Samuel Richard Coffman (December 18, 1906 – March 24, 1972) 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 ...
with the
Washington Senators,
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 ...
,
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. ...
,
Boston Bees
The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta.
During it ...
and
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 ...
between 1927 and 1945. Coffman batted and threw right-handed. He was born in
Veto, Alabama. Coffman's brother,
Slick, also pitched in the major leagues.
Career
In a 15-season career, Coffman posted a 72–95 record with a 4.65
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 ...
and 38
saves in 472
appearances (132 as a
starter). In 1938, he led 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 ...
in appearances (51), saves (12) and
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 ...
(35). His only ejection in Major League Baseball (MLB) came on August 15, 1934, when he was ejected by homeplate umpire
Harry Geisel
Harry Christian Geisel (July 10, 1888 – February 19, 1966) was a Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the American League for 18 years from 1925 to 1942. Geisel umpired in three World Series (1930, 1934, and 1936) and in two All-Star Gam ...
for arguing balls and strikes.
Death
Coffman died in
Athens, Alabama
Athens is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, in the U.S. state of Alabama; it is included in the Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 21,897.
Histo ...
, at the age of 65.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders
The following is a list of annual leaders in saves in Major League Baseball (MLB), with separate lists for the American League and the National League. The list includes several professional leagues and associations that were never part of MLB.
...
References
Sources
Dick Coffman- Baseballbiography.com
1906 births
1972 deaths
People from Athens, Alabama
Boston Braves players
New York Giants (NL) players
Philadelphia Phillies players
St. Louis Browns players
Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Baseball players from Alabama
Minor league baseball managers
Quincy Red Birds players
Chattanooga Lookouts players
Birmingham Barons players
Jersey City Skeeters players
Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players
New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players
St. Paul Saints (AA) players
Knoxville Smokies players
Syracuse Chiefs players
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