John Elvin Harshman (July 12, 1927 – August 17, 2013) 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

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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 ...

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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 ...

, and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

between 1948 and 1960. He batted and threw left-handed.Pitching Splits, Batter Matchups, Daily pitching logs a
Retrosheet
and dail
pitching gamelogs
at Baseball-Reference.com.

From slugger to pitcher

Harshman was born in

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, in 1927. He began his professional career at the age of 17 in 1945 for the

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of the

minor league 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 Nor ...

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 ...

. For his first five seasons, Harshman was being conditioned to be a major league hitter instead of a pitcher. Harshman's short stint in San Diego ended with a .254

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in 67

at-bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

. In 1946, Harshman moved over to the Class C

Modesto Reds Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

, where he hit .288 in 56 games before being shipped back to the PCL San Diego squad for only 3 games. 1947 was his first busy season as he played in 151 games for the

Victoria Athletics The Victoria Athletics were a Western International League baseball team based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada that existed from 1946 to 1951. From 1947 to 1949, they were affiliated with the New York Yankees. They played their home games at R ...

in 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 ...

. Harshman smashed 36

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 while batting a modest .306. He then moved up yet again to the San Diego squad for just 11 games and a poor .148 average. Despite the sluggish ending, the major league

purchased his contract as a first baseman in December 1947. In 1948, Harshman went to 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 AAA

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 ...

. He hit 24 home runs, drove in 76 runs, and batted .245. He received a brief call-up to the Giants and batted .250 in 9 plate appearances. 1949 was a breakout year for the 21-year-old slugger. In 150 games for the AA

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

, Harshman smashed 40 home runs and had 111 RBI. 1950 saw an unexpected change in Jack's progression. He batted a terrible .193 in 35 games for the Class A

Jacksonville Tars Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

and a below average .230 for Minneapolis. His second MLB stint with the Giants went even worse, batting just .125 in 32 at bats. It was around this point that management thought about changing Harshman's role in the organization. During his sluggish 1950 season, he was brought in to pitch two games for the Jacksonville Tars. He threw for 12 innings and a 6.75 ERA, splitting his 2 games for a 1–1 record. In 1951 Harshman got back on track with his slugging career. In 154 games for the

Nashville Volunteers The Nashville Vols were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1901 to 1963. Known only as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers (often sh ...

, he crashed 47 home runs with a fair .251 average. However, his manager once again experimented with Jack potentially being a pitcher, letting him take the field in 5 games. He posted another 1–1 record, but lowered his ERA to 3.94. Despite bringing a huge bat in the previous season, the decision was made to give Harshman double duty as a pitcher and occasional utility hitter. He batted .222 with 8 home runs and 15 RBI in just 135 at bats, but most of his work for the 1952 season came from on the mound. Harshman pitched in 26 games with 14 starts, threw a total of 131 innings with 78 strikeouts, a 4.67 ERA, and an average 6–7 win–loss record. 1953 was Harshman's breakout year. In the AA

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...

Nashville Volunteers, Jack posted a remarkable 23–7 record with a 3.27 ERA.

Chicago White Sox

Despite his successful transition from a first baseman slugger to a young phenom pitcher, the

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allowed the

to purchase Harshman's contract. Jack made his White Sox debut against the

on April 14, 1954. He started the game, but only lasted 3 innings after being tagged for four earned runs on eight hits. After another ineffective start on April 19, Harshman was demoted to the bullpen. He continued to struggle until being given another start on June 6. He responded by throwing a seven-hit shutout against the Washington Senators. On July 25, he struck out 16 Red Sox hitters, including

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 ...

in a complete game for a 5–2 win. At the time, it was the most strikeouts in the long history of

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. The record would stand for 32 years until a young flamethrower named

Roger Clemens William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Clemens was one of the most dominant pi ...

fanned a Major League best 20 batters. After that, Harshman settled down and had a largely successful season overall, including an exceptional performance for the month of August. Jack posted a 6–0 record with 47 strikeouts and a microscopic 0.77 ERA. His first full season posted some impressive numbers: a 14–8 won-loss record, a 2.95 ERA, four shutouts, and 134 strikeouts, the latter of which was fifth in the American League. Harshman found moderate success in the 1955 season by putting up an 11–7 record and a 3.36 ERA while finishing ninth in the AL in strikeouts with 116. On June 21, 1956, at Comiskey Park, Jack achieved a rarity in Major League Baseball that had only happened twice before in the modern era. Both he and the opposing

starting pitcher Connie Johnson threw a one-hit complete game. Harshman picked up the win, 1-0. Jack would go on to throw three more shutouts in the season, compiling a 15–12 record with a 3.10 ERA and 143 strikeouts, good enough for eighth in the league.

Baltimore Orioles

The 1956 season turned out to be the last solid campaign for Harshman. Following an 8–8 season with the 1957 White Sox, Harshman,

Larry Doby Lawrence Eugene Doby (December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003) was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) who was the second black player to break baseball's color barrier and the first black pl ...

and Jim Marshall were traded to the

for

Billy Goodman William Dale Goodman (March 22, 1926 – October 1, 1984) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder who played 16 seasons for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and Houston Colt .45s, from 1947 through 1962. Go ...

Tito Francona John Patsy Francona (November 4, 1933 – February 13, 2018) was a Major League Baseball player. As a child, he was nicknamed "Tito" by his father. His son, Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona, is also sometimes referred to as "Tito." Bal ...

and Ray Moore at the

Winter meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...

. When it was discovered by the Orioles that Harshman was suffering from a slipped disc, Baseball Commissioner

Ford Frick Ford Christopher Frick (December 19, 1894 – April 8, 1978) was an American sportswriter and baseball executive. After working as a teacher and as a sportswriter for the ''New York American'', he served as public relations director of the Natio ...

ordered the Chisox to send either $20,000 or an acceptable player to the Orioles. Russ Heman was sent to Baltimore to complete this deal. In 1958, many of Harshman's numbers improved. His ERA was a career-low 2.89, third best in the AL, and he compiled a career-high 161 strikeouts to go with three shutouts. However, run support was scarce and he ended the season with a 12–15 record.

Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians

Harshman became a journeyman in 1959, playing for three different teams during the season. Harshman began with an 0–6 record and a 6.85 ERA before being traded to the

for

Billy Hoeft William Frederick Hoeft (May 17, 1932 – March 16, 2010) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giant ...

on June 15, 1959. Harshman would only spend one month with the Red Sox, going 2–3 with a 6.57 ERA in two starts and six relief appearances. The

bought Harshman's contract on July 30, 1959. Over the remainder of the season, he posted a 5–1 record to go with a 2.59 ERA in 66 innings of work. The 1960 season would prove to be the last for Harshman in the majors. At the age of 32, his back problems were catching up with him. He was forced onto the disabled list on April 24 after checking into the Cleveland Lakeside Hospital to treat problems connected to slipped discs. It would take three months before he would take the mound again. Right from the start, he could not regain his groove. On July 24, the Red Sox scored five runs on three hits and four walks before Harshman was pulled after three innings. He would never get back on track, ending his final season with a 2–4 record and a 3.98 ERA. In October, Harshman was released by the Indians. In 1961, Jack participated in

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

in an effort to make the

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roster, but instead ended up with a familiar team from his first professional year, the AAA Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres. He would go on to pitch in only four games, compiling a 0–1 record and a 6.00 ERA.

Death

On August 17, 2013, Harshman died in

Georgetown, Texas Georgetown is a city in Texas and the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 67,176 at the 2020 census. It is 30 miles (48 km) north of Austin. Founded in 1875 from four existing colleges, the oldest of ...

, where he lived. He was 86 years old. He was buried at the

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in the city of San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department o ...

in San Diego.

Personal life

Harshman was survived by his wife Virginia. He was related to the actress Margo Harshman and former Washington State University and University of Washington basketball coach Marv Harshman. He had daughters Patricia and Joyce with wife Genevieve; a stepdaughter Laveen with wife Frances; a son Jack, Jr. with wife Dorothy; a daughter Jacquelyn with wife Lillian, and stepsons with wife Virginia.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harshman, Jack 1927 births 2013 deaths Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from San Diego Boston Red Sox players Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Indians players Jacksonville Tars players Jersey City Giants players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball pitchers Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Modesto Reds players New York Giants (NL) players Nashville Vols players People from Georgetown, Texas San Diego Padres (minor league) players Victoria Athletics players