David Charles "Dauntless Dave" Danforth (March 7, 1890 – September 19, 1970) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

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 ...

. He played 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), ...

(MLB) for ten seasons (1911–1912, 1916–1919, 1922–1925) with 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 ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

, and

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 ...

. For his career, he compiled a 71–66 record in 286 appearances, with a 3.89

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 ...

and 484

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s. Danforth played on two

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

championship teams, the

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

Athletics and the

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

White Sox. He appeared in one World Series game (in 1917), pitching one

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

, giving up two runs and striking out two. Danforth was an alumnus of

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

. He pitched two seasons at Baylor and pitched two

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

s as a collegiate. In 1911 he led Baylor to the Texas championship with a 10-0

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 ...

. He had agreed to join the Athletics for the 1911 season over the winter of 1910-11, but held off signing his professional contract until graduating from Baylor, joining the Athletics in July. The 1912 Reach Guide described him as a "clever young pitcher" and said that the Athletics were "fortunate" in his "gradual development" in their pursuit of the 1911 league championship. He was known for adulterating baseballs and throwing " shiners". A 1920 rule change banned this practice and Danforth's career suffered following the rule change. After retiring from baseball, he worked as a dentist. He was born in

Granger, Texas Granger is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. It was incorporated in 1891. The population was 1,183 at the 2020 census. History In the late 19th century, Granger was one of the centers of the large Moravian Czech immigrant popula ...

and died in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

at the age of 80. He is buried in

Loudon Park Cemetery Loudon Park Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. It was incorporated on January 27, 1853, on of the site of the "Loudon" estate, previously owned by James Carey, a local merchant and politician. The entrance to the cemetery i ...

Baseball Almanac
/ref> in Baltimore.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Danforth, Dave 1890 births 1970 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Philadelphia Athletics players Chicago White Sox players St. Louis Browns players Baltimore Orioles (IL) players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Columbus Senators players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Dallas Steers players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chattanooga Lookouts players Scranton Miners players Baylor University alumni Baseball players from Texas People from Granger, Texas

See also

References

External links