seasons 1352 4426 1202 211 669 .272
ELMER WEINGARTNER
Infielder, BR TR; 5-11, 178
Born Aug. 13, 1918 Cleveland
I’ve added several lines to Elmer’s record, which was in Notebook 3.
G AB H HR RBI PCT.
1939 Rayne, Evangeline 82 333 78 2 23 .234
1940 Rayne, Evangeline 91 353 111 2 51 .314
Oklahoma City, Texas 11 29 3 1 1 .103
1941 Oklahoma City, Texas 13 47 9 1 5 .191
Salina, Western Association 126 497 145 3 39 .292
1942 Augusta, Sally 138 510 154 2 55 .302
1943-44
1945 Cleveland Indians, AL 20 39 9 0 1 .231
Baltimore Orioles, IL 32 124 37 5 32 .298
Milwaukee, Amer. Assn. 28 104 30 0 6 .288
Nashville, Southern Assn. 6 22 2 - - .091
1946 Oklahoma City, Texas AA 4 8 0 0 - .000
Greenville, A Sally 33 105 26 0 5 .248
1947 Greenvl 12, Augusta 20, A Sally 32 94 22 2 11 .234
Denver, Western A 17 54 11 0 4 .204
Sunbury, B Inter-State 70 261 56 3 27 .215
1948 Sunbury 79, Trenton 5, B I-St 84 278 72 1 25 .259
1949 Poughkeepsie, B Colonial 39 136 31 2 23 .228 M
Majors, 1 season 20 39 9 0 1 .231
Feller's Return from the Navy
FELLER RETURNS FROM THE WAR
CLEVELAND, Friday Aug. 24, 1945 -- After 44 months in the Navy, Bob Feller returned to baseball tonight, striking out 12 Tigers and pitching the Indians to a 4-2 victory on a four-hitter.
A crowd of 46,477 showed up in Municipal Stadium to welcome back baseball most famous pitcher. So many fans called about tickets that Indian telephone operator Ada Ireland reported her switchboard broke down. Among those at the game were Ohio governor Frank Lausche and former Indians Cy Young and Tris Speaker.
The Detroit Tigers helped heighten the drama by starting Prince Hal Newhouser on the mound. During Feller's absence, Newhouser was by far baseball's best pitcher.
Pat Seerey gave Feller a first-inning lead, homering with Mickey Rocco aboard. It was Seerey's 13th home run.
The Tigers got three hits in the third to tie. But in the home third, Rocco led off with a double and came around on two outs. In the fifth, the Indians' Jeff Heath doubled to left, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on former Tiger Don Ross' single. Newhouser fanned Felix Mackiewicz to end the rally.
Feller struck out the first batter he faced, Jimmy Outlaw. Before the night ended, he struck out every Tiger except Paul Richards. He got Hank Greenberg, Rudy York and Outlaw twice.
Only three Tigers reached base the last three innings. Newhouser and Bob Maier walked, and Greenberg was safe on Al Cihocki's error.
"I was a little wild in spots," Feller said.
His catcher, Frank Hayes, was much more enthusiastic.
"I never expected Bob to have that kind of stuff in his first game," he said. "His control was very good and his fast one was too much for them. He's got as good a curve as I've ever seen, and a good slider."
In the visitors' clubhouse, Greenberg, York and Outlaw confirmed that Feller hadn't lost any of his stuff while away to war.
Before the game, Feller was presented a Jeep for his farm in Iowa. Cleveland fans bought it, and Speaker made the presentation.
TIGERS AB R H O A E
Jimmy Outlaw, 3b 4 1 0 1 1 0
Red Borom, 1b 4 0 1 1 2 0
Doc Cramer, cf 4 0 2 2 0 0
Hank Greenberg, lf 4 0 0 2 0 0
Roy Cullenbine, rf 3 0 0 0 0 0
Rudy York, 1b 4 0 0 9 1 0
Skeeter Webb, ss 3 0 0 1 4 0
*Chuck Hostetler, ph 1 0 0 0 0 0
Paul Richards, c 2 1 1 7 1 0
+Eddie Mayo, ph 1 0 0 0 0 0
Hal Newhouser, p 2 0 0 1 4 0
&Bob Maier, ph 0 0 0 0 0 0
-----------------
32 2 4 24 13 0
* Hostetler batted for Webb in 9th.
+ Mayo batted for Richards in 9th.
& Maier batted for Newhouser in 9th.
INDIANS AB R H O A E
Al Cihocki, ss 4 0 0 1 1 1
Mickey Rocco, 1b 4 2 2 4 1 0
Pat Seerey, rf 4 1 1 1 0 0
Jeff Heath, lf 3 1 1 3 0 0
Dutch Meyer, 2b 3 0 0 1 1 0
Don Ross, 3b 4 0 2 1 1 0
Felix Mackiewicz, cf 3 0 0 3 0 0
Frankie Hayes, c 4 0 1 13 0 0
Bob Feller, p 2 0 0 0 0 0
-----------------
31 4 7 27 4 1
Tigers 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2
Indians 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 x - 4
RBI: Borom, Cramer, Seerey 2, Meyer, Ross. 2B: Ross, Richards, Rocco, Heath. 3B: Cramer. HR: Seerey. LOB: Tigers 8, Indians 7.
IP H R SO BB WP
Newhouser (L) 8 7 4 6 4 1
Feller (W) 9 4 2 12 5 0
Struck out: Mackiewicz 2, Feller, Cihocki, Hayes [but it’s unclear if Newhouser struck out 5 or 6.] Umpires: Ed Rommel, Art Passarella and Bill McGowan. Time of game: 2:17.
CLEVELAND, Friday Aug. 24, 1945 -- After 44 months in the Navy, Bob Feller returned to baseball tonight, striking out 12 Tigers and pitching the Indians to a 4-2 victory on a four-hitter.
A crowd of 46,477 showed up in Municipal Stadium to welcome back baseball most famous pitcher. So many fans called about tickets that Indian telephone operator Ada Ireland reported her switchboard broke down. Among those at the game were Ohio governor Frank Lausche and former Indians Cy Young and Tris Speaker.
The Detroit Tigers helped heighten the drama by starting Prince Hal Newhouser on the mound. During Feller's absence, Newhouser was by far baseball's best pitcher.
Pat Seerey gave Feller a first-inning lead, homering with Mickey Rocco aboard. It was Seerey's 13th home run.
The Tigers got three hits in the third to tie. But in the home third, Rocco led off with a double and came around on two outs. In the fifth, the Indians' Jeff Heath doubled to left, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on former Tiger Don Ross' single. Newhouser fanned Felix Mackiewicz to end the rally.
Feller struck out the first batter he faced, Jimmy Outlaw. Before the night ended, he struck out every Tiger except Paul Richards. He got Hank Greenberg, Rudy York and Outlaw twice.
Only three Tigers reached base the last three innings. Newhouser and Bob Maier walked, and Greenberg was safe on Al Cihocki's error.
"I was a little wild in spots," Feller said.
His catcher, Frank Hayes, was much more enthusiastic.
"I never expected Bob to have that kind of stuff in his first game," he said. "His control was very good and his fast one was too much for them. He's got as good a curve as I've ever seen, and a good slider."
In the visitors' clubhouse, Greenberg, York and Outlaw confirmed that Feller hadn't lost any of his stuff while away to war.
Before the game, Feller was presented a Jeep for his farm in Iowa. Cleveland fans bought it, and Speaker made the presentation.
TIGERS AB R H O A E
Jimmy Outlaw, 3b 4 1 0 1 1 0
Red Borom, 1b 4 0 1 1 2 0
Doc Cramer, cf 4 0 2 2 0 0
Hank Greenberg, lf 4 0 0 2 0 0
Roy Cullenbine, rf 3 0 0 0 0 0
Rudy York, 1b 4 0 0 9 1 0
Skeeter Webb, ss 3 0 0 1 4 0
*Chuck Hostetler, ph 1 0 0 0 0 0
Paul Richards, c 2 1 1 7 1 0
+Eddie Mayo, ph 1 0 0 0 0 0
Hal Newhouser, p 2 0 0 1 4 0
&Bob Maier, ph 0 0 0 0 0 0
-----------------
32 2 4 24 13 0
* Hostetler batted for Webb in 9th.
+ Mayo batted for Richards in 9th.
& Maier batted for Newhouser in 9th.
INDIANS AB R H O A E
Al Cihocki, ss 4 0 0 1 1 1
Mickey Rocco, 1b 4 2 2 4 1 0
Pat Seerey, rf 4 1 1 1 0 0
Jeff Heath, lf 3 1 1 3 0 0
Dutch Meyer, 2b 3 0 0 1 1 0
Don Ross, 3b 4 0 2 1 1 0
Felix Mackiewicz, cf 3 0 0 3 0 0
Frankie Hayes, c 4 0 1 13 0 0
Bob Feller, p 2 0 0 0 0 0
-----------------
31 4 7 27 4 1
Tigers 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2
Indians 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 x - 4
RBI: Borom, Cramer, Seerey 2, Meyer, Ross. 2B: Ross, Richards, Rocco, Heath. 3B: Cramer. HR: Seerey. LOB: Tigers 8, Indians 7.
IP H R SO BB WP
Newhouser (L) 8 7 4 6 4 1
Feller (W) 9 4 2 12 5 0
Struck out: Mackiewicz 2, Feller, Cihocki, Hayes [but it’s unclear if Newhouser struck out 5 or 6.] Umpires: Ed Rommel, Art Passarella and Bill McGowan. Time of game: 2:17.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
rightfielders
USAToday did some research and found that the Indians have used 36 rightfielders since Manny Ramirez left town after the 2000 season.
Here they are, with the year, or years, that they played rightfield for the club:
Chad Allen 2002
Brady Anderson 2002
Bruce Aven 2002
Casey Blake 2005-06
Milton Bradley 2001
Russell Branyan 2001
Ellis Burks 2001
Jolbert Cabrera 2001-02
Shin-Soo Choo 2006
Wil Cordero 2001
Marty Cordova 2001
Jacob Cruz 2001
Jason Dubois 2005
Todd Dunwoody 2002
Alex Escobar 2003-04
Karim Garcia 2001-03
Jody Gerut 2003-05
Juan Gonzalez 2001, 2005
Raul Gonzalez 2004
Franklin Gutierrez 2006-07
Jose Hernandez 2005
Todd Hollandsworth 2006
Matt Lawton 2002-04
Jeff Liefer 2005
Mark Little 2004
Kenny Lofton 2007
Ryan Ludwick 2003-05
Hector Luna 2006
Chris Magruder 2002-03
Jason Michaels 2006-07
Trot Nixon 2007
Eduard Perez 2006
Dave Roberts 2001
Bill Selby 2001
Shane Spencer 2003
Lee Stevens 2002
Here they are, with the year, or years, that they played rightfield for the club:
Chad Allen 2002
Brady Anderson 2002
Bruce Aven 2002
Casey Blake 2005-06
Milton Bradley 2001
Russell Branyan 2001
Ellis Burks 2001
Jolbert Cabrera 2001-02
Shin-Soo Choo 2006
Wil Cordero 2001
Marty Cordova 2001
Jacob Cruz 2001
Jason Dubois 2005
Todd Dunwoody 2002
Alex Escobar 2003-04
Karim Garcia 2001-03
Jody Gerut 2003-05
Juan Gonzalez 2001, 2005
Raul Gonzalez 2004
Franklin Gutierrez 2006-07
Jose Hernandez 2005
Todd Hollandsworth 2006
Matt Lawton 2002-04
Jeff Liefer 2005
Mark Little 2004
Kenny Lofton 2007
Ryan Ludwick 2003-05
Hector Luna 2006
Chris Magruder 2002-03
Jason Michaels 2006-07
Trot Nixon 2007
Eduard Perez 2006
Dave Roberts 2001
Bill Selby 2001
Shane Spencer 2003
Lee Stevens 2002
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