Albert Frank "Al" Gould (January 20, 1893 – August 8, 1982), also known as "Pudgy", was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player who pitched two seasons for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

. Born in

Muscatine, Iowa Muscatine ( ) is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000. The county seat of Muscatine County, it is located along the Mississippi River. The lo ...

, he was in height and weighed .

Major League career

Gould made his major league debut on July 11, 1916, for the

. He pitched a

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

on August 2, against the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

. He finished the season with a 5-6 record and a 2.53

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) in 30 games. The following season, he spent the year with the Indians and played in 27 games, going 4-4 with a 3.64 ERA. He returned to the minor leagues after that season.

Minor League career

Gould enjoyed a long career in the minors, mainly playing in the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(PCL). His 14 seasons in the PCL produced a win–loss record of 127–134, an

of 4.43, highlighted by leading the league in

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

in . A very good fielder in both the minors and the majors, he twice led the PCL at his position in

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. Another highlight of his PCL career took place in , when he pitched two complete game victories in one doubleheader. Most of his minor league success game with the

Salt Lake City Bees The Salt Lake City Bees was a primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams, based in Salt Lake City, Utah between 1911 and 1970 under various names. After minor league baseball first began in Salt Lake City in 1900, the Bees were long-time ...

. With them, he had 71 wins in five seasons between 1919 and 1923.

Post-career

Gould died on August 8, 1982, at the age of 89 in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, and was cremated and interred at Los Gatos Memorial Park in San Jose.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Al 1893 births 1982 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Iowa Cleveland Indians players Muscatine Wallopers players Muscatine Buttonmakers players Davenport Blue Sox players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Salt Lake City Bees players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Sacramento Senators players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Hollywood Stars players Portland Beavers players People from Muscatine, Iowa