Karl Edward Swanson (December 17, 1900 – April 3, 2002) was a
second baseman 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), ...
during parts of two seasons (1928 and 1929) for the
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 ...
.
Baseball career
Born in
North Henderson, Illinois
North Henderson is a village in Mercer County, Illinois, United States. The population was 162 at the 2020 census.
Geography
North Henderson is located in southeastern Mercer County at (41.089830, -90.475184). It is southeast of Aledo, the co ...
in 1900, Swanson's first pro team was the 1923
Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. ...
Bunnies of the
Mississippi Valley League
The Mississippi Valley League (MVL) was a baseball Class D level minor league that operated from 1922 through 1933. Playing its last year as a Class B level league, the league franchises were based in Iowa and Illinois. Like many leagues at the ...
, a Class D circuit where he played for the first six seasons of his career. In 1928, he batted .384 (third-highest in the league); in August, he was signed by the White Sox and installed as the club's second baseman. Although solid defensively, Swanson was baffled by big-league pitching and could only manage nine hits (eight singles and a double) in 65 at-bats, for a .138 average. (Swanson was also married that year, on June 16, to Lucille.) After a strong spring training in 1929, however, Swanson came north with the Sox but was used only sparingly, pinch hitting in two games before being returned to the minors in early May. Swanson knocked around the minors for several more years before ending up in the same place he began: with the Cedar Rapids Raiders of the
Western League, in 1935.
In April 2001, to mark the 100th anniversary of the first
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 ...
game, Swanson threw the first pitch at
Tropicana Field
Tropicana Field (commonly known as the Trop) is a Multi-purpose stadium, multi-purpose domed stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The stadium has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) since the ...
between the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venu ...
and the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
.
Personal life and death
Swanson married Lucile Stein in 1928. After retiring from baseball, he and his wife owned Swanson's Market in Rock Island, Illinois. Swanson
turned 100 in 2000. Swanson died on April 3, 2002 at the age of 101 in
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...
.
[https://www.newspapers.com/image/340768531/?terms=karl%20swanson&match=1] At the time of his death, Swanson was the oldest living former major league player.
See also
*
List of centenarians (Major League Baseball players)
The following contains a list of Major League Baseball players who lived to the age of 100. For other baseball players and others associated with baseball who were centenarians, see List of centenarians (sportspeople). For other lists of centenaria ...
*
List of centenarians (sportspeople)
The following is a list of centenarians – specifically, people who became famous as sportspeople — known for reasons other than their longevity. For more lists, see lists of centenarians
The following is a list of lists of well documented f ...
References
External links
*
1900 births
2002 deaths
American men centenarians
Major League Baseball second basemen
Chicago White Sox players
Baseball players from Mercer County, Illinois
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