Ken O'Dea
James Kenneth O'Dea (March 16, 1913 – December 17, 1985) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs (1935–38), New York Giants (1939–41), St. Louis Cardinals (1942–46), and Boston Braves (1946). O'Dea had the misfortune of playing on the same teams alongside some of the best catchers in the National League, which limited his playing time. Although he played most of his 12-year MLB career as a backup catcher, O'Dea was considered one of the best defensive catchers in the major leagues prior to World War II. Baseball career Minor league Born in 1913 in Lima, New York, O'Dea began his baseball career at the age of 18 in with the Greensboro Patriots of the Piedmont League. He produced a .333 batting average while playing for the Keokuk Indians in . Although his hitting would taper off, it was his defensive abilities as a catcher that made him stand out. He played in the minor leagues for four ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Catcher
Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field the position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket. Positioned behind home plate and facing toward the outfield, the catcher can see the whole field, and is therefore in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a defensive play. The catcher typically calls for pitches using hand signals. The calls are based on the pitcher's mechanics and strengths, as well as the Batting (baseball), batter's tendencies and weaknesses. Essentially, the catcher controls what happens during the game when the ball is not "in play". Foul tips, bouncing balls in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Batting Average (baseball)
In baseball, batting average (BA) is determined by dividing a player's hits by their total at-bats. It is usually rounded to three decimal places and read without the decimal: A player with a batting average of .300 is "batting three-hundred". If necessary to break ties, batting averages could be taken beyond the .001 measurement. In this context, .001 is considered a "point", such that a .235 batter is 5 points higher than a .230 batter. History Henry Chadwick, an English statistician raised on cricket, was an influential figure in the early history of baseball. In the late 19th century he adapted the concept behind the cricket batting average to devise a similar statistic for baseball. Rather than simply copy cricket's formulation of runs scored divided by outs, he realized that hits divided by at bats would provide a better measure of individual batting ability. This is because while in cricket, scoring runs is almost entirely dependent on one's batting skill, in baseball ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bill Lohrman
William Leroy Lohrman (May 22, 1913 – September 13, 1999) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in 198 games from 1934 to 1944. Bill played for the Giants, Dodgers, Cardinals, Phillies, and Reds. Bill was born and raised Brooklyn and went to live in New Paltz, New York following his baseball career. Following the 1941 season, Lohrman, along with Ken O'Dea, Johnny McCarthy and $50,000, were traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Johnny Mize John Robert Mize (January 7, 1913 – June 2, 1993), nicknamed "Big Jawn" and "The Big Cat", was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons between 1936 an .... References External links * Major League Baseball pitchers Brooklyn Dodgers players Cincinnati Reds players St. Louis Cardinals players New York Giants (NL) players Philadelphia Phillies players 1913 births 1999 deaths Baseball players from New York (state) Spr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Harry Danning
Harry Danning (nicknamed Harry the Horse; September 6, 1911 – November 29, 2004) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the New York Giants (NL), New York Giants, and was considered to be both an excellent hitter and one of the top defensive catchers of his era. He batted and threw right-handed, and was a member of the National League All-Star team for four consecutive years, 1938-41. Early and personal life Danning was born in Los Angeles to Jews, Jewish parents: his father, Robert Danning, was a Polish immigrant and owned a used-furniture store; his mother, Jennie Danning (née Goldberg), was a Latvian immigrant. Danning was one of six children, including three sons; Robert Danning took his sons to see baseball games, including the Pacific Coast League and the Negro league games. Robert's love of baseball inspired both Harry and his older brother Ike Danning, who played for the St. Louis Browns in . Da ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gus Mancuso
August Rodney Mancuso (December 5, 1905 – October 26, 1984), nicknamed "Blackie", was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and radio sports commentator. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals (1928, 1930–32, 1941–42), New York Giants (1933–38, 1942–44), Chicago Cubs (1939), Brooklyn Dodgers (1940) and Philadelphia Phillies (1945). Mancuso was known for his capable handling of pitching staffs and for his on-field leadership abilities. He was a member of five National League pennant-winning teams, and played as the catcher for five pitchers who were eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mancuso was regarded as one of the top defensive catchers of the 1930s. Baseball career Mancuso was born in Galveston, Texas to the son of a Sicilian immigrant and the daughter of German immigrants. His father died in his forties and his mother continued to support the family by working as a midwife. Mancuso first be ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hank Leiber
Henry Edward Leiber (January 17, 1911 – November 8, 1993) was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1933 to 1942 with the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs. Early life Leiber was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1911. He attended the University of Arizona and was a pitcher for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team.Hank Lieber - Baseballbiography.com He began his career in 1932. He hit .362 in the Class B and debuted in the majors the following April, with the Giants. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dick Bartell
__NOTOC__ Richard William Bartell (November 22, 1907 – August 4, 1995), nicknamed "Rowdy Richard", was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop from to . One of the most ferocious competitors of his era, he won both admirers and critics at each stop during a career which saw him traded every few seasons, often under acrimonious circumstances. While hitting .300 over a full season five times, the two-time National League All-Star led the National League in double plays four times and in putouts and assists three times each. From 1927 through 1946, Bartell played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1927–30), Philadelphia Phillies (1931–34), New York Giants (1935–38, 1941), Chicago Cubs (1939) and Detroit Tigers (1940–1941). After two years of military service in World War II, he played briefly in 1946 before retiring. At 5'9" and 160 pounds, he batted and threw right-handed. A native of Chicago, who g ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Billy Jurges
William Frederick Jurges (May 9, 1908 – March 3, 1997) was an American shortstop, third baseman, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. He was born in the Bronx, New York. During the 1930s, he was central to three (, and ) National League champion Chicago Cubs teams. In July 1932, Jurges recovered from gunshot wounds—suffered when a distraught former girlfriend tried to kill him—to help lead the Cubs to the pennant. Career as a player A right-handed batter and thrower who stood tall and weighed , Jurges batted .258 in 1,816 games over 17 seasons. He collected 1,613 hits, with 245 doubles, 55 triples and 43 home runs. Although he was a light hitter, Jurges was known as a top-flight fielder as a shortstop. Baseball Reference credits him with leading in the National League in such defensive categories as Defensive Wins Above Replacement and Range Factor. He led NL shortstops in fielding percentage four times and in double plays once. During his first eight ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Frank Demaree
Joseph Franklin Demaree (June 10, 1910 – August 30, 1958) was an American baseball outfielder. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors for the Chicago Cubs (1932–33, 1935–38), New York Giants (1939–41), Boston Braves (1941–42), St. Louis Cardinals (1943) and St. Louis Browns (1944). Career highlights Demaree is one of four Pacific Coast League hitters to have had a 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases season (in 1934, in 186 games), along with Joc Pederson (2014, in 115 games), Lefty O'Doul (1927), and Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri (1925). Demaree helped the Cubs win the National League pennant in 1932, 1935 and 1938. He hit a home run against the New York Yankees in the final game of the 1932 World Series. He also homered in Game 1 of the 1935 World Series. During his only season with the Cardinals, they won the National League pennant in 1943. During his last season, he helped the Browns win the American League pennant. He was named to the National League All-St ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1937 Chicago Cubs Season
The 1937 Chicago Cubs season was the 66th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 62nd in the National League and the 22nd at Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago .... The Cubs finished second in the National League with a record of 93–61. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents Roster Player stats Batting Starters by position ''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in'' Other batters ''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in'' Pitching Starting pitchers ''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Str ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1936 Chicago Cubs Season
The 1936 Chicago Cubs season was the 65th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 61st in the National League and the 21st at Wrigley Field. The Cubs tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for second in the National League with a record of 87–67. Regular season * April 14, 1936: Billy Herman became the last National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ... player to have five hits on Opening Day in the 20th century. Season standings Record vs. opponents Roster Player stats Batting Starters by position ''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in'' Other batters ''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Run ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gabby Hartnett
Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett (December 20, 1900 – December 20, 1972), nicknamed "Old Tomato Face", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher with the Chicago Cubs, from 1922 to 1940. He spent the final season of his career as a player-coach with the New York Giants in 1941. After his playing career, Hartnett continued his involvement in baseball as a coach and as a minor league manager. Hartnett was an all-around player, performing well both offensively and defensively. Known for his strong and accurate throwing arm, he routinely led the National League's catchers in caught stealing percentage and was the first major league catcher to hit more than 20 home runs in a season. During the course of his career, Hartnett took part in some of the more memorable events in Major League Baseball history including; Babe Ruth's Called Shot during the 1932 World Series, Carl Hubbell's strike-out perform ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |