Jacob Fields Wade (April 1, 1912 – February 1, 2006) 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 ...

who appeared 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), ...

for the

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 ...

(1936–1938),

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

(1939),

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 ...

(1939),

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 ...

(1942–1944),

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

(1946) and Washington Senators (1946). Wade batted and threw left-handed and was listed as tall and . He was nicknamed "Whistlin' Jake". A native of

Morehead City, North Carolina Morehead City is a port town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the Crystal Coast. Hist ...

, Wade made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers in 1936 as he went 4–5. His most productive season came in 1937, when he posted career highs in wins (7), starts (25),

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s (7),

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 (69) and

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

(165-1/3). The next two years, Wade divided his playing time with Detroit and the

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club (Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. Before the 1939 season he was traded by Detroit to the Boston Red Sox in the same deal that brought

Pinky Higgins Michael Franklin "Pinky" Higgins (May 27, 1909 – March 21, 1969) was an American third baseman, manager, front office executive and scout in Major League Baseball who played for three teams and served as manager or general manager of the Boston ...

to the Tigers. He finished the season with the St. Louis Browns. Then joined the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

in 1940, and played for the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

(AA) the following year. In 1942 he returned to the majors with the Chicago White Sox. After serving in the military, he played his last major league season with the New York Yankees and Washington Senators in 1946. In an eight-season major-league career, Wade posted a 27–30 record with 291 strikeouts and a 5.00

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 ...

in 668-1/3 innings. Wade joined the

Jersey City Giants {{about, the baseball team, the football team, American Association (American football) The Jersey City Giants was the name of a high-level American minor league baseball franchise that played in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the top farm system a ...

of the International League in 1947, as he posted a 17–5 record with a 2.51 ERA helping his team to the league championship. He ended his professional baseball career with a 7–6 and a 4.96 ERA for the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

(IL) in 1950. Following his playing career, he worked as an electronics repair technician at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station until his retirement in 1976. Wade died in Wildwood, North Carolina, at age 93. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former player of the Chicago White Sox. His younger brother, Ben Wade, was also a major league pitcher. The municipal ballpark in

is named "Wade Brothers Field" after Wade, his younger brother Ben, and an older brother, Winfield ("Wink") who played minor league baseball.

External links

Baseball AlmanacBaseball LibraryBaseball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Jake 1912 births 2006 deaths Baseball players from North Carolina Beaumont Exporters players Boston Red Sox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago White Sox players Detroit Tigers players Evansville Hubs players Goldsboro Goldbugs players Indianapolis Indians players Jersey City Giants players Major League Baseball pitchers Moline Plowboys players Montreal Royals players NC State Wolfpack baseball players New Bern Bears players New York Yankees players People from Morehead City, North Carolina Portland Beavers players Raleigh Capitals players St. Louis Browns players San Diego Padres (minor league) players Shreveport Sports players Toledo Mud Hens players United States Navy personnel of World War II Washington Senators (1901–1960) players

See also

External links