Clarence Elmer Mitchell (February 22, 1891 – November 6, 1963) was an American

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 ...

Background

He played in the majors from 1911 to 1932 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 ...

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 ...

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. ...

Brooklyn Robins The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...

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 ...

and

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 hav ...

. Mitchell was known for throwing the spitball, and he was one of the 17 pitchers allowed to continue throwing the pitch after it was outlawed in 1920. He was a very good hitting pitcher in his 18-year major league career, posting a .252

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 ...

(324-for-1287) with 138 runs, 7

home runs 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 ...

, 133 RBI and drawing 72

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

. He drove in 10 or more runs in six seasons, with a season high of 28 in 1922 as a member of the Brooklyn Robins. In 1919, he batted a career high .367 (18-for-49) for Brooklyn. He was also used in the outfield and at first base.

Records

On October 10, 1920, in Game 5 of the

1920 World Series The 1920 World Series was the championship series for Major League Baseball's 1920 season. The series was a best-of-nine format played between the American League (AL) champion Cleveland Indians and the National League (NL) champion Brooklyn ...

, Mitchell made history when, with men on first and second and no outs, he hit a rising liner that Cleveland Indians second baseman

Bill Wambsganss William Adolf Wambsganss (March 19, 1894 – December 8, 1985) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1914 in baseball, 1914 through 1926 in baseball, 1926, Wambsganss played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia ...

caught. Wambsganss was able to double up the lead runner,

Pete Kilduff Peter John Kilduff (April 4, 1893 – February 14, 1930), was a professional baseball player who played second base from 1917 to 1921, with the Giants, Cubs, and Brooklyn Robbins, and as a player / manager in the minors for several years after. ...

, who was still running toward third, then tagged out

Otto Miller Lowell Otto Miller (June 1, 1889 – March 29, 1962) was a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1910 through 1922 for Brooklyn teams the Superbas (1910, 1913), Dodgers (1911–1912) and Robins (1914–1922). Nicknamed "Moonie", Miller batted an ...

, who had come down from first base. Mitchell is the only player in Major League history to hit into an unassisted triple play in a World Series. In his next at bat, Mitchell hit into a double play, making him responsible for five outs in two consecutive trips to the plate, another World Series record. Mitchell also has the distinction of being the last legal lefthanded

spitball A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of a foreign substance such as saliva or petroleum jelly. This technique alters the wind resistance and weight on one side of the ball, causing it to mo ...

pitcher. After being released from the majors after the 1932 season at age 41, he played several more years in the minors, including three years in 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 the

Mission Reds The Mission Reds were a minor league baseball team located in San Francisco, California, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1926 through 1937. First Missions team In early September of 1914, the failed Sacramento Solons team moved ...

.Clarence Mitchell, SABR, Baseball Biography Project

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Clarence 1891 births 1963 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Nebraska People from Hamilton County, Nebraska Detroit Tigers players Cincinnati Reds players New York Giants (NL) players Brooklyn Robins players Philadelphia Phillies players St. Louis Cardinals players New York Giants (NL) coaches Minor league baseball managers Providence Grays (minor league) players Denver Bears players Mission Reds players Mayfield Clothiers players Oklahoma City Indians players People from Franklin County, Nebraska Rock Island Islanders players