Ernest Herman Frank Gust (January 24, 1888 – October 26, 1945), nicknamed "Red", 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), ...
player. Gust played for 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 ...
in 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 ...
season. In three career games (August 17 – 19, 1911), each against the
Washington Senators, Gust had no hits in 12 at-bats, playing
first base
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
. He batted and threw right-handed.
Gust received his opportunity to play for St Louis after batting .354 with 17
triples
TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...
and a
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, ...
of .498 for the
Harrisburg Miners/
Jackson Climbers in the
Class D Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League
The Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (or ''KITTY League'') was a Class D level minor league baseball circuit that went through six different periods of play between 1903 and 1955. The League hosted teams in 29 cities from the states of Ill ...
.
Gust led the league in each of these categories among eligible batters. From 1913 to 1915, Gust played for Savannah in the
Class C South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...
, batting .302 in 1914.
In his first game for St. Louis, the Browns lost as
Walter Johnson
Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in Major League Baseball as a right-ha ...
pitched a 5–0
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
for Washington. His second game was much closer, but the Browns lost again, 3–2. His final game was an 8–7 loss. The Browns finished the 1911 season with the worst record 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 ...
(45–107), only a half game better than the
Boston Rustlers of 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 ...
(44–107). After his brief stint with St. Louis in 1911, Gust never played Major League Baseball again.
Gust was born in
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city and county seat of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and it is the principal city of the Bay City Metropol ...
, and died in
Maupin, Oregon
Maupin is a city in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. Located on the Deschutes River, much of the city's economy is related to the river through outdoor activities, such as fishing and rafting. The population was 418 at the 2010 census.
Histo ...
. He is buried in Elm Lawn Park Cemetery, in Bay City.
References
External links
Baseball Reference.com page
1888 births
1945 deaths
St. Louis Browns players
Death in Oregon
Baseball players from Michigan
Sportspeople from Bay City, Michigan
Harrisburg Miners players
Jackson Climbers players
Frankfort Lawmakers players
Savannah Colts players
Harrisburg Merchants players
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