Chester Rogers Covington (November 6, 1910 – June 11, 1976) was a

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), ...

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 ...

who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1944. The 33-year-old

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

, recipient of ''The Sporting News'' Minor League Player of the Year Award in 1943, was a native of Cairo, Illinois. Covington is one of many ballplayers who only appeared in the major leagues during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He made his

major league debut 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), ...

on April 23, 1944 in a doubleheader against the Boston Braves at Braves Field. His first and only major-league win was in the first game of a doubleheader against the Braves at

Shibe Park Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1 ...

on April 30, 1944. He pitched in relief and was the pitcher of record in a 14- inning, 2–1 victory. For the season, part of which was spent in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

, he appeared in 19 games, all in relief, and had a 1–1 record with 10

games finished In baseball statistics, a relief pitcher is credited with a game finished (denoted by GF) if he is the last pitcher to pitch for his team in a game. A starting pitcher is not credited with a GF for pitching a complete game. Mariano Rivera is th ...

. He allowed 20 earned runs in 38 innings pitched for a final

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 ...

of 4.66. In addition, Covington pitched 15 seasons in minor league baseball, winning minor league 220 games. Covington died at the age of 65 in

Pembroke Park, Florida Pembroke Park is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States. The town took its name from its location along Pembroke Road. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,260. It is part of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to ...

References

External links

The Deadball Era
1910 births 1976 deaths Philadelphia Phillies players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Illinois People from Cairo, Illinois Portsmouth Cubs players Jacksonville Tars players Springfield Rifles players Birmingham Barons players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Scranton Red Sox players Utica Blue Sox players Chattanooga Lookouts players Tampa Smokers players Montgomery Rebels players Miami Tourists players Fort Lauderdale Braves players Greensboro Patriots players Lakeland Pilots players Fort Lauderdale Lions players Port Chester Clippers players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1910s-stub