Herschel Bennett
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Herschel Emmett Bennett (September 21, 1896 – September 9, 1964) 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), ...
outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
who played for five seasons. He 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 p ...
from 1923 to 1927.


Minor leagues

Bennett began playing baseball with local semi-pro teams during the late 1910s, then he started his professional career in the
minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...
, playing for the Springfield Merchants in 1920. He played with the
Tulsa Oilers The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tuls ...
of the Western League from 1921 to 1923. In 1922, he hit .370 in 161 games, and hit 13 triples and 24
home run 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 ...
s as well that season. At the conclusion of the 1922 season, the St. Louis Browns purchased his contract for $10,000.


Major Leagues

Although he spent most of the 1923 season with Tulsa, he did play in five games for the St. Louis Browns during the 1923 St. Louis Browns season, making his major league debut on April 19, 1923. In 1924, Bennett played in 41 games for the Browns with a batting average of .330. However, he suffered a broken arm, and was out for the rest of the season. The next three seasons saw Bennett splitting time between
left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...
and right field, backing up Ken Williams and
Harry Rice Harry Francis Rice (November 22, 1901 – January 1, 1971), was an outfielder for the St. Louis Browns (1923–27), Detroit Tigers (1928–30), New York Yankees (1930), Washington Senators (1931) and Cincinnati Reds (1933). At his peak, he was ...
. During the 1925 St. Louis Browns season, Bennett played in 93 games and had a career high six triples with a batting average of .279. The following season his average dipped to .267, and then to .266. He played in the final of his 312 major league games on October 1, 1927, and finished his career with 13 triples, 13 stolen bases, a .276 batting average, and seven home runs. At one point during the 1927 season, he crashed into a wall while playing against Philadelphia at
Shibe Park Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1 ...
, which caused him to fall into a 36-hour coma and helped bring about the end of his major league career.


Minors and dispute

Over the next few years, Bennett played with several different minor league teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers in 1928, with whom he played 111 games. Bennett became the subject of a feud between Browns owner Phil Ball and commissioner
Kenesaw Mountain Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a United States federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his ...
. Bennett claimed that his frequent moving in the farm system prevented him from getting a chance to play in the majors, to which Landis ordered Ball to put him on the major league roster or release him, with Ball. When a federal judge ruled in Landis' favor on this issue, claiming interference in private property, judge Walter Lindley also ruled that the farm system in baseball was legitimate, which is what Landis tried to avoid with this ruling on Bennett. After baseball, Bennett went on to become the Commissioner of Revenue in
Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...
. He died on September 9, 1964.


Personal life

Bennett was married to Gladys Gertrude Bennett (Cloud) (1899–1974). They later divorced, remarried, and divorced again. They had three children, twins Robert C. Bennett (1919–2009) and William Bennett, and Herschel Bennett (1930–2012).


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Herschel 1896 births 1964 deaths St. Louis Browns players St. Louis Browns scouts Major League Baseball outfielders Baseball players from Missouri Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Birmingham Barons players Dallas Steers players Quincy Indians players Reading Keystones players Albany Senators players