1944 Philadelphia Athletics Season
The 1944 Philadelphia Athletics season involved the A's finishing fifth in the American League with a record of 72 wins and 82 losses. Offseason Spring training The Athletics considered using the Bader Field ballpark in Atlantic City for their 1944 spring training site. On November 17, 1943, Connie Mack examined Bader Field and the National Guard Armory as one possibility. But he knew the New York Yankees were already considering it. The A's went to McCurdy Field in Frederick, Maryland when the Yankees chose Atlantic City. Notable transactions * October 11, 1943: Don Heffner and Bob Swift were traded by the Athletics to the Detroit Tigers for Rip Radcliff. * February 17, 1944: Sam Zoldak and Barney Lutz (minors) were traded by the Athletics to the St. Louis Browns for Frankie Hayes. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents Notable transactions * April 15, 1944: Al Simmons was signed as a free agent by the Athletics. Roster Player stat ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Shibe Park
Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1909, it became baseball's first reinforced concrete, steel-and-concrete stadium. In different eras it was home to $100,000 infield, "The $100,000 Infield", Whiz Kids (baseball), "The Whiz Kids", and 1964 Philadelphia Phillies season, "The 1964 Phold". The venue's two home teams won both the first and last games at the stadium: the Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox 8–1 on opening day 1909, while the Phillies beat the Montreal Expos 2–1 on October 1, 1970, in the park's final contest. Shibe Park stood on the block bounded by Lehigh Avenue, 20th Street, Somerset Street and 21st Street. It was five blocks west, corner-to-corner, from the Baker Bowl, the Phillies' home from 1887 to 1938. The stadium hosted eight World Series and two Major L ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sam Zoldak
Samuel Walter Zoldak, nicknamed Sad Sam, (December 8, 1918 – August 25, 1966) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine seasons in the American League with the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, and Philadelphia Athletics. In 250 career games, Zoldak pitched innings and posted a win–loss record of 43–53, with 30 complete games, five shutouts, and a 3.54 earned run average (ERA). Although an average hitting pitcher in his major league career, posting a .175 batting average (50-for-286) with just 16 runs and 11 RBIs, he was a very good fielding pitcher, posting a .984 fielding percentage with only four errors in 258 total chances. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Zoldak began his professional career in the low-level minor leagues, working his way up despite being released from his first team. The St. Louis Browns acquired him in 1944 and placed him on their major league roster. He debuted on May 23, and spen ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Woody Wheaton
Elwood Pierce "Woody" Wheaton (October 3, 1914 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – December 11, 1995 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) was a left-handed Major League Baseball outfielder and pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1943 and 1944. He made his major league debut on September 28, 1943 at the age of 28. He played in seven games for the Athletics that season, hitting .200 with no home runs and two RBI in 30 at-bats. The following season, 1944, he hit .186 in 30 games, collecting 11 hits in 59 at-bats and driving in five runs. He also appeared in eleven games as a pitcher, one of which was a start. He went 0–1 with a 3.55 ERA, allowing 36 hits and 20 walks in 38 innings while striking out 15. On August 17, 1944, he appeared in his final big league game. Overall, Wheaton hit .191 in 37 games, collecting 17 hits in 89 at-bats. Wheaton also spent 17 seasons in the minor leagues, hitting .297 in 1,729 games. He had 1,810 hits, of which 244 were doubles, 84 were triple ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Carl Scheib
Carl Alvin Scheib (January 1, 1927 – March 24, 2018) was a professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics (1943–45 and 1947–54) and St. Louis Cardinals (1954) of Major League Baseball (MLB). Biography Born in Gratz, Pennsylvania, Scheib led the American League in wild pitches with 9 in 1950. He was one of the best-hitting pitchers of his time. In 1948, he registered 31 hits in 104 at bats, for a batting average of .298 with two home runs and 21 runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba .... He appeared in 32 games as a pitcher, and 20 more as a pinch hitter. In 1951, Scheib appeared in 46 games as a pitcher, two more as a pinch hitter, and batted .396 (21 for 53). His .396 mark was the highest for a pitcher with ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bobo Newsom
Louis Norman "Bobo" Newsom (August 11, 1907 – December 7, 1962) was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Also known as "Buck", Newsom played for nine of the 16 then-existing big-league teams from 1929 through 1953 over all or parts of 20 seasons, appearing in an even 600 games pitched and 3,759 innings pitched. He batted and threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed . Life and career Born in Hartsville, South Carolina, Newsom was known to possess a somewhat eccentric and emotional personality, typically referring to everyone in the third person, including referring to himself as "Bobo". Newsom pitched valiantly in a losing cause in Game Seven of the 1940 World Series with the Detroit Tigers, two days after pitching a shutout in honor of his father, who had died while visiting from South Carolina and watching his son win the opener. Bobo had said before pitching Game Five, "I'll win this one for my daddy." When manager Del Baker named Newsom to take the mou ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John McGillen
John Joseph McGillen (August 6, 1917 – August 11, 1987) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He appeared in two games in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1944 season. References 1917 births 1987 deaths People from Eddystone, Pennsylvania Major League Baseball pitchers Philadelphia Athletics players Fulton Tigers players Lancaster Red Roses players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Baseball players from Delaware County, Pennsylvania {{US-baseball-pitcher-1910s-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lum Harris
Chalmer Luman Harris (January 17, 1915 – November 11, 1996) was an American right-handed pitcher, coach, manager, and scout in Major League Baseball. Born in New Castle, Alabama, Harris began his playing career with the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association in 1937. His catcher that season was Paul Richards, who in 1938 became Atlanta's player-manager. Richards and Harris would form a decades-long association in baseball at the minor and Major League levels. Playing career The , Harris compiled a 35–63 record with a 4.16 earned-run average in 151 American League games with the Philadelphia Athletics (1941–1944 and 1946) and Washington Senators (1947). He missed the 1945 season while serving in the United States Navy in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. As a big leaguer, Harris allowed 874 hits and 265 bases on balls in 820 innings pitched and 151 games, with 232 strikeouts. He pitched at the Triple-A level during his last three activ ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Luke Hamlin
Luke Daniel Hamlin (July 3, 1904 – February 18, 1978) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers (1933–34), Brooklyn Dodgers (1937–41), Pittsburgh Pirates (1942), and Philadelphia Athletics (1944). Born in Ferris Center, Michigan, Hamlin won the nickname "Hot Potato" because of his tendency to juggle the ball while getting ready to pitch. He pitched two years with the Tigers, going 3–3 in 23 games for the Bengals. After two years out of the major leagues, Hamlin returned in 1937 with the Dodgers, where he played five seasons from 1937 to 1941. His best year was 1939 when he went 20–13 and had 10 complete games in innings pitched. Hamlin's 20 wins was 4th best in the National League, his WHIP was 1.146 (3rd in the NL), and he also finished #10 in the National League Most Valuable Player voting in 1939. He had another strong year in 1940 with a 3.06 earned run average for an Adjusted ERA+ of 131 (4th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jesse Flores (baseball)
Jesse Sandoval Flores (November 2, 1914 – December 17, 1991) was a Mexican Major League Baseball pitcher. The , right-hander was a native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He played for the Chicago Cubs (1942), Philadelphia Athletics (1943–47), and Cleveland Indians (1950). Career Flores was originally signed by the Cubs as an amateur free agent before the 1938 season. He was a starting pitcher in almost two-thirds of his major league appearances. In 1943, he won a career-high 12 games for Philadelphia with a 3.11 earned run average and finished in a tie for 27th place in the American League MVP voting. In 1946, he was 9–7, his only winning record, and had the fifth-best ERA in the league (2.32). Flores did most of his pitching for Philadelphia, one of the worst teams in the league at the time. In five seasons there (1943–47), he won 41 and lost 55, yet had a fine ERA of 3.15. His winning percentage during that span was .427. Meanwhile, the A's won 300 games and lost ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Russ Christopher
Russell Ormand Christopher (September 12, 1917 – December 5, 1954) was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for seven seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics (1942-1947) and Cleveland Indians (1948). In 241 career games, Christopher pitched innings and posted a win–loss record of 54–64, with 46 complete games, three shutouts, and a 3.37 earned run average (ERA). A 6'3, 180 lb. player from Richmond, California, he played minor league baseball in the New York Yankees organization before being acquired by the Athletics in the rule 5 draft. Christopher joined the Athletics' major league roster in 1942 and played six seasons for them, and made his only All-Star appearance in 1945. He was traded to the Indians before the 1948 season, and played one year of baseball with them. After the season ended, he retired due to health concerns and worked at an aircraft plant until his death in 1954. Early life and minor leagues Christopher was bor ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Don Black (baseball)
Donald Paul Black (July 20, 1916 or 1917 – April 21, 1959) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for six seasons in the American League with the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Indians. In 154 career games, Black pitched 797 innings and posted a win–loss record of 34–55, with 37 complete games, four shutouts, and a 4.35 earned run average (ERA). Born in Salix, Iowa, he played minor league baseball in Fairbury, Nebraska, and Petersburg, Virginia, before signing with the Philadelphia Athletics. He played with them for three seasons before being released. Black signed with the Cleveland Indians at the end of 1945, and after a season with them joined Alcoholics Anonymous. After completing the program, during the off season, he then played two more seasons with Cleveland, pitching a no-hitter on July 10, 1947. On September 13, 1948, Black suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on the field, which marked the end of his professional career. Afte ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Joe Berry (pitcher)
Jonas Arthur Berry (December 16, 1904 – September 27, 1958) was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. The , right-hander played for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Athletics, and Cleveland Indians. Career Berry spent 18 seasons in the minor leagues before World War II gave him a chance to pitch regularly in the big leagues. He pitched in two games for the Cubs in 1942, and then made an impact with the Philadelphia A's two years later. The 39-year-old rookie won 10 games in relief and saved 12 more, tying for the league lead in that category. He also led the league with 47 games finished, and his earned run average was 1.94. In 1945, at age 40, Berry led the league in games pitched (52) and games finished (40), and had another great ERA (2.35). On July 21 of that same year, he pitched eleven scoreless innings of relief in a 24 inning 1–1 tie against the Detroit Tigers. On July 1, 1946, Berry was purchased from the A's by the Cleveland Indians and continued to be effe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |