Alva William Javery (June 5, 1918 – August 16, 1977) was a professional

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who played from 1940–1946, spending all seven seasons with the

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/ Braves. He became a key part of the rotation during World War II, which he did not serve in due to

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. Nicknamed "Beartracks", he made his debut on April 23, 1940. Javery spent the 1940 season primarily as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

, starting four games and pitching in 29 total, finishing with a 2–4 record. In 1941, he became a starter for the Braves, notching nine complete games in 23 starts, earning a 10–11 record in the process. The 1942 season marked the beginning of his workhorse years, finishing fifth in the

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in innings pitched with 261. He was second on the team to

Jim Tobin James Anthony Tobin (December 27, 1912 – May 19, 1969), known as "Abba Dabba", was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Bees/ Braves and Detroit Tigers from 1937 to 1945. With the Boston Brav ...

, who led the league. Javery also started a league-leading 37 games, and finished the season with a 3.03

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and was 31st in MVP voting. In 1943, Javery arguably had his best season. He led the league in innings pitched with 303, led the league in batters faced with 1286, finished with a 17–16 record, the only winning record of his career, and finished 17th in MVP voting. He also pitched the final two innings of the 1943 All-Star Game, his first, strikings out three and not allowing a run en route to a 5–3

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 ...

win. He was again named to the All-Star Game in 1944, but he did not pitch. Javery finished the 1944 season with 254 innings pitched, a 10–19 record, and a 3.54 ERA, and finished second in the National League in strikeouts per 9 innings. He showed signs of slowing down in the 1945 season, after pitching in only 17 games and winning two. Two games early in the 1946 season marked the end of his career with the Braves. He was released on May 23, 1946, and sent to the

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of the International League due to arm trouble the previous two seasons. Javery died on August 16, 1977, in

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References

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Javery, Al 1918 births 1977 deaths Baseball players from Worcester, Massachusetts Boston Bees players Boston Braves players Evansville Bees players Little Rock Travelers players Major League Baseball pitchers National League All-Stars St. Hyacinthe Saints players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Lexington Bees players