George Jasper Caster (August 4, 1907 – December 18, 1955), nicknamed "Ug", was a right-handed professional

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 ...

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 ...

for 21 years from 1929 to 1948 and again in 1953. He played 12 years 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), ...

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 ...

(1934–1935, 1937–1940),

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 ...

(1941–1945), and

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 ...

(1945–1946). Caster became known as an early knuckleball pitcher. He played for

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 ...

pennant winning teams in both 1944 and 1945. He appeared in 376 major league games and compiled a career record of 76–100 in 1377 innings pitched.

Early years

Caster was born in

Colton, California Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Nicknamed "Hub City", Colton is located in the Inland Empire region of the state and is a suburb of San Bernardino, California, San Bernardino, approximately south of the cit ...

, in 1907. He played baseball and football at Colton High School. Caster played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

until his senior year, when injuries to Colton's pitchers led to his taking up pitching. He also played two years of baseball at

San Bernardino Junior College San Bernardino Valley College is a public community college in San Bernardino, California. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The college has an enrollment of 17,044 students and covers . Valley College is also a ...

and was an athlete at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

for part of a year before beginning his career as a professional baseball player. Caster was also a pitcher for the Colton Cement Dusters in 1928. Caster's father, Ira Caster, was employed by the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department and became the chief criminal deputy in the 1930s. Caster also worked as a deputy sheriff for the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department in the off-season during his professional baseball career.

Professional baseball career

Pacific Coast League

Caster signed with the San Francisco Seals of 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 ...

in 1929. He was farmed out to the San Bernardino Padres in the California State League for the 1929 season. After compiling a 12–5 record in 20 games with San Bernardino, Caster was promoted to the

, playing 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 ...

from 1929 to 1932. In 1931, he compiled a 13–17 record and 5.07

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 ...

(ERA) in 35 games for the Reds. He also played for the

Seattle Indians Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...

in 1933, compiling a 12–19 record and 5.80 ERA in 47 games. He divided the 1934 season between Seattle and the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

of the Pacific Coast League, compiling a 1–15 record and 3.40 ERA in 34 games.

Philadelphia Athletics

In September 1934, Caster made his major league debut with the

. He compiled a 3–2 record for the A's in 1934 and returned to the team in 1935. He appeared in 25 games for the 1935 A's, all but one as a relief pitcher. He finished the season with a 1–4 record and 6.25 ERA. Caster was optioned by the Athletics to the Portland Beavers for the 1936 season, which proved to be the best of Caster's career. In 44 games for Portland, he compiled a 25–13 record and a 2.79 ERA – a career high in wins and a career low in ERA. He was the leader in the Pacific Coast League in 1936 in both wins and strikeouts (234). In a front page profile, ''The Sporting News'' credited Caster's turnaround to overcoming his lack of control and adding a slow knuckleball to his blazing fastball and sharp-breaking curve. Caster later wrote an article describing the role of his knuckler:

"My knuckle ball is thrown with the fingertips of my index and second finger on my right hand in contact with the smooth surface of the ball – no seems touched... I have found when pitching against the wind the ball seems to be most effective because it seems to 'flutter'... I regard the fast ball as my best pitch, with my knuckle ball as the change pitch."

After a strong showing in Portland in 1936, Caster was recalled by the A's for the 1937 season. He remained with Philadelphia for four years, compiling a 41–67 record and 4.94 ERA from 1937 to 1940. He twice led the American League in losses, with records of 16–20 in 1938 and 4–19 in 1940. Despite losing 20 games in 1938, his ERA was significantly lower than the league average, and his record is largely attributable to playing for an eighth place team that finished with a 53–99 record. Indeed, after the 1938 season, multiple teams proposed trades for Caster, but Philadelphia's

Connie Mack Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...

designated Caster as "not for sale." United Press writer Paul Scheffels described Caster's approach this way: "This 6-foot-1-inch righthander from California has a delivery as simple as a fat woman's diet. He throws a fastball, a hook and when the 'jam comes up,' a knuckler." Caster also became known for entertaining his Philadelphia teammates with his imitations of "snaggle-toothed" monsters. In 1939, he pitched on opening day for the Athletics against the Washington Senators in Washington, D.C. President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

attended the game, in which Caster pitched a shutout; Caster later described the opening day shutout in front of the President as one of the greatest thrills of his baseball career.

St. Louis Browns

On November 16, 1940, Caster was selected off waivers by the St. Louis Browns from Philadelphia. In 1941,

Luke Sewell James Luther "Luke" Sewell (January 5, 1901 – May 14, 1987) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Cleveland Indians (1921–1932, 1939), Washington Senators ( ...

converted Caster into a relief pitcher, and he had the best seasons of his major league career as the Browns' lead reliever from 1942 to 1944. As a reliever, his

Adjusted ERA+ Adjusted ERA+, often simply abbreviated to ERA+ or ERA plus, is a pitching statistic in baseball. It adjusts a pitcher's earned run average (ERA) according to the pitcher's ballpark (in case the ballpark favors batters or pitchers) and the ERA of ...

ratings skyrocketed to 133, 159, and 150 between 1942 and 1944. Caster later noted that he enjoyed the role of being a relief pitcher: "I like to be in there when the going is tough, trying to save a game." Caster compiled a 23–23 record and 3.24 ERA in the four years from 1941 to 1945. He helped the 1944 St. Louis Browns win the American League pennant as he led the league with 12 saves and had an Adjusted ERA+ of 150. Caster began the 1945 season with St. Louis and had a 6.84 ERA after pitching 15 innings. His Adjusted ERA+ collapsed from 150 in 1944 to 53 in the early part of the 1945 season.

Detroit Tigers

On August 8, 1945, Caster was selected off waivers by the

from the Browns. Caster won five straight games for Detroit before finally losing a game. The 1945 Tigers went on to win the

pennant and defeated the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

in the

1945 World Series The 1945 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1945 season. The 42nd edition of the World Series, it matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion Chicago Cubs. T ...

. Caster appeared in a total of 22 games for the 1945 Tigers, all in relief, compiling a 5–1 record and 3.86 ERA in 51 innings. He also pitched of an inning of no-hit baseball in the 1945 World Series. In a lengthy feature story on Caster at the end of the regular season, ''The Sporting News'' credited Caster's contributions with this headline: "Caster Helps to Keep Tiger Wagon Rolling With Smooth Relief Hurling: 36-Year Fireman Cops Five Straight in Smothering Blazes." Caster returned to the Tigers in 1946 and compiled a 2–1 record (5.66 ERA) in 26 relief appearances. He pitched his final major league game on September 16, 1946, at age 39. Caster is also remembered as the pitcher who gave up

Jimmie Foxx James Emory Foxx (October 22, 1907 – July 21, 1967), nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, ...

's 500th home run on September 24, 1940.

Return to minor leagues

On December 12, 1946, Caster was released by the Tigers. He played for San Diego and Hollywood in the Pacific Coast League during the 1947 season. In 1948, he was a player/manager for the

Riverside Rubes The Riverside Rubes/Dons were a minor league baseball team, based in Riverside, California that played in the Sunset League The Sunset League was a minor league baseball circuit that operated from 1947 through 1950. The Sunset League was a ...

in the

Sunset League The Sunset League was a minor league baseball circuit that operated from 1947 through 1950. The Sunset League was a Class C level league, with franchises based in the United States and Mexico. The league expanded from six to eight teams from ...

. He attempted a comeback five years later, serving as a player-coach and appearing in eight games for the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

of the

Western International League The Western International League was a mid- to higher-level minor league baseball circuit in the Pacific Northwest United States and western Canada that operated in 1922, 1937 to 1942 and 1946 to 1954. In 1955, the Western International League ev ...

in 1953.

Family and later years

Caster was married to Daisy Jennie Herlinger in November 1929. They had two daughters, Constance (born c. 1933) and Catherine (born c. 1935). Caster died in 1955 at age 48 in

Lakewood, California Lakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 80,048 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west and south, Bellflower, California, Bellflower on the north, C ...

. He suffered a heart attack while attending a Christmas party hosted by his employer

Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated as ...

. He had worked for the company as a milling machine operator.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Caster, George 1907 births 1955 deaths Albany Senators players Baseball players from San Bernardino County, California Detroit Tigers players Edmonton Eskimos (baseball) players Globe Bears players Hollywood Stars players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball pitchers Minor league baseball managers Mission Reds players Sportspeople from Colton, California Philadelphia Athletics players Portland Beavers players Riverside Rubes players San Bernardino Padres players San Bernardino Valley College alumni San Diego Padres (minor league) players Seattle Indians players SBVC Wolverines baseball players St. Louis Browns players