Charles William "Butch" Wensloff (December 3, 1915 – February 18, 2001) was an American right-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

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), ...

who played for three seasons in 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 ...

with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

and

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 ...

. In 41 career games, Wensloff pitched

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...

and posted a

win–loss record 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 ...

of 16–13 and a 2.60

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). Wensloff began his career in the

Arizona–Texas League The Arizona–Texas League was a Class D level American minor league baseball league that existed for nine seasons, from 1931–32, 1937–41, 1947–50 and 1952-54. In 1951, the Arizona-Texas loop merged with the Sunset League (based primarily ...

before joining the New York Yankees farm system. He played on various minor league teams for the next six seasons and made his debut during the

1943 New York Yankees season The 1943 New York Yankees season was the team's 41st season. The team finished with a record of 98–56, winning their 14th pennant, finishing 13.5 games ahead of the Washington Senators. Managed by Joe McCarthy, the Yankees played at Yankee St ...

. He pitched in 29 games, and after the season ended, he served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during World War II. Wensloff rejoined the Yankees in 1947, pitching in 11 regular-season games and in the

1947 World Series The 1947 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Yankees won the Series in seven games for their 11th World Series championship in team history. Yankees manager Bucky Harris won the Series for the first time ...

. After the season ended, he was sent to the Cleveland Indians and pitched in one game for the team before retiring at the end of the season.

Minor leagues

Wensloff began his professional career in the

, pitching for the Class-D,

El Paso Texans EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...

, a team not affiliated with any major league squad, in 1937. The team included future Major League players

Bill Bevens Floyd Clifford "Bill" Bevens (October 21, 1916 – October 26, 1991) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the New York Yankees from through . Bevens is notable fo ...

and

Milo Candini Mario Cain "Milo" Candini (August 3, 1917 – March 17, 1998) was an American professional baseball pitcher. A , right-hander, he played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators (1943–44; 1946– ...

, and one former Major League player,

Jimmy Zinn James Edward Zinn (January 21, 1895 – February 26, 1991) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Athletics (1919), Pittsburgh Pirates (1920–22), a ...

. Wensloff pitched 34 games that season, going 17–10 with a 4.67

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

in 233

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. At the end of the season, he was the third most successful pitcher in the league in terms of wins and pitched in the eighth highest number of

. In 1938, Wensloff spent his first season in the New York Yankees minor league system, playing for the Class-C

Joplin Miners The Joplin Miners was the primary name of the minor league baseball team in Joplin, Missouri that played for 49 seasons between 1901 and 1954. Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Mickey Mantle and Whitey Herzog played for Joplin. Professional baseba ...

of the

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western ...

. In an exhibition game with the Miners against the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

, Wensloff allowed eight runs and failed to pitch for a full inning as the Miners lost, 12–5. In 28 games for the Miners in 1938, he won and lost 13 games each and finished the season with a 3.48 ERA. Wensloff continued his tenure with the Miners during the 1939 season. By the end of July, he had a win–loss record of 17–2. In his final season at the Class-C level, Wensloff compiled a 26–4 record in 31 games, pitching 249 innings. At the end of the season, Wensloff had the most wins in the league along with Maury Newlin of the Topeka Owls, and was also third in the league in innings pitched. In 1940, Wensloff was promoted to the Kansas City Blues of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

, a higher level of the Yankees' farm system, where he played alongside

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Phil Rizzuto Philip Francis Rizzuto (September 25, 1917 – August 13, 2007), nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career with the New York Yankees (1941–1956), and was elected to th ...

, among others who later played in the majors. In his first game at the Double-A level, Wensloff allowed only two hits in a game against the

Columbus Red Birds The Columbus Red Birds were a top-level minor league baseball team that played in Columbus, Ohio, in the American Association from 1931 through 1954. The Columbus club, a member of the Association continuously since 1902, was previously known as ...

. Wensloff pitched in 35 games, 27 starts, going 13–8 with a 3.19 ERA in 178 innings pitched. The Blues went on to play in the American Association playoffs that season. In the second game of three against the

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as ...

, Wensloff shut them out as the Blues won the game, 1–0. Wensloff spent his second season with the Blues in 1941, and went 15–8 with a 3.93 ERA in 36 games, 22 of them starts. He finished the season eighth in the American Association in wins. Wensloff played his third and final season with the Blues in 1942. That season, he was one of five pitchers named to the American Association All-Star Team, which Kansas City hosted. Wensloff won his 19th game of the season on August 24, 1942, pitching the shortest game of the season, which only lasted one hour and 20 minutes. Wensloff had a 21–10 record with a 2.47 ERA in 33 games, had the most wins in the league, and was sixth in ERA during that season. On September 27, 1942, the New York Yankees purchased nine contracts from their minor league teams, including

Herb Karpel Herbert (Lefty) Karpel (December 27, 1917 – January 24, 1995) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Karpel played for the New York Yankees in . In 2 career games, he had a 0–0 record, with a 10.80 ERA. He batted and threw left-handed. Karpel w ...

and Wensloff's contracts from Kansas City, which placed them on the major league roster.

New York Yankees

Upon signing a contract with the Yankees, Wensloff spent the 1943 season on the Yankees' major league roster. During spring training, Yankees manager

Joe McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most vis ...

had heard impressive things about Wensloff, though he had not seen him pitch often. Wensloff made his major league debut for the Yankees on May 2, 1943, against the Washington Senators. In his debut, the second game of a doubleheader, he allowed four earned runs and seven hits in eight innings as the Yankees lost, 4–1. He won his first game in his next pitching appearance on May 7, 1943, 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 ...

, allowing no walks and six hits in a 6–2 victory. By the end of June, he had six

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s in his first six starts. However, he was not receiving the publicity other rookies were, such as pitcher Jesse Flores, and had four wins and four losses despite how well he had been pitching. During the second half of the season, Wensloff remained a major part of the starting rotation. His losses included a 1–0 defeat in which he only allowed one unearned run on a wild throw against the

. During the season, Wensloff added a

knuckleball A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow. This chan ...

to his selection of pitches, which he threw regularly during the season. As the end of the season approached, Wensloff was being promoted as a rookie of the year candidate, due to being second on the team in strikeouts, as well as his 13 wins. Wensloff finished the season with a 13–11 record and a 2.54 ERA in 29 games, 27 of them starts. He did not pitch in the

1943 World Series The 1943 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1943 season. The 40th edition of the World Series, it matched the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals against the New York Yankees, in a rematch of the 1942 ...

, though he was on the roster.

Military service

At the conclusion of the 1943 season, Wensloff enlisted in the

and served in World War II. When the Yankees were preparing for the start of the 1944 season, the team originally had no idea where Wensloff was, as they had not heard from him. He was inactive for the 1944 season. In 1945, Wensloff was traded from the Yankees to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

of 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 ...

for Johnny Kreevich, allowing him to simultaneously pitch professionally and continue serving in the war. In 10 games for the Padres, he won three and lost four with a 3.82 ERA. After the 1945 season and the war ended, Wensloff remained in military service, and as a result did not play in 1946.

Later career

After his service, Wensloff returned to the New York Yankees for the 1947 season. He made his first appearance at the start of June and pitched despite having a sore arm throughout the season, pitching infrequently. In 11 games with the Yankees, Wensloff compiled a record of 3–1 with a 2.61 ERA and 18 strikeouts in innings pitched, and pitched two innings of one game in the

. As the 1948 season began, Wensloff did not report to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, and was holding out for a new contract; the only time he communicated with the club was to inquire about his

World Series ring A World Series ring is an award given to Major League Baseball players who win the World Series. Since only one Commissioner's Trophy is awarded to the team, a World Series ring is an individual award that players and staff of each World Series ...

. At the end of March, he was sold by the Yankees to the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

for a reported $30,000. Wensloff refused to join the Phillies because he did not want to play in the

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 s ...

, and as a result he was sent back to the Yankees. The Yankees were also in trade talks with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, but Wensloff refused to play for them for the same reason. The Yankees continued to look for a trading partner, and eventually traded him to the Cleveland Indians for an undisclosed amount. With the Indians, Wensloff pitched only one game, giving up two

earned runs In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...

in innings pitched on May 4. He was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

on May 20, 1948, with continued arm soreness. This later proved to be a career-ending injury for Wensloff, as he retired at the end of the 1948 season. As part of the deal with Cleveland, Indians' prospect

Al Rosen Albert Leonard Rosen (February 29, 1924 – March 13, 2015), nicknamed "Flip" and "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American baseball third baseman and right-handed slugger for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball for ten seasons in the 194 ...

was loaned to the Yankees' Kansas City Blues farm team for the duration of the 1948 season. Rosen was named Rookie of the Year in the

for his play with the Blues. Upon ending his career, Wensloff retired to

San Rafael, California San Rafael ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Raphael (archangel), St. Raphael", ) is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), ...

, and died on February 18, 2001.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wensloff, Butch 1915 births 2001 deaths Cleveland Indians players El Paso Texans players Joplin Miners players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Yankees players People from Sausalito, California Baseball players from Marin County, California San Diego Padres (minor league) players Sportspeople from San Rafael, California Tamalpais High School alumni United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers