Benjamin Rudolph Frey (April 6, 1906 – November 1, 1937) was a right-handed pitcher in

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), ...

from 1929 to 1936, playing primarily with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. He was a sidearm pitcher with a sweeping motion that was effective against right-handed hitters. Frey suffered an arm injury which ultimately led to his retirement and subsequent suicide.

Professional career

After spending time with the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

, Frey entered the major leagues in 1929 with the Cincinnati Reds. In 1930, Frey lost 18 games, most in the National League. During the 1932 season, he was traded to the Cardinals, along with

Harvey Hendrick Harvey "Gink" Hendrick (November 9, 1897 – October 29, 1941) was an American Major League Baseball player who played for several different teams during an eleven-year career. Early years Born near Mason, Tennessee on November 9, 1897 to Richard ...

for

Chick Hafey Charles James "Chick" Hafey (February 12, 1903 – July 2, 1973) was an American player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals (1924–1931) and Cincinnati Reds (1932–1935, 1937), Hafey was a strong line-drive hitt ...

. The Cardinal's general manager,

Branch Rickey Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also creat ...

, would send Frey back to the Reds for cash. His best season was 1934 when he was 11–16 for the Reds with a 3.52 ERA (adjusted ERA+ of 116), finishing sixteenth in the 1934 National League Most Valuable Player voting. Frey suffered an arm injury and was sent down to a minor league team in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

for the 1937 season. Frey refused to report to Nashville and asked to be put on the voluntarily retired list.

Career statisitcs

Frey appeared in 256 major league baseball games (127 as a starter) and had a lifetime record of 57–82 in 1160 innings pitched. His lifetime

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 ...

of 4.50 was good for an adjusted ERA+ of 90.

Personal life and death

Frey was born in Dexter, Michigan. Frey committed suicide on November 1, 1937, in Spring Arbor Township, Michigan, at the home of his sister. He had run a hose from his car's exhaust into the back seat and died of

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...

. Frey had been in despair over his injured arm, which he did not think would ever recover sufficiently for a return to the major leagues.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frey, Benny 1906 births 1937 suicides 1937 deaths Baseball players from Washtenaw County, Michigan People from Dexter, Michigan Major League Baseball pitchers Cincinnati Reds players St. Louis Cardinals players Suicides in Michigan Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning Nashville Vols players