Chester Peter Laabs (April 30, 1912 – January 26, 1983) was an American
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
right-handed
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
. He played professional baseball from 1935 to 1950, including 11 seasons 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), ...
for the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
(1937–1939),
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 p ...
(1939–1946) and
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 ...
(1947). He ranked second 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 27
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s in 1942 and was named to the
1943 All-Star team.
Laabs is often remembered for his role in two historic games. On October 2, 1938, he struck out five times, including the final strikeout, in the game in which
Bob Feller
Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Clevel ...
set a new major league record with 18 strikeouts. Six years later to the day, on October 2, 1944, he helped the Browns clinch the only pennant in club history by hitting two home runs on the final day of the season against 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 ...
.
Early years
Laabs was born in 1912 in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
.
He was the fourth of six children of Herman Julius Laabs and Jennie (Szulczewski) Laabs. His father was a German immigrant who worked as a molder at a steel fabricating plant and later as a fabric merchant and tavern owner. Laabs attended Milwaukee's Boys' Technology and Trade School. He began playing semipro baseball at age 15 with the Braman Coal Company team. Laabs was sometimes known as "The Polling Pole", owing to his Polish ancestry (on his mother's side) and his ability to hit long home runs.
Professional baseball
Minor leagues (1935)
Laabs began playing professional baseball in 1935 for the Fort Wayne Chiefs of the
Three-I League. In 87 games at Fort Wayne, he compiled a .384
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
with a .699
slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
and 56
extra-base hits
In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire anot ...
.
He was leading the minor leagues with a .427 average before missing a month due to an ankle injury. Despite the games missed due to injury, he led the Three-I League with 24 home runs.
[ Laabs also had 96 RBI to win the league's ]Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Trip ...
.
Detroit Tigers (1936–39)
In October 1935,the Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
purchased Laabs from the Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
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 ...
. He attended spring training with the Tigers in 1936 but did not make the club. The Tigers decided to convert him from an infielder to an outfielder and sent him back to the Brewers to learn to play the outfield.[ In 1936, he appeared in 157 games for the Brewers, compiling a .324 batting average with 85 extra-base hits, including 42 home runs.][
In the spring of 1937, manager ]Mickey Cochrane
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detro ...
was impressed by Laabs' increased power. Laabs had built up his arm strength working as a steamfitter. Cochrane opined that Laabs had the best wrists in baseball and added: "He has massive shoulders and from the waist up he is as big as any giant. And his wrists and forearms are as good as you will find in the majors." The Tigers were sufficiently impressed that they sold outfielder (and future Hall of Famer) Al Simmons
Aloysius Harry Simmons (May 22, 1902 – May 26, 1956), born Alois Szymanski, was an American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Bucketfoot Al", he played for two decades in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and had his best year ...
to make room for Laabs on the team's roster.[
During his rookie season, Laabs appeared in 72 games for the 1937 Tigers. He hit only .240 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs in 242 at bats.][ When he was sent down to 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 ...
in mid-May, the ''Detroit Free Press'' opined: "Although a brilliant prospect the youngster has not had sufficient experience to oust any of the regular from the Tigers' outfield." Laabs hit .410 in 21 games at Toledo.[
In 1938, Laabs again split his time between Detroit and Toledo. He appeared in 64 games for the 1938 Tigers, 37 in center field and 17 in left field, and again compiled a disappointing .237 batting average with seven home runs and 37 RBIs.][ At Toledo, he hit .293 in 73 at bats.][ On October 2, 1938, he struck out for the five times, and was the 18th strikeout, in a game in which ]Bob Feller
Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Clevel ...
set a new major league record with 18 strikeouts.
Laabs began the 1939 season with the Tigers but appeared in only five games while compiling a .313 batting average.[ On May 13, 1939, the Tigers traded Laabs to 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 p ...
as part of a nine-player deal that brought Bobo Newsom
Louis Norman "Bobo" Newsom (August 11, 1907 – December 7, 1962) was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Also known as "Buck", Newsom played for nine of the 16 then-existing big-league teams from 1929 through 1953 over all or ...
to the Tigers.
St. Louis Browns (1939–46)
During the 1939 season, Laabs appeared in 100 games (95 for the Browns, 5 for the Tigers) and compiled a .300 batting average and .369 on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
with 21 doubles, 10 triples, and 62 RBIs. Some 70 of his appearances in 1939 were as the Browns' center fielder.[
In 1940, Laabs appeared in 105 games for the Browns, dividing his time between center field (28 games), left field (26 games), and right field (10 games). He compiled a .271 batting average and a .372 on-base percentage with 11 doubles, five triples, and 10 RBIs.][
In 1941, he appeared in 118 games and again split his time between right field (64 games), left field (21 games), and center field (16 games). He hit .278 with a .361 on-base percentage 23 doubles, six triples, and 15 home runs.][
The 1942 through 1945 seasons saw a talent drain from ]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), ...
as players were drafted or enlisted following the United States' entry into 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 opposin ...
. During these war years, Laabs emerged as a star. In 1942, he ranked among the American League's leaders with 27 home runs (second, behind Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 ...
), .498 slugging percentage (fifth), 99 RBIs (sixth), 55 extra-base hits (sixth), 259 total bases (seventh), and 90 runs scored (ninth).[
In 1943, Laabs was selected to play in the ]Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
. He appeared in a career-high 151 games (116 in left field). His batting average dipped to .250, and he led the league with 105 strikeouts, but he also continued to rank among the league leaders with 17 home runs (fifth), 83 runs scored (sixth), 51 extra-base hits (sixth), 85 RBIs (seventh), and 237 total bases (eighth). Defensively, he led the league's left fielders with 15 assists and four double plays turned and ranked second with 208 putouts and a .982 fielding percentage.[
At the start of the 1944 season, Laabs was working in a war plant during the season and was only able to play in night and Sunday games for the Browns. And even for evening games, his obligations in the plant prevented him from participating in weekday batting practice. His batting average dipped that year to .234, and he started only 53 games.][ On the last day of the regular season, he went from bench warmer to hero. With only three home runs to his credit during the entire season prior to the game, he hit two home runs against 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 ...
to clinch the pennant (the only pennant in Browns' history) in front of a record-setting crowd of 37,815 at Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri. All but one of these were located on the same piece of land, at the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, on the ...
in St. Louis. The Encyclopedia of Baseball later referred to the game as "the most important in the history of the Browns."[
During the ]1944 World Series
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 opposin ...
, the Browns lost a cross-town battle with the St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
. Laabs had three hits, including a double and a triple, walked twice, and scored a run in 17 plate appearances.[
In 1945, he appeared in only 35 games and hit .239 with one home run and eight RBIs. In 1946, he appeared in 80 games, 65 in right field, and regained some of his power with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs in 264 at bats.][
]
Philadelphia and International League (1947–50)
On April 9, 1947, the Philadelphia Athletics purchased Laabs from the Browns. Laabs appeared in only 16 games for the Athletics, compiling a .219 average with no home runs and one RBI in 32 at bats.[
On June 7, 1947, the ]Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...
of the International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
purchased Laabs from the Athletics. Laabs remained with the Bisons for parts of three seasons, batting .293 with 22 home runs and 76 RBIs in 1947 and .295 with 29 home runs and 81 RBIs in 1948.[
In July 1949, the Bisons sold Laabs to the International League's ]Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
. Laabs appeared in 123 games for Buffalo and Toronto in 1949, totaling 22 home runs and 75 RBIs.[
Laabs began the 1950 season with Toronto but was released early in the season. He then signed with the ]Jersey City Giants {{about, the baseball team, the football team, American Association (American football)
The Jersey City Giants was the name of a high-level American minor league baseball franchise that played in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the top farm system a ...
, also of the International League. He played in 99 games in the outfield for Jersey City.[ He led the International League with 30 home runs in 1950, and he was credited with being the "big man" in Jersey City's lineup and leading the team to a berth in the International League playoffs.
]
Career statistics
In 11 major league seasons, Laabs appeared in 950 games and compiled a .262 batting average, .346 on-base percentage, and .452 slugging percentage. He totaled 117 home runs and 509 RBIs. He finished with a .977 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 ...
playing at all three outfield positions.[
]
Family and later years
Laabs and his wife, Mathilda, had a son, Chester, and a daughter, Patricia.[ In 1951, after retiring from baseball, Laabs worked as advertising manager for ''Modern Bowler'' magazine in Detroit. He then worked at a Detroit trophy company, Spike Lawrence Trophies.] In 1983, Laabs died at age 70 in Warren, Michigan
Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 Census places the city's population at 139,387, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb.
T ...
. Sources are in conflict as to whether he died from a pulmonary embolism or a heart ailment.[(pulmonary embolism)]
References
External links
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laabs, Chet
American League All-Stars
Major League Baseball outfielders
Detroit Tigers players
Philadelphia Athletics players
St. Louis Browns players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Fort Wayne Chiefs players
Jersey City Giants players
Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players
Rochester Red Wings players
Toledo Mud Hens players
Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players
Baseball players from Milwaukee
1912 births
1983 deaths